If he didn’t laugh about it he’d probably cry. But time has been a heeler where Craig Moore is concerned. Time and trophies, of course. Lots and lots of trophies.
And yet, to this day, there’s an undeniable irony where the Aussie’s silver-lined love affair with Rangers is concerned. Having packed his bags as a teenager to try his luck on the other side of the planet, Moore spent the first six years of his career at Ibrox banging his head off the brick wall outside Walter Smith’s office.
Desperate to prove he could cut it as a first team regular throughout the club’s run to nine in a row, he never quite convinced the man who mattered. In the latest episode of our Off the Ball podcast, Moore tells why he chose to quit the club, lured to the bright lights of London by former Australia boss Terry Venables just as Smith was standing down to make way for Dick Advocaat. Only to end up back where he always knew he belonged within six months because a financially stricken Crystal Palace couldn’t cobble together enough cash to cover his transfer instalments.
Moore picks up the story: “It felt like an end of an era at the club when Walter was leaving. Gascoigne had left, Laudrup had left, Goughie had left. A mass clear-out.
“I just felt because I hadn’t been a starting XI player, that I was probably part of that clear out. My connection with Terry being the national team coach and having the experience of working with him meant that opportunity came along. It just felt right and I started the season very well.
“So things were going well at Palace but financially they hit trouble. They couldn’t keep up.
“I remember seeing Ewan Chester, Rangers’ chief scout, at one of my games and I thought that was a bit odd. But Rangers, doing their work, understood there was maybe an opportunity and that Palace were struggling. I was back within six months!”
And this sliding door moment saw Moore walk straight into an angry confrontation with new gaffer Advocaat. He would go on to become a defensive stalwart of a side which won three more league titles, three Scottish Cups and two League Cups.
But Moore revealed: “Dick was brilliant, but talk about a moment when you really connect with a manager. It was the first game of the following season, we played Kilmarnock at Ibrox, I made a mistake and he took me off after 23 minutes. I was absolutely raging!
“It was a sore one to take. It’s kind of embarrassing. You’ve made a mistake and get taken off. We all make mistakes but he hooked me for it!
“We then had a European game and he brought me into his hotel room and said, ‘Listen Craig, if that’s the standard you’re going to give me then I’ll just go out and sign another central defender!’
“I’m thinking, ‘Wow!’ but I listened to what he had to say then I said, ‘You can go and sign another central defender - knock yourself out - but just to let you know, I’m the one who’s going to be playing!’ He was like, ‘That’s exactly what I wanted to hear!’
“From that moment, I’ll be honest, I played the best football I ever played. From that moment I felt as if he could trust me and I also had that relationship with Dick which was a really positive one.”
So much so that, over time, Moore got to see the soft side of the Little General. He said: “You knew when he spoke what he wanted. He was just firm in everything. But you know what? He softened as well.
“Any manager when they come in, they want to set the environment, culture, rules and guidelines. He was harsh in the beginning but he softened. A lot.
“Pre-season used to be run and run, keep running. Look to your left and look to your right and see players being sick. That was pre-season!
“But Dick was the first I worked under where we did a pre-season where after two days we were already playing games. Everyone was buzzing. I remember timed runs and Fernando Ricksen and Maurice Ross were really fit.
“After one run, Advocaat said: ‘No, no. Listen, you’re too fast! When I want you to be quicker I’ll tell you! That was music to my ears.” Advocaat was replaced by Alex McLeish in December 2001, a casualty of Martin O’Neill’s Celtic revolution.
But that helped set up the crowning moment of Moore’s Rangers career 18 months later when the club wrestled back the title on a thrilling final day with a 6-1 win over Dunfermline. He said: “Talk about tension? I’m grey now but I’m sure there were a few supporters who went grey on that day!”
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