Gavin Rae on rejecting Rangers and Leeds United, fighting Ji
Fri May 29, 2020 7:56 am
Gavin Rae on rejecting Rangers and Leeds United, fighting Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink and the amazing story of Robbie Fowler on tour with Cardiff City
Friday 29th May 2020
The former Scotland international enjoyed four years at Cardiff City, but it was one performance in particular which sticks out to him the most
Gavin Rae's time at Cardiff City is remembered fondly by most fans who witnessed him donning the Bluebirds shirt.
His four years in South Wales coincided with some of the most successful and exciting teams in recent memory and it was a journey he was all too ready for, having endured injury hell at Rangers.
The Scot, who won 14 caps for his country, damaged his knee against Dundee United in 2004 and spent almost two years out of the side owing to a number of setbacks.
The former midfielder eventually returned in February 2006 and was given the captain's armband in the following January, but when Walter Smith took over before the end of the season, Barry Ferguson was re-appointed as skipper.
As Rae remembers, it was time for a change and he rejected Smith's advances over a new deal. And that's when Cardiff came calling.
"I could have stayed at Rangers for another year," he told the Joner 1 on 1 podcast. "Walter Smith was open to keeping me, but I just needed a fresh start.
"So I moved down to Cardiff, which turned out to be an amazing move, I had four good years there.
"But that first year was amazing, because I'd never played in the FA Cup at all, obviously being in Scotland, so that first year, getting to the final, I was thinking, 'This is easy, straight to the final!'"
That FA Cup ran was an amazing spectacle for Bluebirds fans of a certain vintage.
Having come back from a goal down against non-league Chasetown, the Bluebirds swatted aside Hereford and Wolves to reach the quarter-finals, in which they comfortably beat Middlesbrough at the Riverside.
The would come up against Barnsley in the semi-final, of course, and it is that performance which Rae cites as the greatest of his 22-year career.
"We played the semi against Barnsley and Joe Ledley scored the only goal," the Scot remembers.
"That's probably the best game of my career, that semi-final at Wembley. I was proper on it that day and we won 1-0.
"I actually should have scored! I should have scored a diving header at Wembley, I was spewing (that I missed). I got too good a connection on it and the keeper saved it.
"That's probably the best game of my whole career, looking back."
Friday 29th May 2020
The former Scotland international enjoyed four years at Cardiff City, but it was one performance in particular which sticks out to him the most
Gavin Rae's time at Cardiff City is remembered fondly by most fans who witnessed him donning the Bluebirds shirt.
His four years in South Wales coincided with some of the most successful and exciting teams in recent memory and it was a journey he was all too ready for, having endured injury hell at Rangers.
The Scot, who won 14 caps for his country, damaged his knee against Dundee United in 2004 and spent almost two years out of the side owing to a number of setbacks.
The former midfielder eventually returned in February 2006 and was given the captain's armband in the following January, but when Walter Smith took over before the end of the season, Barry Ferguson was re-appointed as skipper.
As Rae remembers, it was time for a change and he rejected Smith's advances over a new deal. And that's when Cardiff came calling.
"I could have stayed at Rangers for another year," he told the Joner 1 on 1 podcast. "Walter Smith was open to keeping me, but I just needed a fresh start.
"So I moved down to Cardiff, which turned out to be an amazing move, I had four good years there.
"But that first year was amazing, because I'd never played in the FA Cup at all, obviously being in Scotland, so that first year, getting to the final, I was thinking, 'This is easy, straight to the final!'"
That FA Cup ran was an amazing spectacle for Bluebirds fans of a certain vintage.
Having come back from a goal down against non-league Chasetown, the Bluebirds swatted aside Hereford and Wolves to reach the quarter-finals, in which they comfortably beat Middlesbrough at the Riverside.
The would come up against Barnsley in the semi-final, of course, and it is that performance which Rae cites as the greatest of his 22-year career.
"We played the semi against Barnsley and Joe Ledley scored the only goal," the Scot remembers.
"That's probably the best game of my career, that semi-final at Wembley. I was proper on it that day and we won 1-0.
"I actually should have scored! I should have scored a diving header at Wembley, I was spewing (that I missed). I got too good a connection on it and the keeper saved it.
"That's probably the best game of my whole career, looking back."
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Re: Gavin Rae on rejecting Rangers and Leeds United, fightin
Fri May 29, 2020 7:57 am
Rae recalls the brilliant build-up to that Wembley showpiece, where Portsmouth awaited, including recording the FA Cup song written by former Bluebirds striker Steve Thompson and being suited and booted in Marks & Spencer's suits.
