Simp-Lee the Best

by Lee McCulloch

  Beating them brings unbelievable pride and joy. I thoroughly enjoyed our 2011 League Cup Final win over them. It was Walter’s last Old Firm Cup Final and Neil Lennon’s first as Celtic manager. I felt it was important Walter went out a winner on that front. After all, he is the Master. Steve Davis gave us the lead. Joe Ledley equalised for them. The game went into extra-time and Nikica Jelavic got our winner. Brilliant. A well deserved win for the Rangers. Job done for Walter.

  We’re expected to win every game and when we do beat Celtic or lift a piece of silverware, it’s more of a relief knowing that we’ve succeeded and the job is done rather than it being about celebrating a success. The fear of losing drives me on every day in my working life and that will always be the case. I rarely dwelled on any success. I enjoyed the moment for a day or so and then I moved on. Walter and Ally drummed that into us.

  I had a healthy respect for Stephen McManus. He loved a tackle and would get wired in, a bit like myself. But he always shook hands at time-up. No grudges were held and nothing was carried forward to become a problem off the park. I also got on well with Robbie Keane. I marked him in his final Old Firm game for Celtic. I had a day out with him and Alan Hutton down south a few years ago and we reminisced over a few beers. He enjoyed his time at Celtic and during our chat about Old Firm games he said he felt it was important to stay calm and not get involved. I suppose that’s fine for a player to say that when he is on loan from down south but when you’re Scottish and steeped in the tradition of it all, it’s not quite so easy. For example, if we lost an Old Firm game, my dad was almost suicidal. He couldn’t handle it and looked for a way to escape it. The flip side is that when we won he would go daft. When I scored that header at Parkhead he ran out the house and into the middle of the street to do a celebration dance. He was off his head.

  One of his treasured possessions is a VHS tape of Rangers’ victories in Old Firm games. It has three hours of highlights on it. His favourite game on it is when Rangers beat Celtic 5–1 at Ibrox, a game where Ray Wilkins scored a brilliant thirty-yarder. My dad knows the commentary by heart. He’d sit and watch it constantly. He’d have a cup of coffee and a packet of biscuits and sit back in his favourite armchair and still jump off his seat when the ball went in, even though he’d seen it a hundred times before. I loved watching it with him when I was a kid.

  20

  LEE-DING OUT MY TEAM

  IT WAS Saturday, 1 September 2012, and I was in training at Murray Park, as normal. The transfer window had closed the night before. There was a bit of activity at our place, mainly players leaving. Carlos Bocanegra had been transferred to Racing Santander in Spain on a season-long loan deal. Carlos was our captain. It meant someone had to take over that important role. I wanted to be given the privilege of being captain of Rangers but I wasn’t expecting to be asked. I didn’t build up my hopes.

  After training I went to speak to Kenny McDowall about a private matter. Kenny is an approachable guy and I’ve never had a problem asking him about anything, whether it’s things that concern football or off-the-field matters. Kenny told me the gaffer wanted to see me. I finished my business with Kenny and went to the manager’s office.

  The gaffer told me to sit down. Kenny was there, as was Ian Durrant. The manager started off by asking how I was and then burst into a story about how Walter Smith pulled him aside in a hotel in Dundee and told him he was going to be captain of the club for the remainder of a season. He admitted it was a moment in his life that he’ll never forget. He then asked me if I would like to accept the role of being captain of Glasgow Rangers for the season. Needless to say, I accepted with open arms and thanked him, Kenny and Durranty for picking me for this honour. To be perfectly honest, I was emotional and had to go to the toilet to get myself together. This was an honour I had dreamed about but never thought would happen!

  On my return, we sat in his office and the manager explained to me what he wanted from the dressing room and other things about the team. I felt like saying to the three of them that I would run through brick walls with that armband on and if you want anything else done then consider it sorted. No need for questions to be asked. I really opened up to them, told them I was absolutely buzzing to be their captain and promised them I would not let them down.

