On 7 May 1997, injured Rangers captain Richard Gough looked on from the side-lines at Tannadice as his team took on Dundee United, looking for the win that would secure their 9th league title in a row. Gough had played an integral part in the previous eight titles and getting them to the brink of the nine. But now, at the ground where his career had begun, all he could do was watch. Born in Sweden, and raised in South Africa, Richard Gough's early promise on the pitch spurred his dad, who had been a semi-professional footballer, to arrange trials for his son in Scotland. First up was Rangers, the team Gough supported, but his trial there didn't work out. The next stop was Dundee United, and this time the trial was a success after Gough impressed Assistant Manager Walter Smith. His next step? To impress legendary-but-unsmiling United manager Jim McLean. After an initial spell at Tannadice, a homesick Gough returned to South Africa, escaping the depths of the Scottish winter. However, Jim McLean was not to be denied, calling Richard's dad daily in an attempt to get Gough back to Dundee. Which he duly did, and Gough immediately became a mainstay in the United defence for the next 6 years. After helping United win the league in 1983, and reach the European cup semi-final the following year, Gough eventually left for London in 1986, joining Tottenham Hotspur after Jim McLean refused to sell him to a now interested Rangers. In his time at Tottenham, he became Captain, led them to the FA Cup final, and appeared in the obligatory Chas and Dave FA Cup final song. But in 1987, one year after joining Spurs, Gough was back in Scotland, having been signed for a record fee as part of Graeme Souness' Ibrox revolution. An impressive start, including an infamously fiery Old Firm derby debut against Celtic, saw Gough quickly become a fans favourite. Rangers didn't win the league in the 97/98 season, but they did win it the season after. And then they just kept on winning. As the titles racked up, the pressure mounted, as the prospect of equalling Celtic's record of 9 league titles in a row started to seem like a possibility. In the meantime, Gough became Rangers captain, and also captain of Scotland. His international career was to come to a premature end after a fall-out with the Scotland management team, and Richard opens up about his regret on how that was handled. With eight league titles now in the bag, Rangers were going for the ninth. A season of cup finals saw them on the brink, but the team was ravaged by injuries, including to their talismanic captain. Could they get over the line at Tannadice? Richard had already announced he was leaving Ibrox at the end of that season - so could he go out by making history with the team he loved? Gough opens up on his relationships with Jim McLean and Graeme Souness, and on his fall-out with the Scotland management team. And he speaks about his career-defining relationship with the man who managed Rangers to most of their titles on the way to nine in a row, and a man he loved, Walter Smith.
