Neil Warnock has admitted he was 'gobsmacked' by Rangers' Ibrox home and instantly fell in love with the place after he first clapped eyes on it.
The former Sheffield United and Crystal Palace boss has brought down the curtain on his managerial career and is currently enjoying his retirement. His long stint in the game has been filled with highs and lows and after three months out, he admits his regret over not ever managing in Scotland.
The 73-year-old - who attended at Celtic games during Gordon Strachan's time as boss - had a coupe of brief conversations over becoming the gaffer at Rangers over the years but nothing ever materialised. Warnock admits he was 'completely gone' after seeing all of the cups in the Ibrox trophy room.
Sign up to Glasgow Live newsletters for more headlines straight to your inbox
READ MORE: Alfredo Morelos and how Rangers could earn £20m from transfer as Ibrox situation 'bad business'
He also tried to secure tickets to the Europa League Final in Seville in May, but never managed to pull it off as he admitted feeling 'so sorry' for Aaron Ramsey after his heart-breaking miss in the shootout to hand Frankfurt the major European trophy.
Speaking in the Sunday Mail, he said: “I had a couple of chats with one or two people at Rangers over the years about being manager. But it was just never the right time. People always connect me to Rangers but I wasn’t born a fan. When Gordon was at Celtic I used to come up to a few of their games as well.
“But I just loved Ibrox. My mate Stuart is a season-ticket holder at Rangers and he took me to my first game. From the car park outside, looking at that stadium, I was absolutely gobsmacked. I loved it.
“Then when I got inside, someone showed me around the Trophy Room. Oh my God, seeing all those cups. I was completely gone, I was a Rangers man then. Stuart McCall was an influence on me as well because he always used to rabbit on about the club and how good it was.
“When he was manager there for a short spell, I actually thought he might have got me in with him. I felt he needed a bit of experience beside him at that time but it didn’t happen. When I look back, I suppose it is a regret that I didn’t manage up in Scotland.
“We tried to get tickets for the Europa League Final in Seville but couldn’t. My mate got one and went with his partner. They had a great time apart from the result. Losing on penalties is just horrible. I felt so sorry for Aaron Ramsey, it was heart-breaking.”
READ NEXT:
- Rangers confirm signing of League Two starlet as EFL club lament 'huge shame' amid transfer joy
- Rangers transfer activity analysed as Ryan Kent Leeds issue raised amid contract uncertainty
- Lewis Ferguson in Rangers transfer poser as Aberdeen star tipped as Ibrox captain material
- The forgotten Rangers star who could solve transfer problem as boss 'desperate' to confirm deal