Ahead of them, though, was an incredible Portsmouth team littered with international stars including David James, Glen Johnson, Sol Campbell, Sylvain Distin, Lassana Diarra, Pedro Mendez, Sully Muntari and Nwankwo Kanu, who scored the goal to win it for Harry Redknapp's side.
But he has many great memories of his time in the Welsh capital and the players alongside whom he played, including "Jimmy Floyd Cash-in-the-bank", as he nicknamed him.
"Jimmy was such a moan, all day, every day," Rae laughs. "But obviously a really good player.
"I was nearly fighting him one day. We played Sheffield United at Bramall Lane, we were 3-1 up, I'd scored, and then something happened for them to get their second goal.
"I gave the ball away, but there was something like 20 passes between me giving the ball away and them scoring.
"Jimmy is going mental at me and I'm like, 'Mate, are you being serious?' so we are fighting at the end of the game."
Manager Dave Jones had to calm the aggro at the end of the game, as he doubtless will have done on many occasions with such big personalities at the club back then.
There was talent coursing through that squad back in those days under Jones, with Hasselbaink just one of a list of top players who passed through the doors at Ninian Park.
Robbie Fowler is, of course, another who springs to mind when we think of that clutch of supremely-talented stars to make the move to the Welsh capital.
While the Liverpool icon still had his shooting boots on for Cardiff - he scored six goals in 16 appearances - injuries plagued him and he left after only one season. But that didn't stop him producing one of the best memories Rae has of his time in the Welsh capital.
"We went to Dublin at Christmas, it was amazing, Temple Bar," Rae said. "So we were sitting in a hotel right across from Temple Bar and we were there on Saturday night, steaming, Sunday, fancy dress.
"We are all just waiting there, I think I was dressed as Zorro at that point, someone else was Danger Mouse, there were bananas, it was incredible.
"We are all in Temple Bar, early doors, 10am knocking on the door and then we are all straight in. We were there all day.
"We were doing a roll call to make sure everyone was there, the only person who wasn't there was Robbie Fowler.
"The next minute you just see him, he's got a boombox, a grey wig, rollerskates on just rolling down the street in Temple Bar and rolled straight into the bar!
"We are in the pub the whole day. And I can't name the player, but one player did not move from his seat the whole day. Drank all day and did not move. Amazing."
Ahead of them, though, was an incredible Portsmouth team littered with international stars including David James, Glen Johnson, Sol Campbell, Sylvain Distin, Lassana Diarra, Pedro Mendez, Sully Muntari and Nwankwo Kanu, who scored the goal to win it for Harry Redknapp's side.
But he has many great memories of his time in the Welsh capital and the players alongside whom he played, including "Jimmy Floyd Cash-in-the-bank", as he nicknamed him.
"Jimmy was such a moan, all day, every day," Rae laughs. "But obviously a really good player.
"I was nearly fighting him one day. We played Sheffield United at Bramall Lane, we were 3-1 up, I'd scored, and then something happened for them to get their second goal.
"I gave the ball away, but there was something like 20 passes between me giving the ball away and them scoring.
"Jimmy is going mental at me and I'm like, 'Mate, are you being serious?' so we are fighting at the end of the game."
Manager Dave Jones had to calm the aggro at the end of the game, as he doubtless will have done on many occasions with such big personalities at the club back then.
There was talent coursing through that squad back in those days under Jones, with Hasselbaink just one of a list of top players who passed through the doors at Ninian Park.
Robbie Fowler is, of course, another who springs to mind when we think of that clutch of supremely-talented stars to make the move to the Welsh capital.
While the Liverpool icon still had his shooting boots on for Cardiff - he scored six goals in 16 appearances - injuries plagued him and he left after only one season. But that didn't stop him producing one of the best memories Rae has of his time in the Welsh capital.
"We went to Dublin at Christmas, it was amazing, Temple Bar," Rae said. "So we were sitting in a hotel right across from Temple Bar and we were there on Saturday night, steaming, Sunday, fancy dress.
"We are all just waiting there, I think I was dressed as Zorro at that point, someone else was Danger Mouse, there were bananas, it was incredible.
"We are all in Temple Bar, early doors, 10am knocking on the door and then we are all straight in. We were there all day.
"We were doing a roll call to make sure everyone was there, the only person who wasn't there was Robbie Fowler.
"The next minute you just see him, he's got a boombox, a grey wig, rollerskates on just rolling down the street in Temple Bar and rolled straight into the bar!
