GRAEME SOUNESS has always been recognised as something of an enigma, a
man of varying emotions who has as many detractors as admirers.
The son of an Edinburgh glazier who lived in a prefabricated council
house, he enjoyed all the trappings of a footballer's dream come true.
He became a millionaire following success with Middlesborough FC, the
very successful Liverpool side of the late 70s and early 80s, Italian
footballing giants Sampdoria, and Rangers.
His footballing skills earned him 56 Scottish caps and the honour of
captaining Scotland in the 1986 World Cup finals.
Former Rangers chairman David Holmes plucked him from Sampdoria in
April, 1986 to manage Rangers through its difficult rebirth.
However, although Mr Souness exerted iron discipline on his staff he
had an uncanny knack of upsetting people in authority -- a point borne
out by his constant battles with the SFA.
He was sent off after only 36 minutes of his first game for Rangers,
against Hibernian.
During five years as Rangers' manager, and with the backing of new
chairman David Murray, he revolutionised the club and was involved in 76
transfer deals worth #21,750,000.
His Ibrox reign saw the arrival of several big name English and
foreign players, including Terry Butcher, Chris Woods, and Trevor
Steven, but perhaps his greatest feat was in breaking the club's
Catholic taboo by signing ex-Celtic player Maurice Johnston.
The club won three successive premier division titles during his
reign. A fourth was won a month after he left for Liverpool in April
1991 -- in a move that shocked the Ibrox hierarchy.
Chairman David Murray, who had made Mr Souness a director before his
departure, said he was making the biggest mistake of his life by
leaving.
His regular excursions into the transfer market continued after he
joined Liverpool, where he spent more than #30m before he resigned
earlier this year.
Mr Souness's life off the pitch was as tempestuous as on it. He became
known for his lavish tastes and was well known for his style, his
clothes, and his girlfriends.
His dates included former Miss World Mary Stavins but he married
millionaire's daughter Danielle, who had a daughter Chantelle from a
previous marriage.
In 1990, the couple separated. Mrs Souness walked out of their
#500,000 mansion in Edinburgh, saying all her husband's time was devoted
to Rangers.
Mr Souness is understood to have taken the separation badly and
eventually claimed it was one of his reasons for quitting the Glasgow
club. He said he wanted to be nearer Chantelle and the couple's two sons
Fraser and Jordan, who were by that time living in England.
He desperately wanted to reach the heights achieved by Liverpool's
great managers, including Bill Shankly and Bob Paisley, when he took
over from fellow Scot Kenny Dalglish at Anfield in 1991.
But his drive for success cost him his family, affected his health,
and ultimately the job at Liverpool that he always wanted.
However, sympathy over his broken marriage and heart bypass turned to
anger in April 1992 when, on the third anniversary of the Hillsborough
tragedy, he appeared with his then girlfriend Karen Levy on the front
page of an English tabloid, having sold his story of his health
problems.
The newspaper had earlier blamed drunken Liverpool fans for the 96
deaths.
Mr Souness rode out the controversy and led Liverpool to an FA cup
triumph over Sunderland at Wembley. However, a series of disastrous
results and the failure of big-money signings resulted in him coming
under increasing pressure from the supporters.
Two successive seasons without a trophy, and defeat in last season's
FA Cup by first division Bristol City was deemed unacceptable and he
resigned in January this year.
Mr Souness married Ms Levy and the couple live in Cheshire.
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