THE dressing room at Tannadice was awash with champagne - and relief. Rangers had just clinched their first title since 2005 and the small changing area was a scene of wild celebrations.
Barry Ferguson sat in the corner trying to come to terms with what he had just been involved in because titles were nothing knew to him. He had, after all, winner's medals in the bag from 1999, 2000, 2003 and 2005.
But, while this one had held huge significance for Rangers as they attempted to raise much- needed cash with automatic entry into the Champions League, it was also his sweetest - and most emotional - moment yet.
In the immediate aftermath of the Scotland "Boozegate" chaos, Walter Smith had, just a few weeks before, gone in and informed journalists, off the record, that Ferguson would never play for the club again.
Smith had struggled to contain his rage, fuelled by disbelief his captain had treated him with so little respect, not bothering to seek him out on his return to Murray Park after the drinking and V-sign shambles.
Now that all felt a million miles away. Born and bred a Rangers supporter, he knew more than many in that room just what winning the cham-pionship meant to thousands of fans who were making Tanna- dice rock, and those setting off to meet the team at Ibrox after Celtic's iron grip on the crown had been loosened.
The knock came from SPL officials. It was time to collect the prize. Ferguson hung back. Davie Weir was skipper now and would do the honours.
Then came a moment that the 31-year-old says still has him choking upa moment that will live with him forever.
"It was pretty chaotic. It was the first title for a lot of the boys and we had been under major pressure going out at Tannadice that day," Ferguson recalled.
"The boys were all high as kites, but we got into line to file back out for the trophy presentation. Big Davie was skipper. I just stayed back and was going into line behind the rest of the guys and Davie would go out last.
"But the gaffer tugged my arm and pulled me aside. He said I've spoken to big Davie about this - we both want you to go up and get the trophy with him jointly'.
"I just felt a lump in my throat right away. It was an amazing gesture as I knew I wasn't exactly Mr Popular because of what had happened with the Scotland thing.
"That says everything for me about Walter. One of the worst feelings I've ever had was that I had let him down so badly because he has been such a huge influence on my life.
"But he instigated that at Tannadice and that will live with me forever. I kind of knew that it would be my second last game, with the Scottish Cup Final the following week. The vibes were coming out that the club felt it might be better for me to move on as I had a year to go on my contract and obviously they were looking at getting the wage bill down.
"So to go out like that was amazing. The Scottish Cup Final when we beat Falkirk was good, don't get me wrong, as winning any trophy is fantastic.
"But the title win was incred-ible. The fans were all singing my name, I got to hold up the trophy with big Davie - I looked around the place going mad and thought to myself that, just a few weeks before, when I was in a real dark place, something like this would have been unthinkable.
"The manager just made it special. It just confirmed to me once again what a real manager he is - the best in the business for me, no question."
Much had been made of the way Smith dealt with Ferguson and Allan McGregor for their misdemeanours. But for all he was left stunned at what was being dealt down, Ferguson's immediate feeling was more of regret that he had clearly upset and hurt Smith and the club.
"I totally understand why the gaffer went ballistic," Ferguson said as he prepared for a baptism of fire for Birmingham at Old Trafford this weekend.
"Rangers is everything to Walter, I had shamed Rangers and I had let him down. I got fined two week's wages, which went to charity, and I had to take the ban on the chin. Of course I saw all the headlines the next morning that I would never play again - but that was never said to me at the disciplinary meeting.
"When the two weeks were up I went in to see the gaffer and we had a good chat. He asked me if my head was okay as we were getting down to the nitty gritty in the title race and he wanted to know if I was ready to play if called upon.
"He later said he had maybe over-reacted to what happened when he told the press I was finished, so maybe he calmed down a bit - and I had as well.
"We shook hands right away, we had NO problem at all. I said Listen gaffer, I am ready if you need me. You know what you'll get with me - I want to win this as much as anyone at the club'."
Ferguson was then scheduled to turn out in a reserve game against Hearts at Forthbank. It was the first time he had pulled on a Rangers jersey for four weeks.
Just a minute into the game, disaster struck. He felt a pop in his calf, maybe as a result of not much action in his banished spell. Was injury, rather than any of his own mistakes, about to put an end to his Rangers career for good?
"I sat in the dressing room thinking, things are not getting much better, eh'. It didn't feel too bad, but with a calf tear the length of time you are out depends on the size of the tear.
"It turned out to be two or three centimetres, so that was maybe only going to be two weeks. I heard on the radio the next morning that I had played my last game - that injury had called time on me.
"But I trained as hard as I ever had to get fit. I knew the team might need me, and then the gaffer put me on the bench for the Aberdeen match at home.
"It was mad that day, one of the craziest games ever. Big Kyle Lafferty had his head-butt thing, Madjid Bougherra got sent off, we went 2-0 up then lost a goal.
"The fans were really on edge, and understandably so, as the title was on the line - so when the gaffer put me on I don't think people noticed that much as they were wrapped up in everything else!
"But the fans were great. I had let them down because the captain of Rangers should not have behaved the way I did.
"But they know I am one of the family, even if we have our fall-outs. I got great support when I met any of our fans out and about.
"Then they nearly had me in tears at Tannadice. That, and what the gaffer did. I am glad that's my last memory of Rangers as a player it was the way I would have wanted to go after everything that had happened."
