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Andy Little: I was in tears when I left Rangers so it is great to be back in blue again
Exclusive by Christopher Jack @Chris_Jack89Group Senior Sports Writer
Andy Little promotes the Rangers Youth Development Company
7
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IT was the moment that Andy Little had heard all about but never thought he would have to experience. Now, he is living the dream all over again.
Glasgow has become home from home for the Northern Irishman and Rangers will always be closest to his heart. The love affair has been rekindled.
Three years after he was informed by Ally McCoist that he had no future at his boyhood heroes, Little is back in blue and back in familiar surroundings at Auchenhowie.
Read more: Andy Little taking steady steps on the road to recovery after career-threatening injury
The striker won’t get the thrill of running down the Ibrox tunnel and won’t experience the adrenaline rush of scoring in front of 50,000 fans. He has a part to play, though.
Little has returned to Rangers as part of a coaching overhaul put in place by Head of Academy Craig Mulholland and has been joined by Peter Lovenkrands, Stephen Wright and Brian Gilmour as they have joined the club once again.
And the former Gers forward is delighted to be able to pass on his experiences and help shape the futures of the next crop of kids that have the ultimate Ibrox aim.
“We always talked in the youth teams about the day you leave and drive out the blue gates for the last time and how you will regret it,” Little told SportTimes. “That is how they put it to us.
“For me to get the opportunity to drive back through those gates again a couple of years later, it was brilliant.
“It is not in a playing capacity but I have got the badge on my chest again. I was in tears the day I left the club so to get back here is amazing.
“I am loving it. I think it has got my enthusiasm back for football in general, and the club.
“The Under-10s are so enthusiastic and happy and you come out of every session on a high because of them. It has been brilliant.”
Read more: Andy Little taking steady steps on the road to recovery after career-threatening injury
Little scored a memorable Old Firm goal and helped Rangers to the Third Division title as he made the most of his chance after a frustrating couple of years at the start of his career. He has memories to last a lifetime, but also has his share of ‘what ifs?’
Since leaving Ibrox, he has spent time at Port Vale, Preston, Blackpool and Accrington, before he returned north of the border to join Stirling Albion.
It was during a training session with the Binos that he suffered horrific injuries that left him fighting for his career. As he continues on the road to recovery, the 28-year-old has another avenue to go down.
“I think coaching has been forced upon me a bit,” Little said. “I am not saying I didn’t want to do it, but I didn’t expect to be doing it now.
“Through circumstances and my injury, I have got into it sooner. But the more I speak to people, they say that is exactly what you should do.
“Professional footballers have plenty of time on their hands and I always think ‘why didn’t I do it sooner?’ You think about the game more, it makes you appreciate the game more.
“If it hadn’t had been Rangers, I don’t think I would have done it so soon.
“Craig Mulholland spoke to me about it and I had been doing a bit of community coaching.
“He mentioned about the Academy and it was as if they were offering me a contract to sign for the club again, that was the feeling. It was a no-brainer.”
Little may have left Rangers but Rangers never left Little. He has been a regular visitor to Ibrox over the years as ‘The Journey’ has been completed and a new one has been embarked on in the Premiership.
Read more: Andy Little taking steady steps on the road to recovery after career-threatening injury
Little has started to follow his brother Graham’s path into the media but it is a chance to get back on the park that is his ultimate ambition.
“I would much rather just be playing and that was all I had to think about,” he said.
“But I have always enjoyed doing that side of it at times and my brother is obviously involved in sports journalism as well.
“It is something I feel I would need to have more of a reputation first, but that is on hold at the minute for obvious reasons. The more RangersTV stuff I can do, I really enjoy Radio Clyde, and that is what I came back here.
“I love the city, the vibe around football, around Rangers and Celtic. I get it, I love it. I do enjoy that side of things.”
Having made the move across the water to join the Rangers Academy in 2006, it is no surprise that Little has as much affection for Glasgow.
His life – the good and the bad, the highs and the lows – has been shaped by Scottish football. Now he has a chance to mould the futures of those that are attempting to follow in his footsteps.
