Terry Butcher, the former Rangers and England captain, will return to Ibrox next month for a fan event, four decades after he first walked through the club's doors and years after the death of his son plunged him into despair.
Butcher will host "An Evening with Terry Butcher" at Edmiston House on Friday, September 4, with no subject off limits. Tickets are available from www.edmistonhouse.co.uk.
Son's death and losing his purpose
Butcher's son, Christopher, was a captain with the Royal Artillery who served in Iraq and Afghanistan. He died in October 2017 after suffering from PTSD, while back in his parents' home.
"When you lose your son like that in the manner that it happened, it hits you right between the eyes," Butcher said. "Everything that's gone before, including Rangers and Ipswich and England, it doesn't matter at all. I didn't have any purpose in life. I was just plodding along. Football had gone obviously. I didn't know what I was going to do."
The tragedy was told in the documentary "Butcher: Invisible Wounds", which gave an account of his life in football alongside his family's struggle since his son's death.
Combat2Coffee and Medals2Matches
The documentary also showed how Butcher regained a sense of purpose by becoming patron of Combat2Coffee, a social enterprise that supports veterans and those who have lost loved ones by meeting up and talking over a cup of tea.
"There was no one there for us so that was a big space to fill," Butcher said. "Combat2Coffee helped me enormously. It's helped us to talk about him. We did it because we wanted it to do well. It was a really powerful film, but it had a great message. We tried to finish on hope as there's hope for the future now."
Butcher has also fronted Medals2Matches, an initiative founded by Combat2Coffee founder Nigel Seaman and originally rolled out at Ipswich Town, in which military personnel attend football matches wearing their medals. Last November, Rangers became the first Scottish club to host such an event, aimed at building social connection and mental health support for veterans and serving personnel.
"Having come into the veteran community, you get Remembrance Sunday and the veterans don't want to come out with their medals," Butcher said. "They feel very humble that they've got them. When we do Medals2Matches, the club was brilliant. They were encouraging them to wear their medals at the game and be proud of it. Yes, I am proud of my medals and I love to just have a quick look at them. They are there as a reminder, they are there for my family. I don't really want to wear my medals when it comes to football games as you'd stand out. Mind you, I'm six foot four, so I'd stand out anyway."
From Ipswich to three World Cups
Butcher nearly gave up the game while coming through at Ipswich Town and had to be talked out of quitting for a course at Trent Polytechnic. Sir Bobby Robson once said he had to coach Butcher into being angry during his early years at Portman Road, and Butcher won the 1981 UEFA Cup with the Suffolk club.
He went on to play in three World Cups for England, winning 77 caps, including matches against Diego Maradona's Argentina in Mexico in 1986 and the penalty shootout defeat by West Germany in Turin in 1990, when Stuart Pearce and Chris Waddle missed from the spot.
An image of Butcher playing on with a blood-soaked shirt after his forehead was burst open in a match against Sweden became one of English football's iconic photographs.
Nine-in-a-row foundations at Rangers
Graeme Souness signed Butcher for Rangers in 1986 and immediately made him captain. "Graeme did say 'we've signed the England captain' but I hadn't been captain up to that point," Butcher said. "I sort of let that one go. But it felt like a natural progression for me because I'd been captain of the team that I'd supported as a boy."
Rangers lost their opening league game of that season at Easter Road, where Souness was sent off, and lost again the following weekend at home to Dundee United. By May, though, Butcher's header against Aberdeen secured the point that clinched the club's first title since 1978, laying the foundations for Rangers' own nine-in-a-row.
Butcher went on to manage Motherwell, taking charge as administrators arrived and steering the Steelmen to survival before their part in Helicopter Sunday. He also had spells in Sydney, at Brentford and as George Burley's assistant with Scotland during the period dubbed "Boozegate". At Inverness Caledonian Thistle he led the club back to the top flight, before a move to Hibernian ended in his sacking after relegation in 2014.
Hope for next season
Butcher believes this season's Rangers side can follow the pattern of his 1986-87 title-winning team despite a slow start. "We didn't have a good start, but you think the more the lads play together the better it will be," he said. "With Derek (McInnes) coming in, hopefully it's like a breath of fresh air through the club. It's not about how you start, it's how you finish."
On defender Manny Fernandez, Butcher drew a comparison with Mark Hateley's difficult early months at Ibrox. "There's no similarity with me because I wasn't quick, so don't worry about that," he said. "It will be a big test of character for Manny, because he'll now understand a little bit more of what's expected. I'm sure he will get better."
Despite his record at Motherwell and Inverness on limited budgets, Butcher has never been considered a managerial candidate at Rangers. "I never thought that at all," he said. "I enjoyed my time at Rangers, but I love being the underdog. Every time we won at Ibrox with either Motherwell or Inverness, I went in and apologised to Walter (Smith). But I had to do my job."
