Graeme Souness (1986 to 1990)
On 28th April 1990, Graeme Souness made the final competitive appearance of a career which had seen him develop from a homesick 16 year old at Tottenham Hotspur to being one of Europe’s best and most feared midfielders with Liverpool.
Eager to erase the memory of his previous Gers appearance (the 1989 Scottish Cup Final) Graeme was desperate to bow out on a far more positive note and his 21 minute cameo role against Dunfermline Athletic allowed him to do so, retiring on the day that his side were presented with the League Championship trophy.
The appointment of Souness in April 1986 sent shockwaves around the football world and whilst his managerial credentials were open to scrutiny, there was no debating that in Graeme we were getting one of Europe’s finest players. Latterly captain, he had been a key component of the all conquering Liverpool sides of the late 70’s and early 80’s, winning an astonishing 3 European Cups, 5 League Championships and 4 League Cups in little over 6 years with the Anfield side. Two successful seasons in Serie A with Sampdoria had further greatly enhanced his football knowledge and by the time Rangers came calling he was ready to return to his homeland and a sleeping giant was awoken.
At 33 years of age, his very best days were clearly behind him but Souness was widely recognised as being one of the fittest men in football, dare I say a quite magnificent specimen. Despite (by his own high standards) a disappointing World Cup in Mexico ‘86, he was every bit as big an attraction as new signings Butcher and Woods when the season got under way on August 9th 1986 at Easter Road. It would prove to be a short lived debut as he would famously see red for a challenge on Hibernian’s George McCluskey. With his father watching on, Graeme would describe the shame of being red carded as one of the lowest moments of his long career. As mayhem ensued following his dismissal, there was a school of thought that this had almost been a deliberate ploy on his part to create the togetherness and siege mentality that would drive Rangers towards the first Championship win in 9 years.
There were flashes of vintage Souness during that 1986/87 season. His performance against Celtic in the New Year fixture at Ibrox would be up there with any individual display given in Old Firm clashes throughout the decades. He was absolutely immense and as the game progressed it was clear that Celtic players were simply standing off him to avoid embarrassment. A recurring injury problem had made it a stop start season, his first league goal came in a crucial win over Aberdeen on September 27th but he would make only 2 further league appearances until mid December, missing the League Cup Final in the process. The second part of the season would see him feature far more regularly and it was no coincidence that the return of Souness to the side allied to the signing of Graham Roberts would see Rangers lose just one league game until the end of the season. His final match of the campaign ended the way it began, this time with a red card at Pittodrie. A bitter sweet moment for Souness as the title was secured with a 1-1 draw.
Whilst he would only play 32 matches that season across all competitions, his influence was immeasurable and the performances of fellow midfielders Derek Ferguson and Ian Durrant (in particular) seemed to reach new levels playing under his guidance.
It was more of the same during 1987/88, an early season red card at Parkhead was followed by some virtuoso European performances against Dynamo Kiev and Gornik Zabre as Rangers made their first assault on the European Cup since his arrival. Falling just short at the Quarter Final stages, his challenge in the Steaua Bucharest match at Ibrox has since been described as an assault and there was no doubting that he was a man not be crossed on or off the pitch. 30 appearances were made in total with goals coming against Dunfermline and St.Mirren (his last for Rangers) but the signing of Ray Wilkins had perhaps lessened the need for him to play when not 100% fit.
By season 1988/89, appearances were generally coming from the bench. He couldn’t resist a late entry to proceedings during the 5-1 win over Celtic at Ibrox, much to the annoyance of some of his team mates who were desperate for more goals whilst he looked to indulge in some show boating and ball retention. With Ian Ferguson now hitting a rich vein of form and the likes of John Brown also adding some required steel to the midfield, it was more a case of playing in emergency as he looked to focus solely on the management job in hand. Such an emergency arrived in the shape of the 1989 Scottish Cup Final when injuries were hitting hard as we looked to secure the domestic treble. Graeme chose to put himself on the bench ahead of the likes of Derek Ferguson and Andy Gray and it was a gamble that unfortunately failed.
With the career he had, it was fitting that Graeme would ultimately go out at the very top as almost a year later he made his farewell appearance on the penultimate day of season 1989/90. With a total of 73 appearances and 5 goals, Graeme may not be labelled a Rangers legend solely in terms of his playing career at Ibrox but there would be few players ever to have pulled on that famous blue shirt who, in their prime, were better than him. For everything else he achieved with the Club, legendary status at Ibrox was never in doubt.
Although rejecting the opportunity of taking on a role within the Club in the summer of 2023, Graeme was involved in the selection process as Philippe Clement was selected to replace Michael Beale as Manager.
by Rick Plews
