Rangers signed Graeme Dorrans and when he joined his boyhood club it was expected to be a dream come true, instead, it turned into a nightmare.
In 2017, Rangers saw Pedro Caixinha sign a collection of misfits from around the globe but, in a move he couldn’t turn down, Graeme Dorrans joined Ryan Jack and there was renewed hope that we had a midfield that could match Celtic’s.
With Bruno Alves behind them and a certain Alfredo Morelos upfront, we had the makings of a half-decent team.
But we all know how things turned out.
In Dorrans’s case, the 35-year old is still playing and has just signed for Johnstone Burgh in Scotland’s sixth tier but his career could have panned out differently but for one cruel moment.
Why Rangers move never worked out for Graeme Dorrans
Spells in Australia and with Dundee and Dunfermline could have been spent at Rangers had Alan Power not injured the Scotland international with a crude tackle from behind.
You won’t be surprised to learn that the referee on the day didn’t award a free-kick or brandish any punishment for the former Kilmarnock midfielder either.
The tackle saw Dorrans suffer setback, after set back trying to return to fitness and his ankle ligaments were never the same again.
At the time of his injury, Dorrans had five goals and four assists in 20 games, providing the sort of numbers that Rangers hoped that he would.
Steven Gerrard was effusive in his praise of the midfielder, saying of the then 31-year old after a cameo appearance against Villarreal in the Europa League:
“When he is at full fitness he’ll be one of our most experienced, one of our most talented and one of our better players.”
Sadly, he hardly kicked a ball again for the club and we’ve struggled to find someone who could do a similar job since, with only Todd Cantwell’s recent signing looking like we finally have the answer.
From El Madrigal to the James Y. Keanie Park, and a case of what might have been.
