Gregory Vignal: A great club like Rangers never loses its history

SANDWICHED in between the arrivals of Jamie Murphy and Jason Cummings, the return of one of Rangers best-ever loan signings went all but unnoticed.

Not for Gregory Vignal the posse of press waiting at Glasgow Airport when he jetted in from France to take up his Academy coaching post or the panicky will-he, won’t-he debate speculating whether a deal could be struck.

That was OK. He got plenty of fanfare when he left 13 years ago.

It was in the summer of 2004 that Alex McLeish, now Scotland manager, then in charge of a lighter shade of Blues, persuaded Liverpool to let him have a 23-year-old French defender who had been overshadowed by John Arne Riise at Anfield.

When Vignal departed the following year it was as a hero, his 42 appearances having played a key role in Rangers League and League Cup-winning double.

Solid in a backline which also included his countryman Jean Alain-Boumsong, he is arguably best remembered for scoring in the 2-0 victory at Celtic Park with a 25-yard shot which Rab Douglas let slip through his grasp.

“After my experience in Liverpool, it was an amazing year I spent playing for Rangers,” said Vignal.

“We had big, big players, but it was everything about the place. The stadium, the fans, above all, the tradition. A great club never loses its history.

“Like Liverpool, it was another world from what I had experienced in France – totally different.

“I think to really appreciate the passion that surrounds the super clubs you need to live it.

“It’s extremely competitive and the only thing that matters is winning the titles.

“You don’t feel that in France. At Montpellier there was competition, but it was at its most intense in the Academy where players were battling to go up to the first team.

“My first home game was just huge for me. There were 50,000 people there, the fans were everywhere and it was really something.

“As great as it looks on the television, or in the stands, it is way more impressive when you are out there on the field.

“And it doesn’t matter who you are playing against (his home debut for Rangers was against Livingston) the ground is always full or as good as full.”

All of which explained why he was happy to quit his native France for a role which is initially only three sessions per week plus a game at the weekend.

“It’s an amazing feeling when a great club like the Rangers comes to you, I was very flattered to be asked.

“The board and the director of football, Mark Allan, have placed the Academy at the centre of the new Rangers project.

“And Academy director Craig Mulholland is putting in place a policy which is really innovative.

“He outlined it to me in a half-hour meeting I had with him in October to talk about this, which went very well.

“He is someone who really understands the importance of having ex-Rangers players involved.

“It helps impart some of the DNA we (Kevin Thomson was also brought in last January) have from our time playing to the young players coming through.

“I’m bringing everything I have learned as an ex-Rangers player to try and inspire them.

“In the Academy they all want to play for the club but only a few can go through, so this is why we are doing the maximum we can for them.

“This is why my experience will be helpful.”

Speaking last month at the time of the appointment, Mulholland was in no doubt about what Vignal could bring to the table.

“As well as extensive knowledge from his playing days with Rangers and, of course, Liverpool and Fulham in the EPL, he will bring with him experience of coaching in Academies in France, where they are producing some fantastic players just now,” he said then.

“All of the existing Academy staff are keen to learn from the cultural differences Gregory will bring from France, while we help guide him on his journey in coaching.”

Right now that sees Vignal working to a plan he outlines as being simultaneously both simple and comprehensive.

“Our aim is to allow youngsters to play at Ibrox in the next four to five years and be Rangers players,” he said.

“We are forming them to be the complete package when they reach the first team.

“They have to have the DNA of competitors then ally it with tactical knowledge and an ability to play an attractive style of football.

“The club needs the youth teams to have their own football style.

“Everything is in place to do this and we leave nothing to chance.

“This policy also responds to the new law about the percentage of local players. So obviously we need to develop more players to be able to play for the first team.”

“The very good thing for us is that Graeme Murty is in charge of the first team,” he said.

“It is an internal solution as he used to be in charge of the development team (the Under-20s) so he knows how everything works and he comes to the Academy a lot.

“It works well at the moment and there is a very good relationship with him.”

A fan of the work the manager is doing right now, Vignal nevertheless says it is important to keep things in context when looking at the bigger picture.

“We need to go step-by-step as we had four difficult years,” he said.

“It was really tough for me to watch from the outside as I had maintained very good relationships with those at the club and the fans.

“We need some stability, a new policy has been introduced and some quality players will come as a result of it.

“It will take a little while to catch up from those difficult years.

“For me, I just want to do what I can to be a part of it all and help the club as much as I can.

“From a personal point of view I want to gain some experience, get my diplomas and my pro licence.”

The better to achieve his wish, publicly stated a few years back, to manage Rangers?

“Oh that would be the big dream. That would be magnificent!” he said.

From small steps to big dreams, Gregory Vignal might have a lower profile than Jamie Murphy and Jason Cummings.

Like his fellow January arrivals, though, he is very much a man on the move.