CONNOR GOLDSON was forced to watch on and got a different perspective of the game from the Ibrox stands during a lengthy injury lay-off.
And the defender admits a peek into a future without playing football scares him as he strives to maximise his time on the park and his Rangers medal haul.
For four seasons under Steven Gerrard and then Giovanni van Bronckhorst, Goldson was the robust, reliable figure at the heart of the defence at home and abroad.
His availability and consistency were perhaps taken for granted by some. The two months he spent on the sidelines showed his value to the team and was hard to comprehend for the Englishman.
At 30, Goldson still has many years and hundreds of games left in him but his time out of action saw him look into a future he doesn't want to face.
“I was bad, very bad, watching games at home," Goldson said. "I now actually understand why fans get so aggressive!
“When you play and you’re winning, you can’t understand why they boo a bad pass.
“But when you watch it on TV, you know why - and they’re actually my friends out there!
“It wasn’t a nice period for us. We were going through a rough spell and I just wanted to help.
“I’m not saying I would have made a difference but I just wanted to be there. It’s so much easier when you’re playing.
“The game is a lot different on the pitch, it looks so much easier on TV. When I watched from the stands, I could see things that you don’t see when you’re on the pitch.
“The game moves so fast. When you’re up above it goes slow.
“You make a decision in a split second and maybe give the ball away. On the TV, it looks like you’re thinking about it for five seconds.
“I don’t know if I’d like to be a manager. I think about it quite often.
“The end of my career scares me a lot because I don’t have something that I’m desperate to do.
“I’d rather coach kids at Under-16 or Under-18 to start with because that generation is a bit lost when it comes to hard work and what it actually takes to be a professional.
“I’d start with that and if I did get the bug, maybe move up. I always said when I got to 30 I’d start to look at doing my badges."
Goldson returned to action just days after Michael Beale was appointed as manager. He offered to play in the first game against Hibernian but had to settle for a start away to Aberdeen.
Rangers haven't looked back since. Goldson has been a mainstay of the side under Beale and the defender can now enjoy his football once again as Rangers head onwards and upwards following the dispiriting end for Van Bronckhorst.
“It wasn’t nice, it wasn’t enjoyable," Goldson said. "And the team’s form wasn’t in the greatest place, either.
“I knew I was going to be out until after the break. I always want to be there to help the team.
“I’ve been fortunate over the last few years to play a ridiculous amount of games so I had to take it on the chin.
“I worked hard to get back as quickly as I can and thankfully I’ve had no scares since.
“I just wanted to get back as quickly as I could. Our form wasn’t great going into the break and we all knew we had to fix that.
“I wanted to help the team to win games again and make the place a bit happier.
“Obviously, it was nice when the manager came in. No-one wanted it to end that way under the old gaffer.
“But time moves on and we have to move with it. The club has done well to get a great manager in and we’re moving in the right direction.
“He’s a top coach who sets us up with a lot of clarity. He’s gone back to a similar way that we played before, which a lot of us were used to.
“And we’re winning games. When you’re winning, everyone is happy."
