We won 5-1 but I had a stinker.. all day I feared my wife had suffered from a miscarriage
Craig had the worst game of his life while Negri served up five-star show
IT was a game that will forever be remembered for Marco Negri’s stunning five-goal haul in a recordbreaking start to the Italian’s Rangers career.
But for Craig Moore, that Dundee United demolition job at Ibrox in 1997 was an afternoon he will always recall as the start of a battle to win over his doubters.
It’s hard to imagine much going wrong in a 5-1 romp for your team but if it all came together for Negri, everything went wrong on a personal level for Moore.
Just three months earlier the Australian had started on the night Rangers clinched their historic ninth consecutive title thanks to Brian Laudrup’s header at Tannadice.
But against the same opposition it didn’t go to plan for him and it wasn’t just because he was shunted into the right-back position.
Instead, Moore had remained tight-lipped on fears that wife Heather had suffered a miscarriage on the morning of the match and it was preying on his mind.
Thankfully, all was OK and son Dylan safely arrived the following year but Moore struggled to get over being judged on an error-strewn display against the Tangerines.
Moore, now 44, confessed: “I had 12-15 months of a really tough time at Rangers.
“I was very committed and gave my all but had the feeling that Rangers fans didn’t think I was good enough.
“That’s horrible but it happened and it happened on the back of the game where Marco Negri scored all five goals against Dundee United.
“I played right-back and had the worst game of my life. I couldn’t pass the ball five yards. How can you win 5-1 and have the worst game of your life?
“But my wife was pregnant and that morning was heavily bleeding. I actually thought she’d lost the baby. But I didn’t say anything, you’re trying to be professional.
“I played that game, I had an absolute disaster and that was the backstory.
“When a young player breaks through the fans love him and he’s encouraged but the honeymoon is over quickly. And after that I didn’t feel anything I did was good enough.”
After the high of nine in a row, that season ended in trophyless failure as Gers missed out on a 10th title on the spin but Moore eventually did win the support back.
However, it came following a brief departure from Ibrox when he joined Crystal Palace, only to return when the Eagles couldn’t stump up the agreed transfer fee in full.
Moore said: “There was a big feeling within the club that it was the end of an era when we missed the chance for 10. It was a new generation.
“I was feeling that I was part of that old guard because I hadn’t established myself as a starting player. Prior to Dick Advocaat coming in my mind was made up that I probably wasn’t going to be part of the new Rangers era.
“That’s why I went to Crystal Palace but it was brief and I came back.”
It didn’t take long for Moore to discover why Advocaat was nicknamed the Little General – in a hardline move that turned his Gers career around.
He said: “We played Killie in the first league game of the 1999-2000 season and I made a mistake which led to a goal.
Advocaat took me off and I was like ‘B******!’
“He brought me into his room and said if that was the standard I was going to produce then it wasn’t good enough and he’d sign another central defender.
“It was brutal but I said to him, ‘You go and sign another central defender but just to let you know, I’ll be the one who’s playing.’
“He said that was what he wanted to hear and that was the moment we really bonded and
I went on to play the best football of my career.” Moore played a key role in Advocaat’s success and that continued under the Dutchman’s successor Alex McLeish when he won a Treble in 2003 and captained the club.
The Aussie said: “I do think I ended up getting support from the fans. It’s a massive club known all over the world and I know people appreciate my second spell.
“We all go through difficult times but I was lucky enough to keep working away. Thankfully I got the chance to show what I could do when I was at my best as a central defender.”
There was controversy in Moore’s final season at Ibrox when he was stripped of the captaincy following a row over his desire to represent Australia at the Olympic Games.
The club reluctantly allowed him to go, which meant he missed the opening games of the league campaign and a crucial Champions League qualifying first leg against CSKA Moscow.
He added: “Some Rangers fans find it hard to forgive the factct I went to the Olympics mpics but behind thee scenes there were alreadyeady talks about moving on.
“It happens in football. The time I had was amazing but you can overstay yourur welcome and I feel it’s importantrtant to move. I felt that was thee right time.
“A big thing was made about the captaincy but we all knew within the clubb that my time wasn’t going to be extended – it was a ticking clock.” ock.” HAUL MINE Negri netted five goals