NIGHT IT ALL ENDED IN TEARS; EXCLUSIVE: Stuart McCall takes us behind the scenes at Ibrox as a Rangers era comes to an end.

A team full of legends locked themselves away in the home dressing room at Ibrox on Saturday night and wept until they ran out of tears.

The stalwarts of the most successful Rangers side in history - men like Richard Gough, Ally McCoist, Stuart McCall, Ian Durrant, Ian Ferguson, Andy Goram and Brian Laudrup - were so overcome with emotion that words failed them all.

So they sat and they cried and they attempted to come to terms with the fact that they would never again call each other team- mates.

This was the end of an era.

A bleary-eyed McCall revealed yesterday: "It was one of the most emotional nights of my life - all the memories came flooding back.

"We knew that win or lose the final, we would all be in an emotional state when we got back to Ibrox.

"When we got to the stadium the gaffer took us into the dressing room and he thanked us all for our efforts. It was then that a couple of the boys shed a few tears.

"Guys like Coisty, Andy, Durranty and myself were crying bucketloads. It was difficult for all of us.

"In fact, I couldn't speak for more than 20 minutes. Every time I went to open my mouth I just burst into tears. I couldn't stop myself.

"It was the same story all around the place. It was heart-wrenching stuff.

"But the gaffer managed to stay in control. He kept the stiff upper lip just the way you would expect.

"The rest of us, all the guys who have been together for some time, then sat together and thanked each other for everything.

"But it was hard going. It was just so sad. Even the kitchen girls were crying.

"We knew it was the end of an era. That was all we were talking about and we knew that, even if we had won the cup, that would still have been the topic of conversation.

"We've all gone through so much together and we have so many great memories. Last night was always going to be a sore one.

"But we have our own motto: We'll never be strangers, we'll always be Glasgow Rangers."

When the last tear had been wiped away the Rangers family began replenishing their bodily fluids. It would be a long hard night.

McCall took a minute to sit back and survey the scenes.

Walter Smith, Archie Knox and their players were in full cry. Some players danced on tables as the others sang and egged them on.

McCall said: "It just summed it all up. We really are just one big family.

"I was speaking to Lorenzo Amoruso and he was talking about the special bond between the players at Ibrox.

"He was saying that we really need to keep some of the Scottish boys to make sure that it remains.

"Jorg Albertz is another foreigner who knows all about that bond and he has become a real Rangers man.

"It's now going to be up to these guys to try and make sure that they keep that family feeling.

"I don't think it'll ever be the same again but I just hope that somehow they manage to keep the spirit alive. That's what makes Rangers so special.

"At the end of the night the last ones standing were the Scottish boys. We were left holding the fort.

"I suppose we didn't want to go home. We've all had the time of our lives at Rangers.

"I feel so lucky just to have been a part of it, it's been an absolute pleasure.

Honoured

"I was speaking to Archie Knox about it. He left Manchester United to come here when I was leaving Everton. Back then we would never have believed what was about to happen to us.

"We could never have known that we would win so many medals and be a part of the greatest decade Rangers have ever had. I've been here for seven years of it and I feel honoured.

"Now it is time for change but no matter what happens no way will our efforts ever be forgotten and that means so much.

"We all have our stories and we all have our memories and, more importantly, we have our trophies and our medals to prove it. The stories and memories wouldn't count for much without them."

McCall's last memory of his Rangers career, though, will be a bitter one unless he is persuaded to see out the remaining year of his contract by new coach Dick Advocaat.

Saturday's Scottish Cup Final defeat at the hands of Hearts meant that the last season of Walter Smith's reign would be the first to end without a trophy.

The look on McCall's face after the final whistle, as he fixed his blurry eyes on the Rangers masses, said it all. Here was a man in pain.

He said: "Yes, we were hurting, but I will never forget those scenes at the end. Our supporters were magnificent and I'd just like to let them know how much the boys appreciated it.

"We ended the season without a trophy but they stayed there to thank us for our efforts. It was unbelievable. That will always live with me.

"Losing the final and the league has soured it for a lot of us but I don't think we could have done anything more against Hearts, it just wasn't meant to be.

"We had 24 shots, they had four, they won a penalty for a foul outside the box, we were given a free kick for a foul INSIDE the box. It just was never going to happen for us.

"We lost the championship because of our inconsistency. We only had ourselves to blame.

"But on Saturday we certainly did not deserve to lose.

"It was a really sad way to end it all and I think it's probably time for me to call it a day now at Rangers.

"Nothing is organised and we'll see what Dick Advocaat says but I think the time is right now. Everyone else is leaving and it feels right that I should move on too."

Taken from the Daily Record