By Alistair Aird
After a distinguished playing career with Aberdeen and Scotland and successful managerial stints with Motherwell and Hibernian, Alex McLeish succeeded Dick Advocaat as Rangers manager in December 2001. Over the next four-and-a-half years, he would guide the club to seven major honours and a place in the last 16 of the Champions League. McLeish also had a season in charge of this week’s Europa League opponents, KRC Genk. He caught up with Follow Follow to reflect on his time in charge at both clubs and offer his thoughts on Thursday’s contest.
The Rangers squad Alex McLeish inherited when he took over from Dick Advocaat late in 2001 was struggling. After winning five out of the first six domestic trophies available and assembling a galaxy of stars, Advocaat’s side as a collective, were on the wane. They had been bypassed by Martin O’Neill’s Celtic and were effectively out of the title race when McLeish walked up the marble staircase to his office for the first time.
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But the flame haired former centre half would galvanise the group. By the end of the season, the League Cup and Scottish Cup had red, white and blue ribbons wrapped around them. A blast from Bert Konterman had secured a semi-final win over Celtic in the League Cup and, inspired by Barry Ferguson, O’Neill’s side had also been vanquished in an epic Scottish Cup Final that witnessed a last gasp winner from Peter Lovenkrands.
McLeish would go one better in his first full season too, joining Bill Struth, Scot Symon, Jock Wallace, Walter Smith and Dick Advocaat on the list of Rangers managers that had masterminded a domestic Treble.
A barren season would follow in 2003/04 before McLeish delivered more silverware in the shape of the League Cup and the league title in season 2004/05.
‘It’s difficult to pick out one highlight from the trophies that we won, but the Treble season stands out,’ admitted McLeish. ‘We also had Helicopter Sunday in 2005 which was fantastic too. No one gave us a prayer that season – folk thought the players I had weren’t good enough – but they raised the bar and we managed to get everything we could out of them to get over the line.’
He continued, ‘ After winning the Treble, we had to revamp and rebuild the squad. Not winning anything in 2003/04 was tough, but that can happen when you have to downsize. You have to be lucky in the market we were shopping in. We wanted players that knew what it meant to play for Rangers and would adhere to the values of the club. And ahead of that remarkable season in 2004/05, we got that with the likes of Alex Rae, Jean Alain Boumsong Nacho Novo and Dado Prso.’
Boumsong would not be around when the late Fernando Ricksen hoisted the league trophy aloft at Easter Road – he was sold to Newcastle United for circa £8 million in January – but Prso would become one of the key warriors in the battle. He forged an excellent partnership with Novo and their goals were vital as the season hurtled towards that dramatic conclusion.
‘We were lucky in the January window that season too,’ said McLeish. ‘We brought in Thomas Buffel and Ronald Wattereus and Barry [Ferguson] came back from Blackburn. I decided not to make Barry captain. Fernando had taken over the armband when Stefan Klos got injured and I didn’t feel it was right to take it off him as he had been exemplary. Barry was a natural leader, but he had no issues with my decision.’
McLeish’s last season as Rangers manager would be another trophyless one. At one point Rangers went nine games without a win, but excelled in Europe, beating Porto at home in the Champions League, drawing 1-1 with them away and then securing a 1-1 draw against Inter Milan to become the first Scottish side to qualify for the knockout stages of the competition.
Defeat on away goals against Villareal in the last 16 ended the adventure, but Rangers were unfortunate not to win the second leg in El Madrigal.
‘Big Boydie [Kris Boyd] had a chance to win it,’ recalled McLeish.’It was the type of chance he had been converting regularly since he joined us from Kilmarnock in January. He was a great finisher – one of the best I’ve worked with – but it wasn’t to be on this occasion. I still remind him about it any time I see him!’
McLeish departed at the end of season 2005/06 and was replaced by Paul Le Guen. And after spells in charge of Scotland, Birmingham City – whom he led to the League Cup in 2011 – Aston Villa and Nottingham Forest, he took a call that would see him taste management abroad for the first time.
‘I’d decided to have a wee break after I left Forest,’ admitted McLeish. ‘But when I was offered the chance to go to Genk, I was tempted. The standard of football was good and there were teams with pedigree like Club Brugge and Anderlecht. Genk themselves had also developed a reputation for breeding quality players. Thomas Buffel was there too and he would act as a translator for me which made life more comfortable. He was one of my best players too. I took Alex Rae out with me to be my assistant manager as well.’
The target for McLeish was to get Genk back into the Champions League. His tenure started with a draw against KV Oostende and just before Christmas, his side sat third in the league. But the weather and injuries would intervene and by the time the league split after 30 games, Genk were seventh in the table. The top six qualified for the Championship play-offs and Charleroi, who finished sixth, pipped McLeish’s side on goal difference.
‘I was fortunate to work with some very good players,’ admitted McLeish. ‘We had a Serbian lad called Sergej Milinkovi-Savic who ended up going to Lazio. He’s currently playing with Al_Hilal in Saudi. I think the transfer fee was around 40 million Euros. We also had Wilfred Ndidi who ended up winning the FA Cup with Leicester City. But we let more players go than we brought in and in the end, we didn’t have the resources or squad depth to cover for the injuries. And any time we dropped points, the other teams around us seemed to be winning their games. Our luck ran out in the end.’
He continued, ‘I enjoyed my time in Belgium, it was a good spell for me and I met a lot of good pals. I was disappointed not to stay on for another year, but I had agreed that if we didn’t make the Champions League, I would come back to the UK.’
Looking ahead to Thursday, how does McLeish think the match between his two old sides will pan out?
‘Both sides go into the match low in confidence,’ said McLeish. ‘Genk’s level has dipped, but they have good players and are part of a strong league. Neither Genk nor Rangers have reached the level we would expect, but hopefully both can find that on Thursday at Ibrox.’
He added, ‘For Rangers, the win over Hibernian was vital. It wasn’t an overwhelming performance, but from my experience as a player and a manager, it is amazing what a victory can do for a group of players. Having already played against Brugge, Russell and the lads should know what they are facing. The return of Nico Raskin – one of the best players in the group – will also be advantageous. Every manager wants to be able to call upon players with quality and Raskin has improved and elevated his game to a higher level since he came to Rangers.’
And the winner is?
‘My mates from Genk have been phoning me and asking who I’m supporting,’ laughed McLeish. ‘I had a wonderful time out there, but if we see a fast, attacking performance, then on Thursday it’ll be a Rangers victory for me.’
Alex McLeish won two league titles, three League Cups and two Scottish Cups during his time as Rangers manager. His overall record saw Rangers win 155 of the 235 matches he was in charge of. Only 36 were lost. At Genk, he was hampered by financial constraints and injuries yet almost led the club into the Championship play-offs which would have give them a shot at the title and a potential place in the Champions League. It is little wonder that he is held in high esteem by followers of both sides.