KEVIN THOMSON has admitted he thought his friend and one-time Hibs team-mate Scott Brown was wanted by Ibrox boss Walter Smith.
And the former Sevco midfielder was convinced the Govan gaffer always preferred the player who went on to become such an inspirational onfield leader at Celtic.
Thomson also revealed he came very close to being a Hoops colleague with the 33-year-old ex-international.
He said: “Truth is, when I signed for Rangers, I felt Walter Smith wanted Scotty more than he wanted me. It was always in the back of my mind.
“I just thought Scotty was more Walter’s kind of player. I wasn’t sure I fitted into his style of play.
“Also, you have to realise how close I had come to signing for Gordon Strachan. At one point, we thought it was a done deal after Celtic agreed a £5.5million fee for both of us.
“We had even gone with Willie McKay to Celtic Park to watch them play Manchester United in the Champions League. We met outside the club shop, there were fans everywhere, but none of them recognised us.
“So, that night it felt as if we were taking baby steps towards signing for Celtic. But then everything went quiet again. At that time I had Tony Mowbray on the phone almost every night trying to get me to West Brom.
“Walter was on the phone every night. Gordon was on the phone every night. I used to tell them I wanted to sign for all of them!”
Eventually, Thomson went to Ibrox in a £2million switch while Strachan paid a record fee between two Scottish clubs to of £4.4million to land Brown 11 years ago.
Scott Brown of Sevco Rangers? Don’t bear thinking about!
