| A product of the Ibrox youth policy, Robert Fleck was a prolific
marksman in the reserve team and his performances at that level were
eventually rewarded when Jock Wallace gave him his debut for the first
team in a league match against Hearts in April 1984 that ended in a
goalless draw.
Sporadic appearances followed thereafter, but he
became more of a regular fixture in the top team in the 1985/86 season,
scoring his first goal for the top team against St Mirren in a 3-0 win
at Ibrox in September and also netting one of Rangers' goals in an epic
4-4 draw against Celtic at Ibrox in March 1986.
The arrival of
Graeme Souness seemed set to signal the end of Robert's Rangers career,
though. The signing of Colin West from Watford and the dynamic form of
Ally McCoist suggested that Fleck was surplus to requirements at Ibrox,
and he looked set to be heading for Tayside when Rangers accepted an
offer of £25,000 from Dundee in the early months of the 1986/87 season.
However, when West sustained a knee injury in a League Cup-tie against
East Fife, Fleck was given the chance to impress and he grasped the
opportunity with both hands. He netted six goals in his first two
matches, grabbing hat-tricks against Clydebank in the Premier Division
and Ilves Tampere of Finland, who were beaten 4-0 at Ibrox in the
opening round of the UEFA Cup.
The diminutive Fleck soon formed a
lethal attacking spearhead with the in-form McCoist, with the duo's
movement and goal-scoring prowess wreaking havoc as they regularly
pierced defences all over the country. By the end of the season the pair
had scored fifty-three league goals - nineteen from Fleck and
thirty-four from McCoist - to help Rangers win the Premier Division
Championship for the first time since 1978.
Robert's haul
included four hat-tricks, and it seemed that the unfortunate injury to
West had inadvertently created a forward line that had the potential to
carry Rangers to further glory for years to come. However, the arrival
of Mark Falco in the summer of 1987 saw Fleck used more sparingly in the
early matches of the 1987/88 season - he started just three of the
opening ten league matches - and that, coupled with a growing
dissatisfaction of living in the Glasgow goldfish bowl, prompted Robert
to ask for a transfer in November 1987. This was reluctantly granted -
although Souness did try his best to retain the striker by offering him a
new contract on improved terms - and Fleck moved to Norwich City for
£580,000.
In just over four seasons at Ibrox, Fleck made 104
appearances and scored thirty-four goals for Rangers. He enjoyed a fine
career after he left Glasgow, establishing himself as a real hero during
his two spells at Carrow Road - they were bisected by a rather
unsuccessful three years with Chelsea - and he won four caps for
Scotland before his career was ended by injury in 1999. (Alistair Aird, Author of Ally McCoist - Portrait of a Hero)
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