‘You talk about bridging the divide ... that picture speaks a thousand words’

Former Celtic captain Brown insists Smith carrying Burns’ coffin shows just what kind of man he was

THE image of Walter Smith carrying the coffin of Tommy Burns is one that transcended a bitter Glasgow rivalry with Scott Brown, the former Celtic captain, believing it to be one of the most important acknowledgements that some things are bigger than football.

Burns and Smith joined forces with the Scottish national team when Burns remained assistant following Berti Vogts’ departure, with both men forging a deep friendship despite their different football backgrounds.

Smith and Ally McCoist were pallbearers at the funeral of Burns in 2008 with the photographs of that day etched into the landscape of Scottish football.

“I remember after Tommy passed away, Walter and Ally helped carry the coffin,” said Brown. “So I’ve got great respect for the man. He was the one who tried to be bigger than that divide. He was a man who was honest and who loved football.

“I think it is the most powerful message that has ever been sent out. For someone like Tommy who had a huge funeral and you knew how much he loved Celtic and how much Walter loved Rangers. But as soon as they went away from that, they spent a lot of time with one another and so did their families. They had a fantastic bond and they tried to bridge that divide. He was that kind of person who wanted better for everyone. You understand that there is a hatred for 90 minutes, it is part and parcel, but you can’t hold a grudge after that.

“You talk about bridging the divide but that picture speaks a thousand words.”

Had things been different, Brown, who spent 14 years at Celtic prior to his departure for Aberdeen this summer, would have had a greater working relationship with Smith. Rangers were keen on both Kevin Thomson and Brown after the duo had emerged through the ranks at Hibs with their pathways ultimately going in different Glasgow directions.

It was Smith, though, in his role as Scotland manager who gave Brown the first of his 55 caps in 2005 in a game against the USA, with Brown admitting that he feared his decision to head to Celtic Park instead of Ibrox might have had an influence on his relationship with Smith.

“Everyone knows I had the chance to go to Rangers. I chose

Celtic,” he said. “At the time, I thought maybe Walter and Ally McCoist would hold a grudge. They never once did. I met Walter a couple of months later out on the street and he was fantastic. He couldn’t have been any more pleased for myself. At that same time, I had him at Scotland and it was Walter, Tommy and Ally. It was a great place to be. They made it very welcoming for everybody.

“I was quite young at the time [when I got my first cap]. We were playing America at home. After I warmed up I came back in and Walter said ‘good news for you, you’re going on up front’. He told me, ‘go cause carnage!’

“I was like, ‘I can do that gaffer, no problem!’. I think it was James McFadden who dropped in and gave me a ball in behind and I scored into Kasey Keller. To be fair it was touch tight whether I was offside or not. VAR would have said I was on these days but back then the linesman called me off.

“I walked back in and Walter said; ‘told you wee man you’d score. Just too early, but we’ll work on it!’

“Everyone has got huge respect for him. Every single player that has worked under him says that.

“I know Kevin Thompson really well and he says he was a fantastic person and a great manager – probably the best he had. It shows the respect everyone had for him and the mark he leaves on people as well.

“You can see all the messages coming in from all over the world, even ex-professionals who played against him and his Rangers side, managers who came up against him at Ibrox or with Manchester United and Everton too.

“He had the aura that you knew he was in the room. That wasn’t just in football, that was in general. I have been at a lot of charity events and when Walter walked in you knew he was in because there was such a buzz about the place.”

There will be a minute’s silence for Smith before tonight’s game against Aberdeen. In what promises to be a charged atmosphere, Pittodrie manager Stephen Glass is eager to pay his own respects but wants his players to then focus on the game as they seek to build on the weekend win over Hibs.

“It is a chance for both clubs to pay their respects to an absolute giant of the game in Scotland,” said Glass. “It is always a sad occasion and when there is a silence as well it is a bit more poignant. It is fully deserved for everything the man has done. Tomorrow night there is going to be an emotional atmosphere for everybody connected to Rangers – that’s a definite. I’m sure they will want to do justice to the memory of someone who has been magnificent for their club.

“Clearly it will be deathly silent and then a huge amount of noise. It is important we try to quieten it down again as much we can. It’s a game of football after that and that’s what we can focus on and control.”