St Andrews United boss Greg Shields 'lived the dream' playing in Rangers' nine in a row squad


Walter Smith’s side – boasting headline names including Brian Laudrup, Paul Gascoigne, Ally McCoist, Ian Durrant and Mark Hateley – swept all before them and Shields has very fond memories of his front row seat within that glory period for the Govan giants.
"Laudrup and Gascoigne were excellent,” said 48-year-old Shields, who played 11 times for Rangers between 1995 and ’97 before joining Dunfermline Athletic in a £200,000 transfer.
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Hide Ad"When you broke into the first team it was fairly straightforward, because you just gave the ball to these guys and it made you look good!
"They were so good that you just ran and you would get the ball anyway.
"The demands from them on a daily basis was excellent. You think of them and they were the stand out players, but you also had Richard Gough, Ally McCoist, Ian Durrant, Mark Hateley, Duncan Ferguson, John Brown, Gary Stevens, Trevor Steven.
"It was just ridiculous the group that you could actually learn off.
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Hide Ad"There are things I do to this day that I have been taught by every manager that I played under. But to break through into that first team with these guys, you took it for granted really.
"I think my highlight at Rangers was being part of the nine in a row team.
"I was in the squad when we won the league up at Dundee United in 1997 when Laudrup scored with a header in a 1-0 win.
"I also played in the Champions League that season as well. Playing in the Ajax and Auxerre games was just unbelievable.
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Hide Ad"As a kid I was a Rangers supporter, my family were Rangers at the time.
"And to grow up and play for your childhood team was a dream.”
Despite his long affection for Rangers, Shields – who later played for Charlton Athletic (1999 to 2002), Kilmarnock (2002 to 2004), Dunfermline for a second spell (2004 to 2009) and US outfit Carolina Railhawks (2009 to 2013), is now not overly bothered with the Ibrox club’s fortunes.
He added: “Now I'm not interested in the Old Firm at all, it doesn't bother me. I always think when you leave a club you close the door.
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Hide Ad"Being away from Rangers and being at other clubs playing against them, you become a supporter of the teams you play for and that's what I did.
"You play for Kilmarnock or Dunfermline, you want them both to beat Rangers and Celtic, because that's what you are.
"These days I don't really watch a lot of Scottish Premiership football on TV.”
Having bossed St Andrews for the first time in a 1-0 victory at Oakley United in the East of Scotland Qualifying Cup on November 30, Shields took charge of his second United fixture in a 0-0 league draw at Sauchie Juniors last Saturday.
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Hide AdThe result – United’s first clean sheet at Beechwood Park in eight attempts stretching back to 1994 – leaves St Andrews second bottom of the East of Scotland Football League Premier Division with 11 points from 13 matches, a point adrift of safety.
Shields, whose previous jobs in football management have included being assistant boss at North Carolina FC from 2013 to 2019 and also assistant/interim manager and head of football academy at Dunfermline Athletic between 2019 and 2024, added: "The target this season is to stay up.
"The basis of every club really is to get promoted and stay up. If you look at teams in the English Premier League, that's their aim, to stay up, build and then grow.
"I quite like that, I'm excited about it."
Saints visit Jeanfield Swifts in the league this Saturday with kick-off at 2.30pm.
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