"We are in the pub the whole day. And I can't name the player, but one player did not move from his seat the whole day. Drank all day and did not move. Amazing."
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Re: Gavin Rae on rejecting Rangers and Leeds United, fightin
Fri May 29, 2020 7:58 am
Rae remembers Fowler to be a very down to earth man - "he would have bacon and egg rolls before training," he said - and a great team-mate.
Undoubtedly one of the most talented players he would have played alongside, even if he couldn't string together performances in a Cardiff City shirt, but when asked who was the best player he played with, Rae is left in little doubt.
"Aaron Ramsey is the best young player I've played with," he said.
"My first season when I signed with Cardiff, 2007/08, everyone was raving about this kid coming through, they were saying he could be the next (Steven) Gerrard. Obviously that was my position!
"He was training with the under-18s and sometimes with the first team and he was sort of struggling to start with. The first few months, I couldn't see what everyone was talking about.
"But as soon as he got used to training every and got up to speed with professional football, he was outrageous. He would be running first-team sessions at 16. Ridiculous.
"We would play old v young every Friday, so it was him and Whitts (Peter Whittingham) in the young team and those two together was embarrassing.
"Rambo, he could head the ball, he was quick, he was strong, an amazing finisher, left foot and right foot, but the biggest thing he had was mentality. No fear at all. Just, 'Give me the ball in any situation, no worries'."
Ramsey famously came on at right back in that semi-final win over Barnsley after Kevin McNaughton left the field through cramp and Rae likened him to Brazilian great Cafu, such was his incredible ability to convert to that position.
Another Bluebird with undoubted ability was Peter Whittingham, who tragically died back in March.
Rae also reserves special praise for the former midfielder and how Whittingham's positional change ultimately had a massive impact on his role and prominence at Cardiff City.
"Whittingham was an unbelievable baller," he added," what a baller.
"He could run games. His left foot was incredible. He was so laid back.
"One of the biggest things that happened to me at Cardiff was he transitioned into becoming a central midfield player, so as soon as he did that I was thinking, 'Ooff, I could be struggling here'.
"Because I played on the left in the middle of the two, so when he started coming in... because he was a player, a proper player. He could have played top level."
Cardiff City legend Peter Whittingham
Joe Ledley had also made the move inside from the left, too, and with Stephen McPhail and Ricardo Scimeca both at the club, too, competition was getting fierce.
It was when Rae was offered the chance to join Leeds United, but with a young family, he simply had to decline the offer.
"It's probably my big regret actually," he said. "He (Dave Jones) had said, 'Listen, with the boys coming in, it's going to be really competitive, we've got interest in you from another club.'
"But, the biggest thing is that my kids had just been born. And because of where Cardiff was, it was hard to travel up and down to Leeds. So it would either be move or stay. And it was only a loan deal, not permanent.
"So, even if it was it was a one-year permanent deal, I would have gone, but because it was a loan deal, it would have meant travelling between Cardiff and Leeds.
"With the kids being born, twins, I just couldn't do it.
"So it was a big regret I didn't get the chance, it's a huge club and it would have been amazing to play for them. But it just didn't work out."
Undoubtedly one of the most talented players he would have played alongside, even if he couldn't string together performances in a Cardiff City shirt, but when asked who was the best player he played with, Rae is left in little doubt.
"Aaron Ramsey is the best young player I've played with," he said.
"My first season when I signed with Cardiff, 2007/08, everyone was raving about this kid coming through, they were saying he could be the next (Steven) Gerrard. Obviously that was my position!
"He was training with the under-18s and sometimes with the first team and he was sort of struggling to start with. The first few months, I couldn't see what everyone was talking about.
"But as soon as he got used to training every and got up to speed with professional football, he was outrageous. He would be running first-team sessions at 16. Ridiculous.
"We would play old v young every Friday, so it was him and Whitts (Peter Whittingham) in the young team and those two together was embarrassing.
"Rambo, he could head the ball, he was quick, he was strong, an amazing finisher, left foot and right foot, but the biggest thing he had was mentality. No fear at all. Just, 'Give me the ball in any situation, no worries'."
Ramsey famously came on at right back in that semi-final win over Barnsley after Kevin McNaughton left the field through cramp and Rae likened him to Brazilian great Cafu, such was his incredible ability to convert to that position.
Another Bluebird with undoubted ability was Peter Whittingham, who tragically died back in March.
Rae also reserves special praise for the former midfielder and how Whittingham's positional change ultimately had a massive impact on his role and prominence at Cardiff City.