  After I left I had lunch with Durranty and he was his usual self, taking the piss out of me. He loves my mum and dad and was saying that my dad must attend our game the following day, at home to Elgin City. In his usual witty way, he said he expected to see my dad in the players’ lounge with his suit on, football boots on and wearing a captain’s armband, staring at everyone. He said Mum would have the Rangers jersey on with my name on the back of it. Oh, and she’d also wear an armband. We had a laugh about it – well, he did!

  I was still in a state of shock. I couldn’t help thinking about how my old man was going to feel the next day, watching me lead out the team from the Ibrox tunnel and onto the pitch in front of nearly 50,000 Rangers fans. I knew he was going to be so proud of me. To be honest, I was proud of myself. I knew Mum would be saying, ‘Go on, son’ with a smile as wide as the Clyde.

  But I kept the good news to myself. I thought it was best that way. I didn’t want it to dominate everything for the next twenty-four hours. I wanted to remain focused. I only told Amanda. Naturally, she was chuffed to bits and admitted it wasn’t before time. But she was also able to quickly detach herself from the euphoria. So, as cool as you like, asked me, ‘Well, Skipper, what do you want for your dinner?’ I smiled. Amanda can be very laid back and that rubs off on me in a very good way.

  In a way, being appointed captain was also a nice reward for Amanda and the kids. The problems that surrounded the club for the previous six months were not easy on them either. I made their lives very difficult because I brought my work home with me and couldn’t switch off. I was snappy, moody and unfair on them. It put a tremendous strain on my relationship with Amanda. There were times she would have been well within her rights to tell me to pack my bags but she tried extremely hard to be understanding. I wasn’t a good person to live with during most of that period. Callum and Jack never really understood what was going on. All they said to me was to tell the manager to pay the bills so their daddy could keep his job. My parents certainly felt it too. It took a lot out of Dad because he loves the club so much. Mum was on the phone every night, concerned for me and my family. They were both probably more shook up than me. Thankfully, it’s all over now and we are where we are.

  I barely got a wink of sleep the night before the Elgin game. I tossed and turned. I eventually admitted defeat and got out of bed around 6am. I couldn’t get my club blazer and tie on quickly enough and arrived at the stadium around three hours before kick-off. I was so proud and on such a high. I had been captain on five previous occasions, all away from home. So, this was even more special. My first time at Ibrox, in front of the Bears.

  Jimmy Bell moved my seat in the dressing room that I’d had from my first day at the club and I was now sitting in the official captain’s seat, which is placed directly underneath a certain picture of an important and admired person. Again, I felt so proud.

  I went into the game on ninety-nine career goals and was feeling really excited but a little nervous. I wanted to score. But, more importantly, I just wanted to win. The feeling I had as I walked down the tunnel was unreal. Absolutely took my breath away as the roar of the crowd hit me. The Rangers songs came on and it was also televised live on Sky Sports. It was ideal. I struggled to keep my composure but reminded myself it was important to act properly, in the manner of previous Rangers captains such as the successful John Greig, Davie Weir, Richard Gough, Terry Butcher and Barry Ferguson.

  I had lived the dream of playing for my boyhood heroes but to captain the club was unreal. My dad watched the game at home with my mum and he had a beer and sang along with the fans, proud as ever. I did have a big thought for my old man as I got to the end of the tunnel and heard the roar from the Bear
s. In a quiet moment to myself, just before kick-off, I thanked the auld yin for everything and then focused on the game.

  Being the captain was never going to be easy but it was a challenge I felt I was ready for and something that I would enjoy instead of being nervous about the responsibility. Barry Ferguson had always joked when he was captain that not many could handle the weight of the armband but I was more than ready for that weight on my arm and the challenges it would undoubtedly bring during the course of a campaign.

  We won the game 5–1 and I scored two of our goals. It took me through the 100-goal barrier and also got my career as captain off to a winning start. When I got home after the game Callum and Jack ran towards me and said, ‘Hey, Captain, heard you scored a goal each for us today.’ That meant so much. For my boys to say that to me brought a tear to my eye. It made one of the best and proudest days of my life totally complete. Behind the births of Callum and Jack, that was the best day of my life.

