Alex won the League and League Cup double when he returned to Rangers in 2004/05 and he was delighted to take a trip down Memory Lane with supporters.
Check out the highlights of his session..
Q – Warren – How good was Barry Ferguson?
A – Barry was an excellent footballer with top notch technical skill but his desire to drive the team forward and his strong mentality made him a Rangers Great.
Q – Paul – On Helicopter Sunday how aware were the players of the goings on at Fir Park?
A – We only became aware that something was happening at Motherwell by the roar from the fans behind the goal. But the second roar resulted in Barry Ferguson jumping on my back whilst the game was going on. He said ‘we’ve F’ing won this’ 😊
Q – Tom Miller – Why have you and Jason Statham never been seen in the same room?
A – I’d say it’s because he’s a Hollywood star and unless he’s eating in Coia’s cafe in Dennistoun there is slim chance of it happening – plus I prefer your chat 😂
Q – Wilf Marshall – How’s the London Marathon training going? The delay until October is a pain eh. (fully understandable though!)
A – The postponement of the London Marathon was a bonus as I was struggling to get the miles in due to a hip injury but I’m pleased to say I resumed my training yesterday 👍
Q – Nick – Apart from Helicopter Sunday, is there one game at Rangers that stands out to you and why?
A – I’d say the semi-final of the League Cup when we won 7-1 against Dundee Utd. It was also a great honour as the gaffer gave me the captain’s armband for the match. Captaining Rangers to a cup final was a great memory.
Q – Nick – You made your Champions League debut away to Porto in a 1-1 draw – do you think that’s an underrated result given how strong they were at the time?
A – The Porto result was an excellent point for us because it kept us on track to get out the group at that time. They had also spent a fortune that summer.
Q – Chris Smith – If you were a scout for Rangers are there any players that play in Scotland you would recommend to SG?
A – I’d say the lad Aaron Hickey at Hearts has a bright future. He looks to bomb forward when possible and does well defensively and the early signs are he will kick on.
Q – Jamie – Who is your favourite Rangers player of all time?
A- My favourite player of all time is Davie Cooper. He was the top man when I was a boy. His ability was tremendous and he could turn a match at any time.
Q – And your favourite current player?
A – Favourite current player – I think Ryan jack can be an important player in the coming years. He has upped his performance levels and found a good consistency to his game. Hopefully he can stay fit.
Q – Jamie – Hello Alex! What were you and Barry saying to each other at the very end of the game on Helicopter Sunday? Seemed like you were half celebrating/half realising our game wasn’t finished?
A – Barry was jumping on my shoulders saying ‘we’ve won this’ but I was saying concentrate because there was a few minutes left to go. It turns out he was right 👍
Q – What’s your best non-Rangers memory from your career?
A – Whilst at Sunderland we did an open top bus parade after winning the league. An estimated 300k fans attended, it was an unbelievable experience for everyone.
Q – Rangers Lions – What would your advice be to youngsters that are released by a club like Rangers in terms of how they move forward with their career and as you showed possibly get back to Ibrox eventually. Cheers mate
A – Although being released can be devastating it’s not the end so don’t give up on your dream of playing football. Keep working hard and you never know you might win the league with the club who released you years later 👍
Q – Aaron Collins – Do you ever see yourself getting back into management?
A – You can never say never. I’ve been offered several jobs back in the game but they were not what I was looking for at the time.
Q – Euan – Was delighted you got a chance to sign for your boyhood club. What did it mean to you?
A – Re-signing for Rangers was like returning home. I’d had 14 years down south so I was delighted to be heading north. Plus my oldest daughter was starting to have a Black Country accent so I had to get her up the road 😊
Q – Did you think it would ever happen and did it surpass what you expected it to be?
A – Yes it surpassed my expectations. Winning the double in the first season was tremendous.
Q – Andrew – Which classic Rangers game would you have liked to play in but didn’t – and why?
A – The game I’d love to have played in would have been the Battle of Britain 🇬🇧 v Leeds.
The atmosphere at Ibrox was unbelievable and to go down to Leeds and win there too was tremendous.
Q – Curtis – Throughout your career what do you regard as your biggest achievement?
A – Winning the leagues with Sunderland and Rangers are the standouts. As a player you want to win things 👍
Q – Teddy – What other sports you into other than football and golf?
A – I used to go watch cricket 🏏 when I was at Millwall. The first game I attended was England v Australia which was amazing.
Q – Andy – Is it true you took Teddy Sheringham to an old firm game when you were both at Millwall? Any other ex-teammates experienced such a game?
A – Yes. Big Sheringham loved the Old Firm atmosphere. He said he had never experienced anything like it in fact he said we are mental up here in Scotland!
I always brought players from all my ex clubs to watch Old Firm games. Teddy, Micky Gray, Nicky Summerbee, Chris Maken…plenty over the years.
Q – The Ranger – Alex. We are always told by English players when they sign that they didn’t realise how big Rangers is. When playing in England, what was the attitude to the game up here and Rangers specifically. And how is it now? Cheers..
A – Most players in England would mock the game up here but if you put them into the environment with the intensity and scrutiny that goes with playing for Rangers they would soon realise the magnitude of playing for the club.
Q – Scott – Who was the player that always dreaded playing against? Obviously the games at Whitehill hockey pitch don’t count
A – When I was playing at my best level I didn’t fear coming up against anyone I believe I’d come out on top.
Q – Elsie – Hi Alex. Of all the managers that have been at Ibrox who in your opinion was the best and why? Keep safe.
A – There have been many great managers at Rangers, some had more difficult circumstances than others. In my lifetime guys like Walter Smith, Alex McLeish – who was under difficult circumstances having to reduce the wage bill year after year but still delivered trophies.
Q – Stuart – Best player you played with at the top-level?
A – Best player was Kevin Phillips. He scored 30 league goals in 38 league games at the top level in England. He was a phenomenal striker and I tried to talk David Murray into signing him.
Q – What’s the pitfalls for youngsters to watch out for? Stay safe
A – The pitfall is when you join a club like Rangers at 17 you think you are a Rangers player but you are not until you are a regular in the first team. It’s always easy to arrive somewhere, it is much harder to stay there.
When you see players at big clubs it is difficult for some to handle rejection. You have to go out and try and prove them wrong.
I’ll give you an example. Graeme Souness released me from Rangers as a boy then tried to sign me for Blackburn when he was the manager.
Q- Arthur – How easy was it to control yourself during your first old firm? The adrenaline must have been through the roof, is it hard to keep a lid on your emotions?
A – It was an amazing build up. There were nerves but I actually tore my calf at the start of my first derby and played on the full game. The adrenalin got me through the game but I was out for about 10 or 11 weeks after it. Then I came back after almost three months and I was straight back into another Old Firm game.
To get a flavour of playing that game after watching so many for years was a privilege.
Q – Cammy – Alex, how much belief was there in the build-up to Helicopter Sunday? Was big Marv an inspirational leading figure keeping everyone together, or was it a combined effort?
A – After Big Marvin came out with his famous ‘Keep Believing’ statement he was trying to ram it home to us all that it wasn’t over.
We had players like Dado, Nacho, Fergie and Fernando plus the technically ability of Peter Lovenkrands, Thomas Buffel and Shota Arveladze we had a chance.
In all my time as a footballer I will never ever forget the roar behind the goal at Easter Road, the hairs on the back of my neck were standing up. You couldn’t make it up. If you ask a Rangers fan where they were on Helicopter Sunday they will all know.
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