"Whittingham was an unbelievable baller," he added," what a baller.
"He could run games. His left foot was incredible. He was so laid back.
"One of the biggest things that happened to me at Cardiff was he transitioned into becoming a central midfield player, so as soon as he did that I was thinking, 'Ooff, I could be struggling here'.
"Because I played on the left in the middle of the two, so when he started coming in... because he was a player, a proper player. He could have played top level."
Cardiff City legend Peter Whittingham
Joe Ledley had also made the move inside from the left, too, and with Stephen McPhail and Ricardo Scimeca both at the club, too, competition was getting fierce.
It was when Rae was offered the chance to join Leeds United, but with a young family, he simply had to decline the offer.
"It's probably my big regret actually," he said. "He (Dave Jones) had said, 'Listen, with the boys coming in, it's going to be really competitive, we've got interest in you from another club.'
"But, the biggest thing is that my kids had just been born. And because of where Cardiff was, it was hard to travel up and down to Leeds. So it would either be move or stay. And it was only a loan deal, not permanent.
"So, even if it was it was a one-year permanent deal, I would have gone, but because it was a loan deal, it would have meant travelling between Cardiff and Leeds.
"With the kids being born, twins, I just couldn't do it.
"So it was a big regret I didn't get the chance, it's a huge club and it would have been amazing to play for them. But it just didn't work out."
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Re: Gavin Rae on rejecting Rangers and Leeds United, fightin
Fri May 29, 2020 9:46 am
Forever Blue wrote:Rae remembers Fowler to be a very down to earth man - "he would have bacon and egg rolls before training," he said - and a great team-mate.
Undoubtedly one of the most talented players he would have played alongside, even if he couldn't string together performances in a Cardiff City shirt, but when asked who was the best player he played with, Rae is left in little doubt.
"Aaron Ramsey is the best young player I've played with," he said.
"My first season when I signed with Cardiff, 2007/08, everyone was raving about this kid coming through, they were saying he could be the next (Steven) Gerrard. Obviously that was my position!
"He was training with the under-18s and sometimes with the first team and he was sort of struggling to start with. The first few months, I couldn't see what everyone was talking about.
"But as soon as he got used to training every and got up to speed with professional football, he was outrageous. He would be running first-team sessions at 16. Ridiculous.
"We would play old v young every Friday, so it was him and Whitts (Peter Whittingham) in the young team and those two together was embarrassing.
"Rambo, he could head the ball, he was quick, he was strong, an amazing finisher, left foot and right foot, but the biggest thing he had was mentality. No fear at all. Just, 'Give me the ball in any situation, no worries'."
Ramsey famously came on at right back in that semi-final win over Barnsley after Kevin McNaughton left the field through cramp and Rae likened him to Brazilian great Cafu, such was his incredible ability to convert to that position.
Another Bluebird with undoubted ability was Peter Whittingham, who tragically died back in March.
Rae also reserves special praise for the former midfielder and how Whittingham's positional change ultimately had a massive impact on his role and prominence at Cardiff City.
"Whittingham was an unbelievable baller," he added," what a baller.
"He could run games. His left foot was incredible. He was so laid back.
"One of the biggest things that happened to me at Cardiff was he transitioned into becoming a central midfield player, so as soon as he did that I was thinking, 'Ooff, I could be struggling here'.
"Because I played on the left in the middle of the two, so when he started coming in... because he was a player, a proper player. He could have played top level."
Cardiff City legend Peter Whittingham
Joe Ledley had also made the move inside from the left, too, and with Stephen McPhail and Ricardo Scimeca both at the club, too, competition was getting fierce.
It was when Rae was offered the chance to join Leeds United, but with a young family, he simply had to decline the offer.
"It's probably my big regret actually," he said. "He (Dave Jones) had said, 'Listen, with the boys coming in, it's going to be really competitive, we've got interest in you from another club.'
"But, the biggest thing is that my kids had just been born. And because of where Cardiff was, it was hard to travel up and down to Leeds. So it would either be move or stay. And it was only a loan deal, not permanent.
"So, even if it was it was a one-year permanent deal, I would have gone, but because it was a loan deal, it would have meant travelling between Cardiff and Leeds.
"With the kids being born, twins, I just couldn't do it.
"So it was a big regret I didn't get the chance, it's a huge club and it would have been amazing to play for them. But it just didn't work out."
After watching 'Legends Lockdown CCFC' on Youtube I would bet that the person who sat there drinking all day and didn't move was Steven Thompson...though Roger Johnson would have been my second choice.