  But being at Rangers is all about trying to improve on the previous day. We are not allowed to dwell on good moments. That’s the way it should be. I feel a huge sense of responsibility to help the club climb through the ranks again and get back to the top. As captain I have dozens of decisions to make every day and I often speak to Davie Weir for guidance and for his wisdom. He has always been full of encouragement. He was a great leader to me and the rest of the players when he was captain of Rangers and I’d love to be even half as good as he was on and off the park. When Davie was here the dressing room had plenty of experience in it and the boys could look after themselves, but the role does have different challenges nowadays.

  I feel a huge responsibility to the young players at the football club. I stress to them the importance of working hard, being good listeners and being willing to learn the game. Several of the lads have coped with playing in front of almost 50,000 fans every other week and to do that when they are still teenagers will stand them in good stead. But as this club moves forward, they will need to show they are good enough to play in the SPL a couple of years down the line. I have rammed it home to them that they need to put every ounce of effort in and make sacrifices. Even though Andy Murray isn’t a footballer I have told the young players they should look to him as a role model. I’d love to be able to get Andy into our place and let him talk us all through the graft he has put in to get to the very top in tennis.

  I’ve got total admiration for successful Scottish sportsmen and women. A lot of Scottish people like to focus on negatives, but I prefer to concentrate on the positives. I have the utmost admiration for Andy. I was up out of my seat when he won the US Open and Gold at the 2012 Olympics. When he was breaking through I watched him at Wimbledon and he had all that incredible pressure on his shoulders because Tim Henman had retired and Andy was now the Great British hope. But he lacked stamina. He would crumble at Wimbledon in the fourth or fifth set. Now, when I look at him I see a total transformation and he has rid himself of that ‘Glorious Failure’ tag. His fitness levels are unbelievable, and the muscle tone on his body and strength he generates in his play is fantastic. From the outside looking in, I think the biggest thing he has added to his play is mental strength. Whether it’s down to Ivan Lendl or not, he now looks a player that knows he can win and has the quality, fitness and temperament to get over the line, regardless of the opponent and the venue.

  I played tennis and badminton when I was younger but golf and boxing are my other loves, apart from football. In the past year or two I’ve got involved at the Rob Roy ABC in Lanarkshire. The boxing training has been good for my fitness. It’s fun putting on the gloves and battering a punch bag. I would have liked to have been a professional boxer. My all-time sporting hero is Muhammad Ali. He was rightly named ‘The Greatest’ and I have nothing but total respect for him. I have all of the DVDs of his fights, from the Rumble in the Jungle against George Foreman in Zaire to the Fight of the Century against Joe Frazier in New York. He is a man I’d love to meet. He’d be welcome at Ibrox any time.

  I also have total respect for the World Champions we’ve had in Scotland in the past few years, guys such as Ricky Burns, Willie Limond and Scott Harrison. They are dedicated sportsmen and the work and effort that goes into each fight must be phenomenal. They push themselves to the limit every day and have been rewarded for the sacrifices they have made.

  I want to make sure that when I do hang up my boots, or leave Rangers, which could be as early as the summer of 2015, I leave the dressing room in good health. By that I mean the youngsters have matured into good people, good professionals and are totally committed to getting Rangers back to the top. The young players have approached me about different things about being at Rangers and I’m happy to give them any guidance I can. Some of their requests have really taken me aback and one of the youngsters asked if I could help his mum find a job. I was really touched that he thought enough of me to speak to me about a matter such as that. Actually, it was quite overwhelming.

  I only hope the young professionals don’t follow in my footsteps when it comes to my superstitions and weird habits. I have a set routine for all games that must be adhered to. When the boot hamper is packed for games I take my boots out of it and spray them with Febreze because they stink. I then take my insoles out and give them to Jimmy Bell to take separately to the game. I then go into the sauna the day before the game and clean my boots. I also use an Italian oil to rub on them. Jimmy swears by this oil. Rino Gattuso got him it from Il Ciocco in Tuscany. It help keeps the leather on my boots lovely and soft.

