Graeme Souness has revealed how he turned down the offer of a sensational return to Rangers under former chairman Dave King.
As part of an explosive series of exclusive interviews with Record Sport , the Ibrox legend tells for the first time how he was wined and dined by King at a high end restaurant in London’s affluent Mayfair and asked to take on a role at a time when the club was struggling to re-establish itself as a top flight force.
But, suspecting he was being lined up to be used as little more than a high profile human shield for the men inside the Rangers boardroom, Souness rejected the chance of going back to the club he revolutionised as player-manager in the late 1980s.
The 68-year-old said: “This was before Steven Gerrard had been appointed as manager and at a time when things were not going great on or off the pitch.
“I thought about it because I love the football club. But I also thought to myself: ‘Why do they need me?’.
“And I reached the conclusion it was simply a matter of Dave King trying to relieve some of the pressure that was on him at the time.
“He is a realist and obviously a very intelligent man but at that time I didn’t feel I could help him other than by taking a bit of spotlight away from him and taking away a bit of the pressure. So I declined the offer.
“If I was going to take on a position like that then it had to be for the right reasons. I would have needed to feel as if I would have the influence to change the course of that period in the club’s history.”
Souness also tells how he flatly refused to join up with Charles Green when the Yorkshireman sealed a controversial £5.5m takeover deal with administrators Duff and Phelps.
And how, at that time, he believed he was on the brink of winning control of his old club with close friend Brian Kennedy.
He said: “Charles Green asked to see me several times but I said, ‘No, I’m involved with a pal of mine and we’re looking to buy it’.
“Then, one night I got a call around 10 o’clock and it was him again, saying he was on his way to see me.
“I said, ‘Don’t come to my house. I’ll meet you in a hotel,’.
“So I met him around the corner in a hotel about 500 yards from where I live and I told him the same story again. ‘Look, I can’t get involved with you because my mate is trying to do a deal at the same time'.”
Three pairs of tickets to An Exclusive Evening with Graeme Souness and Friends up for grabs.
If you are one of our lucky winners, you’ll have a night to remember, as Souness shares some of his favourite memories of his time as a footballer and manager. With special guest appearances from Ally McCoist, Ian Durrant, and Mark Walters you won’t want to miss this.
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