Gers fans still love to ask me about night I sank Buff club
GORDON PARKS SAYS CLAUDIO REYNA
PAUL MERSON regrets not signing for Rangers while in his Arsenal pomp.
But the former England star admits he lacked the guts to tell Gunners boss George Graham he wanted a move to the Light Blues.
A 12-year spell as a Highbury favourite was combined with being coveted by some of Europe’s biggest clubs and Merson insists not accepting an offer from Walter Smith to make the switch to Ibrox was the one that got away.
He said: “The opportunity to join Rangers came up a lot, they were always in for me.
“Smith was the manager, I was playing for Arsenal and I would have probably gone. That was a successful Rangers. It would have suited me.
“But it’s just back then, when you are younger, your agent will say to put in a transfer and you can go but I didn’t have the balls to do that.
“If I’d put in a transfer request I’d have been terrified of George and I would have sat in the reserves for four months.
“Leeds were also in for me a lot. Howard Wilkinson was the manager there at that time.
“Anderlecht also came in when I was 17. That turned my head. They were massive, a top European team.”
The Sky Sports pundit offered a critique of Scottish football and claimed our game’s big two would be a sensational addition to the scene down south. But it came with the caveat they shouldn’t be fast-tracked into the Premier League.
He said: “Celtic and Rangers are massive clubs. When I was playing you wanted Rangers or Celtic in your testimonial. Both would bring 20,000 supporters.
“Would I want to see them straight in the Premier League? It’s a hard one. Leeds are a big club and they’d ask why can Celtic and Rangers come straight in and we are not in the Premier League?
“But if they were prepared to start at League Two and work their way through the leagues then I’d love to see that. I’m sure both clubs would be able g.parks@dailyrecord.co.uk to get through the leagues no problem.”
The 52-year-old keeps a keen eye on football north of the border and has praised the staying power of Celtic.
Their ability to remain focused on the prize week after week has led to nine titles on the spin and Merson insists Rangers need to find the same mentality to stop them making it 10 next season.
He said: “I watch Scottish football and the standard can be decent and then I watch it another time and there are some bad mistakes.
“But I really have respect for Celtic, being able to win nine titles on the trot. People will say they are not playing against anybody most weeks but that’s disrespectful.
“They play teams every week and it’s their cup final against Celtic. Teams want to beat Celtic so badly.
“The Celtic players need to be on it every week and that’s what I admire. It’s phenomenal.
“I watched Rangers wipe the floor with Celtic before the winter break when they won at Celtic Park. They played them off the park.
“It was embarrassing and it was like Rangers were going to go on and win the league by 15 points.
“Then Celtic went on a run of 10 or 11 games and Rangers are losing against other teams. That’s what I mean about turning up every single week.
“I don’t think Celtic are much better than Rangers but they turn up every week knowing what to do. Celtic treat every game like a cup final. Rangers need to get that.”
Merson has endured his own battles with addiction and urged anyone with mental health problems to seek help.
He said: “You’re not a bad person, you just need help. You need to talk to someone. Don’t beat yourself up. Whether it’s addictions or Mental Health issues, don’t be
PAUL MERSON scared to talk to someone. It becomes much easier when you share your feelings.
“I’ve had my problems with so many things and I used to find it hard to be happy. I’d be in Florida on holiday with my family, the best place in the world you can be with your kids, and I couldn’t be happy.
“I’d look at other families being together and having fun, and I think ‘why can’t I be like them, why can’t I be happy?’
“I’m learning to appreciate things and cope with life. Just last week at the house I put up a BBQ and a dollhouse for my little girl, Sienna. I’d never done that. I got an unbelievable high.”
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CLAUDIO REYNA is still swamped by Rangers fans who want to talk to about his goal against Gianluigi Buffon and Parma 21 years after that famous night at Ibrox.
The USA midfielder spent two years at Rangers under Dick Advocaat and netted the goal against then-UEFA Cup holders Parma that would help the Scots club qualify for the Champions League.
Reyna is now sporting director for new MLS side Austin FC and his son Gio made his first start for Borussia Dortmund at the weekend. But he admits his goal against veteran keeper Buffon, still playing aged 42, was the most memorable of his career.
He said: “The Rangers supporters remind me of that goal all the time against Buffon.
“I remember the noise level at Ibrox that day. I’ll never forget it and it still gives me goosebumps thinking about it. I still get fans who want to talk to me about it.
“It was a special moment and Rangers fans haven’t had moments like that for a while. I run into fans who tell me they were 15 at that game so that’s quite cool.
“Buffon is one of the very few players still playing from my era and I can tell my kids now that I played against him at least!
“When Rangers first showed interest in me I was playing at Wolfsburg with Brian O’Neil, who used to be at Celtic.
“He told me how big a club they were but I knew that anyway.
“Every day was a challenge at Rangers because there were so many top players in the dressing room. It was an opportunity to play in the Champions League and I had an amazing time.
“It was intense. If you played for Rangers you had better win. It was incredible for me.”
Reyna loved the Old Firm clashes and added: “There’s a different feeling around the club for about a week leading up to the game. You just get that feeling from the staff and the people in Glasgow and it starts to bubble up. You can feel it everywhere.
“The game itself is 100 miles per hour. It’s not the best football played and you have very little time on the ball.
“My abiding memory of these games is that they are over so fast. You can’t pull out of any tackle and it’s incredibly intense.
“You feel what it means to the fans and the intensity of it. If it’s not the best derby in the world, it’s definitely in the top three.”