What was the highlight of your playing career?

Signing for Rangers. You hear players say it was a dream come true, but that really was the case with me. It was amazing how it happened. I played in the middle for Dundee one night at Dens Park and was involved in a right good battle with Graeme Souness. As you can imagine, there were one or two tasty tackles. I actually got booked for taking his legs away and it probably should have been a red card. The next day, he called me up and said he wanted to sign me for Rangers.

You loved Old Firm games. Why did they bring out the best in you?

I was brought up in Glasgow and I think when you spend your childhood in the city and know what these games mean to people, it makes you more determined to do your best and that was always the way I approached Old Firm matches. I just had so much desire to win them.

Why were you called Bomber?

IT goes all the way back to my Hamilton Accies days. I was a young left-back and I used to get up and down the pitch. I think one of the lads started to talk about me bombing forward and it stuck.

DO you feel aggrieved at never being capped for Scotland?

IT was a big disappointment not to play at international level. I was playing in a Rangers team that was winning titles, cups and playing in Europe, but Andy Roxburgh never selected me to play for my country. I made it into one squad and didn't make it off the bench and, when we played CSKA Moscow in the European Cup at Ibrox, he said to Walter Smith and Archie Knox he was going to select me for the squad for an up-and-coming match with Portugal. This came after he said I was too old to play in a friendly against Germany so I told him to stuff it.

Who was the hardest opponent you ever faced?

I played against a lot of tough opponents, but I can't imagine there were many as tough of Graeme Souness, below. He was a fantastic player, but could look after himself on the pitch so I would probably have to say him. But I loved the times I played against him.

And the best?

Eric Cantona. I came up against him when he was at Leeds United. It was just before he moved to Manchester United and became one of the most famous players in the world. What was surprising about him was how strong he was – he was a man mountain. Myself and Richard Gough had to be on our toes to keep him quiet.

You played in the same team as the likes of Gazza and Laudrup, but who would you say was the best player you ever played with?

Davie Cooper. I only played beside him in my first 10 months at Ibrox, but it was a great honour to play beside him. It was even better when I was at left-back and he played just ahead of me. So, as much as I played with some terrific talents during my time at Rangers, Davie, right, was the greatest.

Your best mate in football?

You can lose contact with some of the guys you played with in football, and it isn't until you attend a function or something that your paths cross again. Ally McCoist, Ian Durrant and Ian Ferguson are among my best pals in the game.

DO you ever think about going back into management?

I was a welder to trade and I know I'll never go back into that, but you just don't know what is around the corner. I worked at youth level at Rangers and enjoyed that. I also took great satisfaction from trying to help and coach players when I was at Clyde and try and pass on some of my experience. You always think about being your own man, but I'm happy how things are going just now.

You're known as a passionate footballer, but what is your passion outside of football?

I've recently became a grand- father. My daughter Lauren gave birth to a baby boy, Alfie, and I enjoy spending time with him and the family.

Who was the biggest influence in your career?

MY dad, Andy. He played for various junior clubs including Bathgate, and he always took me and my brother out to kick the ball around and got me involved in football. When you play professional, people help you progress. My dad was my biggest influence without doubt.

WHAT did he teach you?

HE was just supportive. You know, when I worked at youth level at Rangers, you used to watch parents drop the kids off and come back to collect them a few hours later. It was like a baby-sitting service. My dad always came to watch me when he could and it was fantastic when you were having a difficult time during a game to look over and see him standing at the sidelines.

Can you ever see a team winning Nine-in-a-row again?

IT would be really difficult. Celtic managed it and we did it under Walter Smith, but it certainly isn't an easy thing to do. We came up against a strong Aberdeen side and then Celtic for a couple of years under Tommy Burns. It was probably a lot harder than most people give us credit for.

HE was always seen as a joker, but did you see management material in Ally McCoist when you were team-mates?

Most of his team-mates would probably say no and I'd tend to agree. He was great company, but he had an amazing will to win. He was a massive figure in the dressing room during the nine-in-a-row campaign, but I didn't think at that time he would move into management.

What is the biggest regret from your career?

Not reaching the European Cup Final in 1992-1993. There was obviously the corruption scandal at that time with Marseille and it was a disgrace. We went on a 44-match unbeaten run that season – counting 10 matches in Europe. We won the Treble and to reach the final would have been incredible.

How are you enjoying your role as Rangers scout?

I certainly am. It's a difficult job because of the financial situation and you have to look far and wide to try and unearth talent for the manager. You need to find options and also additional options in case you don't get your first targets. I think that is what happened with Dorin Goian and Carlos Bocanegra, but the two have been fantastic.

What is the first thing you look for in a player?

They've got to be able to handle playing in front of 50,000 fans, so you look for someone who isn't going to hide. Souness used to say I don't mind if you take the ball and give it away as long as you keep taking it and don't hide. You have to look for that sort of personality in a player.

DO you travel a lot to take in games abroad?

Yes, I'm away quite a bit, as is Neil Murray. You have to cover a lot of matches all over Europe and chase up leads. You are working not only with the current window in mind, but also the summer.

Are there good bargains out there to be snapped up on Bosman deal?

Yes. It can be hard because everyone is looking for players and other clubs have more money to offer. However, I think we've found some good players who can do a good job for Rangers.

Aspirations for the future?

I'M just really enjoying what I'm doing. I just want to help Ally as much as possible. If I can help find a player who comes in and helps the team win the title, that would be fantastic.