Training bust-up might be good for Rangers, says Richard Gough

Bougherra has become involved in a whirlwind of controversy after returning home from international duty with Algeria late for a third occasion this season. The defender found himself under fire from Miller and team-mate Lee McCulloch ahead of the trip to Aberdeen last Saturday, but Gough insists that the fighting spirit which is being literally shown within the Rangers camp is nothing out of the ordinary and says it could prove to be advantageous if it can be channelled in the correct fashion.

“In my time there were quite a lot of fights and nothing got out to the press so there is a difference straight away,” Gough said. “There are handbags at 10 paces and it is all over the press, maybe the press is different now than it was 10 years ago. We didn’t have handbags at 10 paces, we had some good ones [fights], some proper ones and it never got out. There is a major difference right away about the sanctity of the dressing room. Someone has obviously told a reporter and it has come out; that was unheard of it my day.

“Bust-ups usually happen when you start to get put under a bit of pressure. Rangers are under pressure at the moment, they are not playing well so tensions are running high. This is where the flare-ups normally occur. I’m sure Walter Smith will try and use it as a good thing. Bougherra and Miller have shown a bit of passion towards the cause by having a blow out. As long as it doesn’t fester – they have still got to be running in the right direction.”

The former Rangers captain may have been no stranger to the odd training ground scrap, but the success that was achieved under his watch will be remembered far longer than an argument here or there by those who once chanted his name. The 10 years at Ibrox were the most glittering of Gough’s career and the former Scotland defender has more than a dose of adulation for the man who is currently in possession of the armband and attempting to add more silverware to the Ibrox trophy room, David Weir.

The 39-year-old was initially signed as a short term fix to a problem that plagued the Paul Le Guen era but ushered Rangers to a league and cup double last season and has defied those who shouted down his arrival in Glasgow.

The veteran has often shrugged off his excess years to perform with aplomb for Rangers in recent times, but after the defeat to Aberdeen saw them slip from the top of the Clydesdale Bank Premier League, Weir admitted that he is considering how much longer he can continue at the highest level.

Gough retired from the game aged 39 whilst with Everton and although he can sense time is beginning to catch up on the Rangers captain, he knows Weir will feel as good as new once Walter Smith’s side return to winning ways.

“I look at Davie Weir now and he was going quite well there, but you start losing a few games and you start getting tired,” he said. 
“I saw quotes from him in the paper that he is starting to get tired now. When you start losing, you start feeling tired. It is very difficult. He seems a bit more tired than he was this time last year but he is 39 and shouldn’t really be playing for Rangers. He is doing a remarkable job.”

One reason Weir may stay eternally young is the emergence of Danny Wilson onto the first team scene at Rangers. The 17-year-old has been a revelation alongside the man more than double his age. Gough has played with some of the most accomplished and talented centre halves Scotland has produced and knows the difficulties that Wilson has to overcome in order to establish himself.

“It is a difficult position to play as a young man because mistakes in the centre can cost you a goal but he looks great,” Gough said. “Walter Smith was comparing him to David Narey recently and if he is half as good as he was, he is going to be a fantastic player.”