“I think it is something you only really get if you have done it, I really think that,” he said. “It is the winning mentality from an early age.
“When I first came over, I was amazed at the winners we had in the youth team and it was all about that.
“With the Under-10s, you don’t want to frighten them. They are there having fun and it is a learning curve, an education, an enjoyment.
Read more: Andy Little taking steady steps on the road to recovery after career-threatening injury
“At the right moment, maybe you throw in the odd ‘are you going to be able to do this in front of 50,000?’ It is important not to load the young kids with pressure.
“As they have gotten to know me, they have asked ‘did you do this?’ or ‘did you do that?’
“That has been nice and I feel I have got that respect, if you like, from them because of it, which is great.
“It is trying to get them to appreciate that it is an honour to play for this club, appreciate what they are getting but also not scare them and make sure they enjoy it.”
Little’s return to Auchenhowie is part of a new blueprint that has been put in place as Rangers look to produce their own stars of the future in the coming years.
The Gers board have invested time and money into the system. It is a plan that must now pay off.
“It is night and day really, and I don’t mean that disrespectfully to the Academy that I came through,” Little said.
“Craig spoke to me and told me ‘don’t do what we did ten, 11 years ago because it is not that anymore’. It is a totally different ethos and a much more professional setup.
“It was at the time, but it is even better now and it is one of the top Academies in Europe. That is what we are striving towards.”
*Andy Little is pictured promoting the Rangers Youth Development Company and their Rangers Bricks product.
Goalkeeping legend Peter McCloy is the latest Rangers great to have a brick panel named in his honour and fans can buy stadium bricks with their own personal messages now from £20.
Bricks on the new panel can be purchased now from www.rydc.co.uk, by calling 0141 427 4914, texting RANGERS to 67766 or visiting the Rangers Lotto office in Broomloan House at the stadium.
Stadium Bricks are just one of a number of Rangers Youth Development Company products that help fund the Rangers youth academy - full details on Rangers Lotto, Rising Stars, Scratchcards, their Youth Members Club and other initiatives can be found at www.rydc.co.uk
Exclusive by Christopher Jack @Chris_Jack89Group Senior Sports Writer
Andy Little promotes the Rangers Youth Development Company
7
Get the latest local news straight to your inbox every day
IT was the moment that Andy Little had heard all about but never thought he would have to experience. Now, he is living the dream all over again.
Glasgow has become home from home for the Northern Irishman and Rangers will always be closest to his heart. The love affair has been rekindled.
Three years after he was informed by Ally McCoist that he had no future at his boyhood heroes, Little is back in blue and back in familiar surroundings at Auchenhowie.
Read more: Andy Little taking steady steps on the road to recovery after career-threatening injury
The striker won’t get the thrill of running down the Ibrox tunnel and won’t experience the adrenaline rush of scoring in front of 50,000 fans. He has a part to play, though.
Little has returned to Rangers as part of a coaching overhaul put in place by Head of Academy Craig Mulholland and has been joined by Peter Lovenkrands, Stephen Wright and Brian Gilmour as they have joined the club once again.
And the former Gers forward is delighted to be able to pass on his experiences and help shape the futures of the next crop of kids that have the ultimate Ibrox aim.
“We always talked in the youth teams about the day you leave and drive out the blue gates for the last time and how you will regret it,” Little told SportTimes. “That is how they put it to us.
“For me to get the opportunity to drive back through those gates again a couple of years later, it was brilliant.
“It is not in a playing capacity but I have got the badge on my chest again. I was in tears the day I left the club so to get back here is amazing.
“I am loving it. I think it has got my enthusiasm back for football in general, and the club.
“The Under-10s are so enthusiastic and happy and you come out of every session on a high because of them. It has been brilliant.”
Read more: Andy Little taking steady steps on the road to recovery after career-threatening injury
Little scored a memorable Old Firm goal and helped Rangers to the Third Division title as he made the most of his chance after a frustrating couple of years at the start of his career. He has memories to last a lifetime, but also has his share of ‘what ifs?’
