Rangers cult hero moved to Premier League and 'smoked 80 fags a day but was 'f***ing brilliant'

“If I hadn't seen such riches, I could live with being poor.”

The famous lyric from James’ song Sit Down is one that probably applies to many Rangers fans as they struggle to come to terms with their side being second best to Celtic for so long. It’s in complete contrast to a period when they were the dominant domestic force in Scotland during the late 1980s and throughout the 1990s.

And around the start of the 21st century the Light Blues went on their biggest spending spree under Dick Advocaat as host of star names arrived. It was a sign of the quality around that time that one man couldn't get a regular start - Tugay Kerimoglu, known simply as Tugay.

He arrived mid-season in the 1999/2000 campaign with Rangers on their way to a second consecutive title under Advocaat. And while it was during the lavish spending days, his signing was for the modest fee of around just £1million.

But with the likes of Giovanni van Bronckhorst, the emerging Barry Ferguson and Jorg Albertz for competition it was difficult for him to nail down a first team spot.

In fact, arguably his best game in a light blue shirt came when he was deployed as a sweeper in a famous 1-0 win away to Monaco in the Champions League.

He won a league and Scottish Cup double during his time but it was shortlived and in other era he would likely have featured much more. But it was south of the border where he was given the chance to show his true class.

Legendary Rangers boss Graeme Souness who had tipped his old club off about the elegant midfielder, having worked with him at Galatasaray, and he then paid £1.3m to take the Turkish international to Blackburn Rovers, where he spent eight years and helped the Lancashire side to a League Cup victory at the end of