Mel Sterland on his Rangers dream Graeme Souness ended prematurely and playing in 'frightening' Old Firm

Signed from Sheffield Wednesday for £800,000 in March 1989, Sterland penned a four year deal with the Ibrox giants only to be sold to Leeds United four months later. It’s something that still hurts to this day. After 11 years at his boyhood club, the 27-year-old Sterland fancied a change of scenery and Edmiston Drive was his next destination. It was one of the easiest football decisions he ever made.

“I had been at Sheffield Wednesday since I was a young kid, I had captained them.” He explains. 11 years at a football club is absolutely magnificent but I just wanted a change. There were two clubs that came in for me and Glasgow Rangers were one. I knew they were a massive football club with great fans. I used to love watching Scottish football and the Old Firm games. As soon as I knew Rangers were coming in for me there was nowhere else I was going to go.

"It was a chance to play in Europe - that was one of the main things I went up to Rangers for but unfortunately I wasn’t there long enough to play in Europe.”

Sterland was one of several English stars at the club at the time with many citing Europe as the reason for moving north of the border given that English clubs were banned from playing on the continent due to crowd troubles.

One such player was Gary Stevens, the England international was signed by Graeme Souness the previous summer from Everton. Sterland says Souness had promised him he would play right back with Stevens moving to a more central role, something which never materialised.

“Graeme said he was going to play me as a right back and they were going to play Gary Stevens as a centre half but it never came round like that.

“I ended up playing right wing and I’m not a right winger, never in a million years. I am an attacking full back but I just went with it because I wanted to play for Rangers.”

Despite being played out of position, Sterland hit the ground running with a goal on his debut against Hamilton Accies although he jokes he never quite nailed his celebration.

Sterland celebrates after netting on his debut against Hamilton at Ibrox

“Running out at Ibrox with a full house was absolutely magnificent and it was a pleasure to play for them. I couldn’t believe it when the ball came to me, to be honest, but it was nice to score on my debut.

“I think I ran to the wrong fans when I scored, I ran to the Hamilton Accies fans. I dropped a clanger there and then I scored two against Hearts when we won the league, a free-kick and a header which was fantastic. I could’ve had a hat-trick but Kevin Drinkell never passed it to me, he should’ve passed the ball but he opted for the shot.”

Speaking of clangers, Sterland admits he fell foul more than once during his short stint in Govan.

“I’ve pulled up to training on my first day, obviously naive and you know you can’t have a beard and you have to wear a collar and tie, silly bugger here went in with a green tie. Ally McCoist came over and said, ‘Here, big man don’t wear the green tie!’ So I’ve realised and thought, ‘Bloody hellfire, yeah Celtic’, so I dropped a bollock there.

"Another time was when we went out, all the lads went out into the city centre and they left me, I didn’t know where I was.

“I got in a taxi and got back to my hotel and the taxi driver charged me fifty quid. Afterwards I spoke to Ally and I said, ‘Where did you go? You left me’, Ally said he couldn’t find me.

“I said, ‘The taxi cost me fifty quid’. Ally said, ‘I think you might’ve been robbed there, it should’ve only been about a fiver or a tenner’. I think he must’ve been a Celtic fan.’”

Despite his brief stay, Sterland would get to sample the Old Firm rivalry as he was part of the Rangers side that lost to their arch-rivals in the 1989 Scottish Cup final.

Sterland says it’s a game like no other he has ever experienced.

“I’m in Sheffield now but people still ask, ‘What’s it like to play in an Old Firm game?’ You talk about Man United v Man City, Everton v Liverpool, Sheffield Wednesday v Sheffield United, you can forget that, nothing compares to Rangers v Celtic, the atmosphere was absolutely frightening.”

Sterland lines up alongisde his Rangers teammates before the 1989 Scottish Cup final against Celtic (Image: SNS)

“It goes that quick, I didn’t enjoy it because we got beat 1-0 but to play in a cup final at Hampden, I played in three semi-finals for Sheffield Wednesday and got beat in every one of them, so to play in a cup final between Rangers and Celtic was something special for me.

