with Gavin Rae

Gavin Rae was the boy from the Merkland Stand who eventually lived the dream when he signed for his boyhood heroes. He is a hardworking and honest pro who has played at every level in the game and who appreciated both the good and bad times in his career, a career that has seen him play in both a Scottish Cup and an FA Cup final and also play 14 times for his country.

As well as his move to Dundee, Gavin has also become a director at Sport Careers, along with former Scottish international David Weir as he looks to add his expertise in helping others achieve their goals too. As Gavin looks to the future with Dundee and with his new venture, he spoke to Red Matchday about his time in football and his time at Pittodrie.

Who was it that discovered you?

A scout called Mike Will, he was a scout who worked up in Aberdeen. I was training at Aberdeen as a youngster but never got asked to sign for them. I trained when Jocky Scott was there as a coach, but I never got the chance to sign. Mike was the scout for Dundee so I joined the Dens Park side straight from school.

You played under various managers before the Italian invasion arrived. What was life at Dundee like then?

I went there first as a YTS and spent a long time there under various managers, Jim Duffy (twice), John McCormack, Jocky Scott as well, and I saw the club reach different heights. Obviously I loved it when the Italian manager, Ivano Bonetti, came in and there were some big name players that followed, like Caballero, Nemsadze and Caniggia. It was just ridiculous to have these players at Dundee but a great experience too.

You had just played for Scotland against Holland when you heard the club was going into administration. What was that like?

It was a terrible thing. Players who had been at the club for eight years just like myself, we were told that was it. Jamie Langfield had gone there straight from school, my brotherin- law Mark Robertson also, there were loads, and it was an incredible situation to be in. I was one of the lucky ones, I managed to get kept on because they thought that I had a sell on value, but it was just a horrible time for everyone at the club.

Making your debut for a new club is always a nervy experience but when it was an Old Firm derby match, that must have been extra special?

It was incredible. I knew that Rangers were a big club but I didn’t realize just how big a club it was and how big the Old Firm match was.

I came off injured on my Old Firm debut and that was obviously frustrating, because that was a huge match for me.

The time under Paul Le Guen must have been a mixed experience for you?

That was a strange time as Paul Le Guen actually liked me as a guy and as a professional. I think he obviously trusted me a bit. It was a strange one for me, being told that I was taking over the captaincy from Barry Ferguson as it was a situation that maybe that I didn’t want to be put in.

Do you regret that your time at Ibrox was frustrated by injuries etc?

Obviously there were a huge club and I don’t regret signing for them. But due to injury, it didn’t go too well but it was good to get the chance to experience it.

After leaving Rangers, you got a great move to Cardiff, did you enjoy it there?

That turned out really well, it was a great place to live down in Wales, we really loved it. I played a lot of games and at that time, that was the most important thing for me.

Also playing in an FA Cup final was a great experience, it was just a shame we couldn’t win it.

You had a few familiar faces there with you too, didn’t you?

We had Kevin McNaughton, big Thommo (Steven Thompson) was there and Steven McLean who was at Rangers was there too, so there were obviously a few familiar faces and that always helps players when they move.

The Championship is a tough league to play in, what are your thoughts and how did you find playing in it?

The Championship is a really competitive league and there are a lot of big strong boys in it. There is game after game, every midweek basically, there are lot of big teams in that league also, loads of good players and players who could play in the Premier League once they get promoted. It’s a good standard and I certainly enjoyed it. I am chuffed to see Cardiff get into the Premier League and I am looking forward to seeing how they do.

At the end of 2012 you signed for your boyhood heroes, Aberdeen, despite interest from other clubs. What were your thoughts as you walked through the door to sign for the club?

It had taken so long to get there, but it was brilliant! I had supported them when I was a kid and trained with them without getting the opportunity to sign with them when I was a youngster, so working my way back, it was brilliant.

I loved my time there, it was great to get the chance to play for them and to have my family come to watch me play was brilliant.

