Archie Knox has half jokingly suggested that Steven Gerrard calls in Richard Gough to solve his defensive problems.
An injury putting Nikola Katic out of action for the foreseeable future has suddenly exposed the lack of options in the Ibrox defence. Andy Halliday and Jon Flanagan were released at the end of their contracts while Matt Polster is in talks over a move to Chicago Fire.
Gough led the old club to their own 9-in-a-row in 1997 before surprisingly walking away, opting for the American lifestyle with Kansas City Wizards.
At the start of the 97/98 season Rangers crashed out of Europe to AIK Gothenborg and Racing Strasbourg. Those results forced Walter Smith to announce his end of season departure with an injury crisis resulting in an SOS for Gough to return to ensure 10-in-a-row.
Knox told the Daily Record:
If Rangers got in touch with Goughie today he’d say he was available – his fitness levels are still unbelievable. The decision to bring him back in 1997 was a no brainer after we’d lost Amoruso and McLaren to injury.
Goughie is one of the fittest professionals I’ve ever worked with and if you saw him today, you’d say he could still play yet.
We went for him back then because he was experienced, knew the drill and what to expect. He had a hell of a record at Rangers, playing more than 500 games for the club in total.
He slipped seamlessly back into the dressing room when he returned from the States and hit the ground running – scoring the winner in a 1-0 victory over Celtic in only his third game back.
Gough’s celebration at that goal was the sweetest ever for Celtic fans- running around with 10 fingers stretched out to signify the reason he had returned to Scotland.
Despite a brief spell in management at Livingston during the 2004/05 Gough has had no role in management or coaching.