“We stayed at a golf course I think in the build-up to the game and it was great, the lads were all having a laugh and a joke but you just couldn’t wait for the game to start.

“Unfortunately I think Gary Stevens played a back pass and Joe Miller came around, took it round Woodsy and put it in the goal.

“At full-time Souness went mental, he just turned around and said, ‘How can we lose to that lot? How can we lose to that lot?’ He got his medal and chucked it on the floor and said, ‘There’ll be changes in the summer.’ I think he must’ve taken it out on me.”

Despite the Scottish Cup disappointment, Sterland was settling into life as a Rangers player and looking forward to defending the league title.

His time at Ibrox would be brought to an abrupt end however when Souness decided to cut his losses and sell Sterland to Leeds United.

Despite being just four months into a four-year contract, player power was more or less a pipedream 32 years ago so Sterland was on his way.

It's a transfer that leaves a bitter taste in his mouth to this day.

“I was in the process of buying a house, we were renting at the time and in the papers down south it said that I was up for sale so I went to see Graeme Souness and he told me that I wasn't for sale.

“He asked if I liked Scotland, did my wife like Scotland, did my kids like Scotland and we found a house in Bridge of Allan and he said, ‘Go ahead and buy it.’

“We bought the house, got the kids settled in school and I think it was a couple of months down the line he sold me.

“It was a bit of a joke really. I lost a lot of money up there as well regarding the contract and obviously the house that we had to sell but he could’ve been honest with me and told me he was going to sell me and not to go ahead and buy a house.

“But that’s football, you have to get on with life but it did hurt me, my wife and also my kids. I was disappointed in Graeme Souness, he told a couple of porky pies telling me to do everything that I asked and then he bombed me out which was disappointing for me and the family. I was absolutely gutted when I left.”

Souness may not be on the Sterland’s Christmas card list but he was a huge fan of Walter Smith who would later take over the manager’s job and lead the Light Blues to 9-in-a-row.

“Walter was different class.

“He did most of the coaching, to be honest, he was a great coach and a great guy. Souness used to play in the games and get the players wound up but Walter was a gentleman.”

As well as Smith, Sterland had a soft spot for the late great Davie Cooper who he credits with helping him settle in at Ibrox.

“Rangers had absolutely fantastic players. Goughie at centre half, Butcher, Wilkins, Gary Stevens, myself, Drinkell, Mark Walters, Ferguson, we had a great, great footballing side. We had characters in there as well and big characters. I used to room with Coops and I tell you what, what a gentleman and a player - my god! He had a left foot anybody would die for. He was an amazing footballer, he could go by people, he could trick you and a fantastic man, he looked after me when I went up there.”

After departing Ibrox, Sterland would play an integral role in the Leeds United side who would win the old Second Division and First Division under Howard Wilkinson, playing alongside current Rangers assistant Gary McAllister.

Unfortunately, he would miss the famous Battle of Britain clashes in 1992 as he explains.

“I was injured and I couldn't play. The manager Howard Wilkinson didn’t let me travel up to Rangers for the first leg and I was absolutely gutted I couldn’t get fit for the second leg as well. They were great games, Gary McAllister scored a spectacular goal up there and it was Hateley and McCoist who put the ball in the net at Elland Road.”

Fast forward to the present day and Sterland says he’s been impressed with the team assembled by his former Whites teammate and Steven Gerrard.

“Gary Mac is an absolutely fantastic guy and he and Steven Gerrard have done a superb job at Rangers. I think they’ll win the league again this year. I know Celtic will be at them and they’ve brought a few players in but Rangers have got good balance now, they’ve got exciting players and I think Gerrard and Gary Mac won’t let it slip.”

Sterland admits he would love nothing more than to roll back the years and play for his former club.

“Oh my god, I would’ve loved it.

“When you play with attacking full-backs, it would be ideal for me because all I used to do was get down the line, get crosses in, make goals and score goals. I scored 70 goals as a full-back so if I was still playing I would’ve loved playing for them.

“I don’t think I’d get in now, I think they’d have an issue with my weight!

“But I absolutely loved it up there. I'd love to get back up for a game, I’m still waiting on John Brown calling me to come up.”