TRAGIC END
Shattered McLeish leads tributes to a ‘tremendous lad, a massive character’ and a hero of Gothenburg STEPHEN McGOWAN
SCOTLAND manager Alex McLeish last night led the tributes to former team-mate Neale Cooper following the death of the Aberdeen legend at the age of 54.
Cooper, a mainstay of the Dons team which lifted the European Cup Winners’ Cup in 1983, was admitted to Aberdeen Royal Infirmary in the early hours of Sunday morning after a fall in the city’s Bucksburn area.
The ex-Aberdeen, Aston Villa and Rangers midfielder had recovered from a heart attack last year.
And news of his premature death reached fellow Gothenburg hero McLeish as he sat down to speak to the media ahead of Scotland’s friendly against Peru in Lima tomorrow morning.
The latest reminder of the mortality of Aberdeen’s greatest team after legendary boss Sir Alex Ferguson’s recent brain haemorrhage, McLeish said: ‘It’s horrible, tragic. Neale had a heart attack last year and I didn’t know many details this time other than he had a fall.
‘I have kept in touch with (former team-mates) John Hewitt and Neil Simpson and the guys up there in Aberdeen and I’ll be in touch with Neale’s family. It’s horrific to hear this bad news.
‘Neale was a massive character, a tremendous lad and always was throughout his career. He was such an affable guy. I was praying he’d pull through. He was a battler.’
Compared to a young Franz Beckenbauer after breaking into the Aberdeen first team as a teenager,
Cooper won two Scottish League winners’ medals in 1984 and 1985, four Scottish Cups and a League Cup. The crowning glory of Cooper’s career, however, was the famous Cup Winners’ Cup triumph in Gothenburg in 1983 as Aberdeen became the last team to beat Real Madrid in a major European final. After leaving Aberdeen in 1986, he went on to have stints at Aston Villa, Rangers, Reading, Dunfermline and Ross County. He also managed the Dingwall club and had spells in charge of Hartlepool, Gillingham and Peterhead. A shocked McLeish last saw his old friend at the 35th anniversary reunion of the Gothenburg greats earlier this month. ‘He was in such good spirits,’ McLeish said. ‘I spoke to him about his heart attack and he said he was recovering well. He was such an important player for Aberdeen, in particular — and he had a great career. ‘When I went to Aberdeen, he was supposed to be the new Franz Beckenbauer. I saw him when he was 14. I arrived on the training ground and he stuck out a mile. ‘I remember thinking: “Who’s that guy — he’s absolutely brilliant”. Then, because of the partnership Willie (Miller) and I formed, he moved into midfield and he became a very good footballer with a very aggressive style of play — but he could do everything. ‘I’ll never forget seeing that curly mop of white curls walking into the training ground. I thought we had a top, top player in our midst and I wasn’t wrong. I was 17, he was only 14, but he wasn’t overawed.’ The news of Cooper’s death saw tributes flow in from across the football world. Rangers released an official statement which read: ‘The thoughts of everyone at Rangers FC are tonight with the family and friends of Neale Cooper.’ Pittodrie legend Joe Harper added: ‘I’m absolutely devastated. He was a pal, he was a son, he was everything to me. ‘He was only a kid when I first knew him, but he became one of my best friends. ‘I just can’t believe this has happened. ‘He was such a happy-go-lucky bloke. He was so well-liked. I’m devastated.’ A statement on the Aberdeen website read: ‘The club is shocked and saddened to hear Neale Cooper has tragically passed away. ‘Neale came through the ranks at Pittodrie during Sir Alex Ferguson’s reign. The thoughts of everybody at Aberdeen are with his family and friends at this very sad time.’