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Billy Dodds considered it an honour and privilege to wear the Rangers jersey during his playing days and he feels exactly the same way about coaching the Light Blues.
The former Scotland striker joined Dick Advocaat’s all-conquering side in December 1999 following a serious knee injury to Michael Mols and his goals helped the Dutchman’s talented team win a League and Scottish Cup Double.
Billy was 30 when he got the call to join Rangers from Dundee Utd, he was banging the goals in for the Tayside outfit as he had done with previous clubs Aberdeen and Dundee, and he couldn’t have asked for much more from his dream move to Ibrox.
He opened his account with a double in a 5-1 win at Motherwell and followed that up with a crucial equaliser in a 1-1 draw at Celtic Park soon after.
From March 2000, the business end of the season when it really mattered, he was unstoppable in front of goal and struck 12 times in 13 matches – including a hat-trick in the Scottish Cup semi-final, a double that clinched the league title at St Johnstone and a goal in the Scottish Cup Final thrashing of Aberdeen.
He started the 2000/2001 campaign in equally impressive style with 11 goals in 12 games – among them crucial doubles against Kaunas in a Champions League qualifier, St Johnstone in the opening league game and then at Kilmarnock as Advocaat’s men fought back from 2-0 down to win 4-2.
His work-rate, tenacity and hold-up play endeared him to team-mates and supporters but make no mistake, Dodds was a supremely talented striker and much more than just a grafter.
He possessed an iron will to win and was an incredible finisher who gorged on the chances created by classy wingers Neil McCann and Andrei Kanchelskis.
Unfortunately, the arrivals of Tore Andre Flo, Ronald de Boer, Kenny Miller and Peter Lovenkrands limited Billy’s starting chances but he never let Rangers down whenever called upon and his sublime Champions League strike against Sturm Graz at Ibrox was a thing of beauty.
He went on to win the League Cup the following season when Alex McLeish replaced Advocaat in the dugout and left in January 2003 to rejoin Dundee Utd in a bid to secure regular first-team football.
However, he is immensely proud of his achievements at Ibrox – he won every major domestic honour and had a first-class strike rate – and was proud to return earlier this year as part of Barry Ferguson’s backroom team.
Barry, Billy, Neil McCann and Allan McGregor guided Rangers to the quarter-final of the Europa League and they masterminded a terrific Old Firm derby win at Parkhead and with no domestic trophies available when they joined they can be proud of their stewardship in difficult circumstances.
Reflecting on his time as a player and now coach as he showed his support for The Rangers Youth Development Company – who have provided more than £12 million to the Rangers Academy – Dodds said:
“Paul Sturrock had me playing the best football of my career at Dundee Utd. I was a confident boy anyway, not over confident, but I believed in myself and felt I could play at any level.
“I was 30, almost 31, when Michael Mols got injured. Nobody likes to see any player injured and he was going to be a superstar here but when he was injured Rangers were looking for another striker.
“My agent spoke to the club and they were haggling over the fee and I didn’t think it was going to happen.
“I had worked hard for so many years and when Rangers came in for me, the club I had supported as a youngster, I was desperate for it to go through.
“I was panicking but I went training at Dundee Utd and Maurice Malpas told me to calm down as the move would happen. That afternoon it did and I got the train to Glasgow and ended up signing.
“I couldn’t have had a better season. I had scored a lot of goals for Utd and carried that on at Rangers.
“I kept my standards up and kept getting goals and the first six months was incredibly successful for me.
“I was playing with Scotland and was the main striker and I was ready for the move.
“If it had happened when I was 25 it could have been too big for me but when I walked in the doors I felt at home and I was ready for it.
“I knew I was playing well and I could handle any situation.
“It took 15 years of hard work to get here and my family were so proud I was joining the club we all supported.
“It was just a great moment for me and I wish my sister had been here to see it, we lost her five years earlier when I was at Aberdeen and that made a man of me.
“But moving to Rangers was everything and I had grafted to get that moment.
“My family are all from a hard-working background. My dad was a miner, my mum worked in the sock factory in New Cumnock and I had grafted the same way for everything I got.
“I knew the training ground was getting built so I bought a place in Milngavie just across the road so I was all set up.
“I never had an operation in my career and was hardly ever injured and I move to Rangers, do a sideways pass in training and I felt my thigh rip!
“Nobody knows this, but I played with a thigh injury when I first joined for a month.
