I started The Journey at Rangers... Scott can end it with a major trophy SAYS FRASER AIRD
WHEN Rangers were navigating a path through the lower leagues, The Journey took the Ibrox giants to some of Scottish football’s most remote outposts.
Six years on from breaking through at the club he grew up supporting, Fraser Aird recalls the adventure as a heady mix of the weird and the wonderful.
From slipping on ice at an unplayable Gayfield Park in Arbroath; to being the warmup act for stock cars at Cowdenbeath’s Central Park.
Or looking up to see Rangers fans perched in trees as they sought the perfect vantage point for a sold-out Scottish Cup tie with Forres Mechanics in the Highlands.
It’s a very different set of circumstances that now await Aird’s Canada international team-mate Scott Arfield following his summer switch from Burnley to Rangers.
With the ‘box-office’ appointment of manager Steven Gerrard, backed by a posse of new recruits, Aird believes Arfield is ready to help the club complete the journey he embarked on by winning their first major silverware in seven years.
‘Rangers are in a far better position than they were back in 2012,’ said 23-year-old Aird, now with Dundee United. ‘It will be a lot easier for Scott to go into a club that is secure.
‘When I broke through, it was tough. Rangers were going through the divisions but the other side of the coin was a lot of young boys like me got the chance to play for the club, which we maybe would not have got.
‘The game that really pops into my mind is Arbroath away. The match was on television and it was during the week, but there was bad weather and I remember running down the left side of the pitch. For fully 40 yards, it was just pure ice.
‘They couldn’t shift it but Arbroath didn’t want the game off because it meant so much to them financially. It was windy, rain was lashing down, it was freezing and I was wondering why the game was being played in those conditions.
‘For Cowdenbeath away, there were thousands of Rangers fans and, at the end of the game, these stock cars suddenly came out. Then there was Forres Mechanics. There were guys sitting in cars watching from the side of the pitch and people up in the trees.
‘I also remember scoring my first goal for Rangers at Hampden Park against Queen’s Park. It was a special goal. There are endless stories about that time. The fans will never forget that journey. ‘But I’d like to think Rangers are ready to challenge for major trophies again. I keep an eye on them as much as I can and, hopefully, Gerrard does well. ‘The signings he has made look good and they appear to be going in a positive direction. They are still a little bit off where Rangers were before but they’re moving in the right direction.’ Aird believes the club were crying out for an Arfield-type figure in a dismal campaign under Pedro Caixinha then Graeme Murty.
The international team-mates spoke recently and Aird told Arfield about the pressure awaiting him in the Old Firm cauldron.
‘Scott and I are really close and I went out for dinner with him before Rangers went away for preseason,’ said Aird, one of nine summer signings unveiled at Tannadice this week.
‘He was buzzing about joining Rangers. It’s a massive opportunity for him and he’s looking forward to playing for Gerrard and playing for a massive club.
‘I think he will do brilliantly. Rangers were missing someone like Scott last season; a consistent box-to-box midfielder who will get you goals.
‘He’s proved he can do that in the Premier League in England with Burnley. Hopefully, Gerrard can get the best out of Scott.
‘As a Rangers player, the expectation levels are massive. I remember getting beaten or drawing in the Third Division and the next day, it felt like there had been a death in the family.
‘People expected us to just steamroller everyone. But it’s 11 v 11 and, sometimes, teams play a blinder. As a Rangers player, you don’t get a minute’s peace in Glasgow, but that was good. The fans were always wanting pictures. There was just a lot of expectation.’
Another topic for discussion between the two friends was the prospect of the duo featuring together at a World Cup finals.
That is now a possibility after the 2026 finals were awarded to Canada, USA and Mexico — with all three countries expected to be given automatic qualification.
West Lothian-born Arfield represented Scotland at Under-19, Under-21 and B level but, courtesy of his Toronto-born dad, he switched allegiance to Canada in 2016 after being regularly overlooked by Gordon Strachan.
Now he wants to run out at a home World Cup for the Canadians.
‘Scott is buzzing the World Cup is going to be in Canada,’ said Toronto-born Aird. ‘He will be 38 then but says he’s sure he could still do a role in defensive midfield. ‘He’s a fit boy anyway but he will do his best to make sure he is fit for 2026. ‘I think he could still play a massive role for the country. ‘I’ll be 31 and hopefully still kicking a ball somewhere and still playing for the national team. ‘It’s going to be massive and a great opportunity for the country. Football is getting bigger and bigger in Canada and I hope hosting the World Cup will see football kick on as a sport there.’