Do you wish you had done this earlier in your career?

It would have been great if I had signed a little earlier in my career, maybe when I was at my peak, but I enjoyed it and it is something that I will be happy with for the rest of my life.

The club has not hit the heights in recent seasons, can you put your finger on why this is?

It will be interesting to see how they do over the rest of the season as they have made a very encouraging start. I hope they do well because I will still obviously support them. They have underachieved over the last few years and it’s something that I am sure they will want to put right and hopefully they will do well.

Would you consider opening your own Youth Academy either here or abroad, or going into management?

I did my B licence was I was in Wales and I started my A licence in Scotland and it was something that I had always thought about as a playing, even after playing I always wanted to be involved in the game.

My Brother-In Law has got an academy in Australia, so that was an option for me, but I wanted to stay here for another year or so, playing and coaching, and luckily I got a chance to do that at Dundee. But I’ve always wanted to complete my coaching badges in case a chance comes up in the future.

Looking back on your career, you must be proud of your achievements, playing for some good clubs, winning 14 caps for your country. That is something that every footballer would love to do, represent their country, how did you feel?

I am happy with the way my career went, you always think that I wish had done even more than I have done, but I have no gripes about how it went. It is different class to still be involved in the game after so long as you see different people falling out of the game but I am just glad to be involved. I still enjoy it, I love training, love playing and I have certainly enjoyed my career.

Last season saw a couple of your old teammates pick up a couple of winners medals – Joe Ledley for Celtic in the Scottish Cup and Julian Speroni for Crystal Palace in the Play-Off final. You must have been pleased for them?

I was chuffed for both of them. I’ve kept in touch with Joe and I was so delighted for these boys. That is the best thing, they are the good pros who work hard at their game and look for that success, and I was really chuffed for them.

What has been your most memorable match or goal in your career?

Most memorable match, that’s difficult because I have played in an FA Cup final and that was huge, a Scottish Cup final, obviously my first game for Scotland but I actually probably enjoyed the FA Cup semi-final the best. It was probably one of my best games, we won 1-0 at Wembley against Barnsley and we knew that we were going to come back and play in the FA Cup final. That was certainly an enjoyable moment in my career.

What changes would you make in Scottish football?

I would certainly have introduced this Play-Off system that they have spoken about recently because for one team to come out of the First Division and one team to get relegated, that’s not really fair. The lower leagues have had this in place for a while now and that has been really successful, so I am glad that they are talking about changing that now. I think that is a positive.

I’m not sure about the top six split – I think we are the only league that does it in Europe. I suppose it does create a bit of excitement but it is strange that you could have a team in seventh having more points than a team in sixth or fifth after the split, albeit they are playing higher ranked teams. Maybe a bigger league which has already been talked about would open up the league as well, but maybe that has more to do with finances and I don’t know enough about that!

Looking back at your time at Pittodrie, what was your most memorable moment?

That would be my first goal for Aberdeen which was in an away tie against Morton in the League Cup. We won 2-0 after extra time, but it was my first goal for the team that I grew up supporting, As a matter of fact, I should have scored about four or five that game, but getting that goal was huge.

You have signed for Dundee for the third time in your career. What will you bring to Dens Park this time around?

I’m a good pro who can rub off on the youngsters. I love training every day, and maximize what I do. I can still play every week and hopefully I can be a driving force in bringing Dundee back up again.

Not content with going back to Dundee, you have also joined up with David Weir at Sports Careers. What can you tell us about that?

Well, Sport Careers is a business dedicated to people in sport, helping them to achieve the next step in their careers. I am just glad to help out and hopefully I can assist the business through the number of contacts that I have in the game. Any advice I can give to help, I will.

I always wanted to be involved in something maybe in a coaching capacity after I had hung up my boots, that’s why I did my UEFA A and B coaching badges, but when this came along it was a fantastic opportunity to get involved with and if we do go to Australia next, then maybe we can branch out there too.