Since leaving Ibrox, he has spent time at Port Vale, Preston, Blackpool and Accrington, before he returned north of the border to join Stirling Albion.
It was during a training session with the Binos that he suffered horrific injuries that left him fighting for his career. As he continues on the road to recovery, the 28-year-old has another avenue to go down.
“I think coaching has been forced upon me a bit,” Little said. “I am not saying I didn’t want to do it, but I didn’t expect to be doing it now.
“Through circumstances and my injury, I have got into it sooner. But the more I speak to people, they say that is exactly what you should do.
“Professional footballers have plenty of time on their hands and I always think ‘why didn’t I do it sooner?’ You think about the game more, it makes you appreciate the game more.
“If it hadn’t had been Rangers, I don’t think I would have done it so soon.
“Craig Mulholland spoke to me about it and I had been doing a bit of community coaching.
“He mentioned about the Academy and it was as if they were offering me a contract to sign for the club again, that was the feeling. It was a no-brainer.”
Little may have left Rangers but Rangers never left Little. He has been a regular visitor to Ibrox over the years as ‘The Journey’ has been completed and a new one has been embarked on in the Premiership.
Read more: Andy Little taking steady steps on the road to recovery after career-threatening injury
Little has started to follow his brother Graham’s path into the media but it is a chance to get back on the park that is his ultimate ambition.
“I would much rather just be playing and that was all I had to think about,” he said.
“But I have always enjoyed doing that side of it at times and my brother is obviously involved in sports journalism as well.
“It is something I feel I would need to have more of a reputation first, but that is on hold at the minute for obvious reasons. The more RangersTV stuff I can do, I really enjoy Radio Clyde, and that is what I came back here.
“I love the city, the vibe around football, around Rangers and Celtic. I get it, I love it. I do enjoy that side of things.”
Having made the move across the water to join the Rangers Academy in 2006, it is no surprise that Little has as much affection for Glasgow.
His life – the good and the bad, the highs and the lows – has been shaped by Scottish football. Now he has a chance to mould the futures of those that are attempting to follow in his footsteps.
“I think it is something you only really get if you have done it, I really think that,” he said. “It is the winning mentality from an early age.
“When I first came over, I was amazed at the winners we had in the youth team and it was all about that.
“With the Under-10s, you don’t want to frighten them. They are there having fun and it is a learning curve, an education, an enjoyment.
Read more: Andy Little taking steady steps on the road to recovery after career-threatening injury
“At the right moment, maybe you throw in the odd ‘are you going to be able to do this in front of 50,000?’ It is important not to load the young kids with pressure.
“As they have gotten to know me, they have asked ‘did you do this?’ or ‘did you do that?’
“That has been nice and I feel I have got that respect, if you like, from them because of it, which is great.
“It is trying to get them to appreciate that it is an honour to play for this club, appreciate what they are getting but also not scare them and make sure they enjoy it.”
Little’s return to Auchenhowie is part of a new blueprint that has been put in place as Rangers look to produce their own stars of the future in the coming years.
The Gers board have invested time and money into the system. It is a plan that must now pay off.
“It is night and day really, and I don’t mean that disrespectfully to the Academy that I came through,” Little said.
“Craig spoke to me and told me ‘don’t do what we did ten, 11 years ago because it is not that anymore’. It is a totally different ethos and a much more professional setup.
“It was at the time, but it is even better now and it is one of the top Academies in Europe. That is what we are striving towards.”
*Andy Little is pictured promoting the Rangers Youth Development Company and their Rangers Bricks product.
Goalkeeping legend Peter McCloy is the latest Rangers great to have a brick panel named in his honour and fans can buy stadium bricks with their own personal messages now from £20.
Bricks on the new panel can be purchased now from www.rydc.co.uk, by calling 0141 427 4914, texting RANGERS to 67766 or visiting the Rangers Lotto office in Broomloan House at the stadium.
Stadium Bricks are just one of a number of Rangers Youth Development Company products that help fund the Rangers youth academy - full details on Rangers Lotto, Rising Stars, Scratchcards, their Youth Members Club and other initiatives can be found at www.rydc.co.uk
