Ally McCoist has paid a heartfelt tribute to Fernando Ricksen and dubbed the tragic Dutchman a huge character who wouldn't have looked out of place in a Rangers dressing room with Paul Gascoigne.
An emotional McCoist told Alan Brazil on his talkSPORT show how Ricksen, who lost his battle with motor neurone disease on Wednesday at the age of 43, was one of the main figures at Ibrox during the Dutchman's spell the club.
Former Rangers striker McCoist was in regular contact with Ricksen during his six-year battle with MND and was blown away by the former full-back's courage and determination to continue raising money for his MND foundation.
And he says the biggest compliment he could pay the star was that he'd fit right into the barmy 9 in a row dressing room he shared with characters including Gazza in the mid 90s.
Now McCoist expects Ibrox to be awash with emotion for Thursday night's Europa League clash with Dutch side Feyenoord as supporters remember their hero.
"It will be unbelievably emotional," he said. "As you would hope and expect the tributes have been coming throughout European football.
"The biggest compliment I can pay Fernando - and he was a lad full of fun and there was never a dull moment - the biggest compliment is that he was daft enough that he wouldn't have looked out of place in our squad with Gascoigne and others like that.
"Don't get me wrong he could play aswell. You don't play for your country if you're not a player. But some of the stories - he was a real character."
McCoist continued: "When I heard the news yesterday I thought to myself, what a fight, what a fighter. He was trying to raise as much money as he could even in the last months of his illness for others suffering that particular illness.
"He was a real fighter and I just can't help but think about his wife Veronika and his wee daughter Isabella.
"The fact that you have a fair idea it's coming sometime still doesn't soften the blow.
"It's definitely brought Scottish football together. I noticed Lenny had a brilliant quote as did Peter Lawwell and a lot of the clubs up in Scotland have come out with some lovely quotes but it's very, very sad."
