WHILE I would never ask supporters to show sympathy for footballers on the move - by and large they are well looked after by their clubs - I would hope that they can understand what a difficult time the transfer windows are. It is worth remembering that around 50% of players who are transferred or freed would rather that they weren't. Many will be glad when this window closes during the week.

I don't think fans realise how hard it is for footballers when they move around. Footballers are human beings and every time they move you're talking about families being put through upheaval too. Nobody will ever convince me that it is anything other than stressful.

As a footballer you have to have an understanding wife and family. Even if their first reaction is "oh no, not another move" they know it's going to be beneficial for your career so they put up with it. But it is a difficult time. Don't get me wrong, the club will help you out: they put you up in hotels, they pay your removal bills and so on. But I wasn't even in the country for one of our most stressful periods.

When I signed for Rangers we had to move house from Aberdeen to Glasgow and Caron was pregnant. I remember her phoning me one time in tears when I had just joined Rangers. I was away in Florida on the mid-season break, she was pregnant and everything just got on top of her.

Transfers are driven from the player's side or the club's. After training a manager will say "can you come up to my office, I need a word". Your name is circulated and clubs are made aware that you are available, whether you like it or not. Or if a player wants a move he gets his agent to start throwing his name around. A lot of underhand things go on with transfers, whether from the players' side or the managers'.

The two occasions when I wanted to move were both under Paul Sturrock, but that's no reflection on him. Paul is a great guy and a friend of mine. At St Johnstone I asked for a move because they had been relegated. A lot of players would have done it behind the club's back but I was up front with Paul. He knew I wanted to play Premierleague football. I was never actually transfer-listed, but Paul said he wouldn't stand in my way if the right bid came in.

Aberdeen came in for me and I headed north to sign for them even though Celtic made a late approach too. Tommy Burns was in charge at Parkhead and he asked to be kept informed of what was happening. Word gets around on the grapevine. Managers know which players are on the move.

As I was driving up with my agent to sign at Aberdeen I spoke to Tommy but at that time the money wasn't there at Celtic to the same extent. Tommy asked if I would be willing to wait for him to move a couple of players on and I said no. I could have been left in limbo. Funnily enough there was interest from Celtic again a few years later. When Henrik Larsson got injured I heard from my agent that they were interested. It was between me and Ian Wright and they signed Wright.

I loved it at Aberdeen but that's where I experienced how a footballer doesn't control his own fate. I was loving it, I didn't want a move, and then, bang, the bombshell came that the manager wanted rid of me.

When I first heard about it we were going to Inverness for a League Cup tie. I was sitting on the bus four rows behind the manager, Alex Miller, when I took some calls on my mobile. My phone was going berserk with calls from newspaper men tipping me off to say: "Do you know you're name's been circulated?" I could see Alex turning around in his seat. That was the wrong way to find out about it and I was gutted. As soon as we got to the team hotel he pulled me aside and said he wanted a word. A few words were exchanged, but I went out the next day and scored a hat-trick in a 3-0 win so the move was stalled for three or four months.

It happened in the end, but I was distraught that Aberdeen wanted rid of me because I was having the best time of my life there. I continued to stay in the city even after I signed for Dundee United and if I hadn't had that move to Rangers there's a good chance I would still be living in Aberdeen today.

At United - under Paul again - I eventually pushed it a wee bit to get away when I heard that Rangers were interested in me. I said I wanted to move, I had to move, it would be the biggest move of my career.

At Rangers I got my fair share of games under Dick Advocaat and then Alex McLeish. Eventually big Alex called me in to say I was surplus to requirements. He said Leicester City wanted me but that wasn't right for me. I was a bit of a homeboy, I was 33, and although there was more money on offer it wasn't enough. I had done well out of the game and I was in a position to say no, I didn't need the upheaval of another major move. As a footballer, I know that makes me one of the lucky ones.