Gerrard battered him in Rangers charity match, but Alex Rae still prizes his shirt

Alex Rae got clobbered by Steven Gerrard in a recent charity match, yet the Rangers manager’s jersey still hangs proudly on his wall.

The former Light Blues midfielder retains an affinity for the Govan club and he was delighted when Gerrard extended his stay to 2024.

It is, he reasons, a degree of protection against the English clubs tracking his progress with a predatory eye.

“I liked that news because they will be taking notice,” said Rae.

“I’ll give you an example. Frank Lampard has one decent year at Derby and then, all of sudden, he walks into a top-four club.

“By signing up, Steven has committed to a longer deal. That tells you he is buying into the club.

“As a player, he was a fierce competitor. I played against him in a charity match and, within a few minutes, I’d done a little slide tackle.

“Seventy minutes in, I got volleyed from the back. He came right through the back of me. These things don’t leave you.

“What he achieved in the game, though, was frightening.

“I have loads of football tops I collected over the years. But only three are actually hanging on the wall – Paul Gascoigne, Kevin Phillips and Gerrard.

“The others, your Patrick Vieiras and so on, have to stay down otherwise there would be no space for photos of my kids!”

While the 50-year-old enjoyed the Old Firm win on December 29, he warns Rangers fans shouldn’t get carried away.

“For Rangers to go to Parkhead and play in the manner they did was f sensational, and I have enjoyed the meltdown since,” he said

“Celtic are still in a very strong position because of their personnel and resources. They’ve been over the coursee. They know how to get it done.

“So Rangers fans should enjoy the moment. But the reality is they were in the same place last year and they have to learn.

“They have the experience now so it will be interesting to see how they cope this time, as the core and the nucleus were there last year.

“They will either learn the lessons or they won’t.”

Rae jokes that, in the same vein, he will be more careful what he says on air in future.

A casual remark has been the catalyst for his participation in April’s London Marathon, when he will be running to raise funds for Erskine, the veterans’ charity.

“It was the Monday night show on Radio Clyde and this chap came on and we asked how his weekend was. “Stiff as a board. I ran the London Marathon yesterday”, was the reply.

“I said how fantastic that was, and that I love to see people doing a wee bit for charity. The very next day, the Erskine boys phoned me.

“It is something I’ve been looking to do. A lot of the clubs I’ve been involved in – Rangers, Wolves and Millwall – have been very supportive of the Armed Forces and I’m hoping fans will get behind me.”