“I was dragging my leg at times and I don’t know how I got through it but I managed to and scored a double at Motherwell in my second game and I was off and running.
“The rest is history and when I joined this club I wanted to win the league and the Scottish Cup as I had already won the League Cup.
“I managed to win all three with Rangers and I was proud to do that.
“I wanted the set and I had done that. It was great and when I look back I can say I had achieved. It took a lot of hard work but I had achieved and got over 25 caps for Scotland.
“There were so many highlights and I was flying in that first six months.
“I scored an important equaliser in the Old Firm game at Parkhead, I scored the goals that clinched the title at St Johnstone and scored a hat-trick in the Scottish Cup semi-final against Ayr then a header in the Scottish Cup Final victory over Aberdeen.
“It couldn’t have gone any better and it was great as I scored 15 goals in 21 games.
“My first season was like a dream.
“I wasn’t the quickest player but I had good game intelligence, I could hold the ball up and I could finish.
“I had great service from Neil McCann and Andrei Kanchelskis. They were brilliant for me and they knew I was sharp inside the box.
“I had a setback after that first six months and had to battle back as Dick left me out at the start of the next season when he signed more forward players.
“I couldn’t have done any more and I wasn’t involved in any of the pre-season games the next year. I was getting 15/20 minutes here and there but not starting.
“My attitude was, ‘I will show him!’ and I worked as hard as I could. In the Champions League qualifier against Kaunas we were only 2-1 up but I came on and scored two goals.
“Then in the first league game we were 1-0 down late in the game against St Johnstone and I scored another two and we won 2-1.
“Then we go to Kilmarnock and are 2-0 down and I score another two as we won 4-2.
“I had a great start then it came to the Sturm Graz game and I was on the bench. There were a lot of good players here but I felt I should be starting as I was scoring important goals.
“Sometimes when you look back on your time you think you could have done things differently but I can honestly say I couldn’t have worked any harder or done more when I was at Rangers.
“I was doing the business and I scored a great goal against Sturm Graz at Ibrox when I came on, it was probably one of my best.
“I scored 11 goals in 13 games at the start of the season.
“I liked Dick Advocaat and he liked me but I wanted to start more and felt I should have as I was doing the business.
“I loved playing for Rangers though and I have the medals on display in the house.
“I have lots of shirts etc in the loft but I have my first Scotland cap, my last Scotland cap, the medal I received for getting 25 caps and Jimmy Bell sorted my Rangers collection for me.
“What a guy he was and sorely missed. You were always on edge with Jimmy but he liked me and he knew a place that could create a nice display and I am grateful to him for that.
“I was disappointed to leave Rangers but I could see the end coming as I was a player that had to play.
“Alex McLeish came in and to be fair he put me back in the team and I won the League Cup but I wouldn’t be happy not playing.
“I had to do that to be at my best. Big Eck put me back in and I scored a few goals and that gave me a huge lift but it was time to move on.
“I wasn’t starting games and I had no problem with that as I was older.
“When Dundee Utd came in for me I went back to Tannadice and Steven Thompson moved the other way in a swap deal.
“I ended up being the caretaker manager there and I knew I always wanted to stay in the game and that short spell gave me the bug for coaching.
“I liked it. I like to think I am good with players and honest with them and I enjoyed being an assistant manager at Queen of the South, Ross County and manager at Inverness Caledonian Thistle.
“We reached the play-off final and the Scottish Cup Final and we ran Celtic close before losing out.
“When I got the call to come back to Rangers as a coach, Neil, Barry and I all said this is exciting and I was delighted to return.
“We have experience and we know our stuff. Some people are a bit down on Scottish coaches but we know what needs to be done.
“I don’t know what will happen in the summer but we would love the opportunity to stay here.
“You still get that excitement coming in here. This is Rangers and it is a privilege to be here.
“We got through to the quarter final of the Europa League against Jose Mourinho’s Fenerbahce and we beat Celtic at Parkhead just a few days after that second leg.
“Those were big results and we have lifted the place through hard work.
“We all have experience, we had a determination and focus from the first day we came in and we would love the chance to change it for the better.
“I was proud and privileged to play for Rangers and win trophies – it is the same to be part of the coaching team here and I mean that.
“I would love the opportunity to stay here and win things as a coach.
“Whatever happens I have enjoyed my time at Rangers as a player and a coach.”
Billy was speaking as he showed his support for RYDC – we’ve donated more than £12 million to the Rangers Academy to date.
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