  I wouldn’t go into the game in the right frame of mind if I wasn’t satisfied with my routine. If we lose I will change the routine, but just tweak it here and there, nothing drastic. And it’s not premeditated what I will change. It will be a spur-of-the-moment decision. It’s not a personal thing, about whether I play well or score a goal. It’s about the team winning, that is the be all and end all. If I scored a hat-trick and we lost 4–3 I wouldn’t be happy and would examine my superstitions. It’s about the team as a group winning games and Rangers getting the right result. It’s weird to explain.

  It’s all rather strange but that’s the way I am. I used to be worse. I went through a phase of cleaning the alloy wheels on my car every Friday night before a Saturday game. Sometimes I’d be relaxing in the house and I’d remember I hadn’t cleaned them. So I’d go out and get stuck in, sometimes in the pelting rain. There I’d be with my waterproofs on, on the deck of my driveway cleaning my wheels. It’s crazy, I know. Believe me, standing there with my bucket of water and sponge I’d question my own sanity!

  I also think I may have OCD. I don’t have it whereby I have to make sure all the tins and cereal boxes are all neat and tidy in the kitchen cupboards. No, it’s more about having a routine and making sure my clothes are always hung up properly in the wardrobe and my shoes are all organised in a particular way.

  It must also stem from my dad’s background in the Navy. He is very neat and tidy – ‘a place for everything and everything in its place’. Dad loved talking about his Navy days and sometimes we would take the mickey because of it, but I know I’m going to be exactly the same as him and ten, twenty, thirty years from now I will be telling my kids, and anyone else who’ll listen, about me being captain of Glasgow Rangers FC.

  Another area I would talk about to anyone who will listen is the issue of depression that seems more common in the footballing world today. I’ve heard too many horror stories in recent years about former players getting seriously depressed about being out of the game. I can totally understand why that would happen. It’s something that terrifies me. Depression is very real and it’s out there. Football must tackle this very serious issue and help provide answers.

  Many footballers and, indeed, sportsmen, have spoken about it. Robert Enke, the German international keeper, suffered from it and took his own life at the age of just thirty-two. He had been suffering from depression for six years and had been seeing a psychiatrist. He co
mmitted suicide by standing in front of an express train in 2009. It was tragic.

  Off the top of my head footballers who’ve played in Scotland, such as Paul Gascoigne, Neil Lennon and Dean Windass have opened up on it. It gets to people in different ways. It sounds horrific and I can totally understand where they are coming from and why they have ended up having to deal with such a problem. However, it does still seem to be a bit of a taboo subject. Perhaps people in sport need to raise awareness of it more. Everyone knows what to do if they have problems with alcohol or drugs, but it’s not the same tackling depression.

  The Sporting Chance Clinic in London – founded by Tony Adams – does excellent work on that front but I believe we need prevention, need to get to the root of the problem before it sets in. Footballers are used to an environment of being with twenty other footballers day in and day out, having a laugh and then being idolised by thousands of football fans on a match day. But it doesn’t last forever. The moment arrives when it comes to an end and you have to find something else. Trouble is, there is no substitute for being involved in the game. Nothing can touch it. Many footballers retire from the game never having to worry about working another day ever again. But the money isn’t what it’s about. It’s about being busy, having a purpose in life.

  For me, it’s also about your upbringing. I come from a working-class family and it’s in me to work every day. People work until they’re sixty, sixty-five or seventy. I feel I should be the same. Yes, I’d like a nice, long holiday when I hang up my boots, but nothing more than that. I don’t want to play golf for the rest of my life. That’s just not me. I will have to have a purpose, something that drives me on, stimulates me. Hopefully, it will be being involved in football in some capacity, but I know I can’t take that for granted. And I know I would struggle without it.