The Big Interview Lorenzo Amoruso

“Threats in the post and sold to save cash, but I’d love to return to Rangers.”

As his status as the first-ever Catholic captain of Rangers suggests, Lorenzo Amoruso has never been one to dodge the issue.

And as Dave King moves into place at Ibrox, the Italian has been bold once again by welcoming in the new regime with a warning.

For the South African to win the hearts and minds of the supporters, he says, King will need to treat the club’s favourite sons with more respect than the old one did.

Amoruso’s ire has been raised by events that led to Ally McCoist a man he played alongside during his phenomenally successful spell with the Light Blues being placed on gardening leave.

“I’m very upset about how Ally has been treated,” said Amoruso.

“Officially, he resigned. But I believe it was the club who pushed him away, and in my view that wasn’t a good way to behave.

“He was the one who got the team back up to the Championship, and he deserves some recognition for that.

“Aside from anything else, he’s a Rangers icon and so he deserved more respect.

“I hope the new regime does things differently in future.”

King has promised just that, and Amoruso is living proof things can, and do, change.

His time at Ibrox was one of high spending. He cost £4-million from Fiorentina in 1997, yielding big dividends with his nine domestic honours in six years.

One of his team-mates was Tore Andre Flo, bought for an eye-watering £12-million by Dick Advocaat, when Sir David Murray was actively bankrolling a push to win the Champions League.

Did Amoruso ever get the feeling that Rangers were reaching beyond their means financially?

“Absolutely not. And if there was ever an issue, it was only minor,” said the Italian.

“David Murray had huge credibility, and knew how to manage every type of situation with professionalism and skill. I can only say good things about him.

“Under his command, Rangers won so many trophies, and were a great team for 20 years.

“Unfortunately, it looks like he gave the club over to the wrong person.

“There are definitely similarities between what has gone on at Rangers and the Fiorentina crisis. Unfortunately, when there’s no money any more, every situation looks the same.

“But in David Murray’s case it was a mistake made in good faith, because he loves Rangers. He was the one who wanted me and I was a player with big ambitions.

“I wanted to play in the Champions League, and with a heavy heart I had come to accept that wasn’t going to be possible with Fiorentina.

“Rangers offered me an excellent contract, and also guaranteed the club a large sum of money if they’d let me go to Scotland.

“Fiorentina were already struggling a bit at that stage, and so they accepted.

“I was happy, both from a financial point of view and the fact I’d have the chance to play on the European stage against top-level opponents.”

Amoruso had been a hero to one of Europe’s fanatical supports yet, as he explained, it was no preparation for his immersion in west of Scotland culture and, specifically, to the part religion plays in it.

“From knowing a bit about the history, I had an idea of what to expect,” he recalled.

“But I didn’t completely understand the situation until I’d actually touched down in Glasgow. It’s a city with a tangible division between Catholics and Protestants. The Old Firm isn’t just a football match it’s a way of life, a way of thinking.

“When myself and the other Italians arrived at Rangers, we received a letter signed ‘Catholics Anonymous’.

“They said we were traitors, because we were playing for a Protestant club. And they said we’d disregarded our religion and our culture. So if anything happened to us, we would only have ourselves to blame.

“They were real threats, so we told the manager and the Head of Security.

“We never received anything from Protestant fans. The fact we’d chosen to come to their club was probably well received by them.

“It wasn’t easy in the early days. A section of the media was against me, but I really cared about honouring that Rangers jersey and I always gave my very best on the field.

“My approach was eventually rewarded with the captain’s armband, and that gave me so much satisfaction. It was a feeling I can’t quite put into words.”

Which goes some way to explaining his regret, even now 12 years on, at the parting of the ways which saw him switch to Blackburn Rovers in 2003.

“People said it was me who requested that transfer, but that’s not true,” said Amoruso. “I would happily have stayed and finished my career with Rangers.

“I remember the manager, Alex McLeish (left), came to my house about a month out from the end of the season.

“He said ‘I’m speaking to you as an older brother. There are some good offers sitting there for you from English clubs. Take one and go.

“‘We can’t guarantee you a decent salary here any more, and we’re going to have to focus on youth.’

“And so I went to Blackburn. But I repeat, I wanted to stay at Rangers for the rest of my playing days.”

At 43 years old, those days are behind him now, but Amoruso retains his love for the game and for the club where he enjoyed the most fruitful spell of his career.

“I’d be really happy to return to Rangers,” he said. “I gave a lot to them, but they gave even more to me.

“My relationship with the fans was, and is, absolutely fantastic. It would truly be a dream for me to be able to wear that Rangers crest again.”