WON FOR WALTER
Alexander can’t believe nine years have passed since Jelavic captured League Cup for Smith in his last final
The end of that season was something Walter Smith deserved for the kind of manager he was
SPEED of thought helped to win it. A quickness amid tiring limbs that caught out the Celtic defence and made the difference.
For Rangers, the pivotal point of their last trophy success at Hampden lasted a matter of seconds. No one then could have forecast that today would see the long wait for a repeat stretch to nine years — and counting.
Vladimir Weiss had the advantage of freshness back in 2011. Replacing Kyle Lafferty for extra-time, in what proved an inspired substitution by Walter Smith in his last Final, the Slovakian winger won and took a free-kick while most of those around him were still catching their breath.
It was perfectly weighted for Nikica Jelavic. In behind Charlie Mulgrew, Jelavic held off a despairing challenge and slid a right-foot shot beyond Fraser Forster. The ball bounced off the inside of one post and travelled in a teasing arc before nestling in the net via the other upright.
Neil Alexander celebrated at the opposite end of the pitch, the Rangers goalkeeper quickly recovering his composure in the knowledge 22 minutes still had to be played in a compelling, nerve-straining contest.
It was only when referee Craig Thomson finally brought it to an end that Alexander could appreciate the full spectrum of emotion associated with success in an Old Firm final.
‘It was amazing, one of the best feelings ever,’ he recalled to ‘I remember when the full-time whistle went, I dropped to my knees with my hands in the air. It was just absolute delight. Elation. Relief. Joy.
‘To win a cup final against your biggest rivals at Hampden brought so many emotions and they were all going through me then.
‘It is the feeling I remember the most, rather than the way the game went. It was even for so long. A really tough and tense match.
‘To win it is something I will never forget. That final whistle is one of my favourite memories from six years at Rangers.’
It is made all the fonder by knowing what it meant to Smith. He had announced he would be stepping down as manager at the end of the season, delivering deeper motivation within a dressing room determined to provide the perfect send-off for one of the most significant figures in the club’s history.
The League Cup delivered a vital shift in momentum. It was the sixth of seven derbies that season, coming just two weeks after the infamous Scottish Cup ‘shame game’ replay at Celtic
Park which led to a Holyrood summit.
Rangers had three men sent off that evening in a 1-0 defeat that meant Neil Lennon’s men had won three of the four Old Firm collisions since the turn of the year. Celtic looked the team in the ascendancy.
It threatened to stay that way when Joe Ledley cancelled out an opener from Steven Davis inside the national stadium, but Smith summoned the right change at the right time.
His team would go on to win nine of their last ten league matches to claim a third successive title by a single point.
Alexander didn’t play in the run-in. He had replaced Allan McGregor as first-choice goalkeeper for periods earlier in his Rangers career but was now largely called upon for cups.
‘The end of that season was something Walter Smith thoroughly deserved for the kind of manager he was, the best I have ever worked under,’ enthused Alexander, now goalkeeping coach at Dundee United.
‘He gave me the opportunity to play in that final. Although I had played every round, with the final being against Celtic he could easily have dropped me for Allan and gone with his strongest XI.
‘For him to keep faith with me... it’s one of many things that I have to thank him for. He gave me my three Scotland caps and the chance to sign for Rangers.
‘I can’t speak highly enough of the gaffer. He is an amazing man and I’m just delighted we managed to win that game for him and go on to win the league.
‘It was an intense period, with a real depth to the rivalry with Celtic. It was nip and tuck in the league and a lot of competition in the cups. The games had brought a lot of sendings off and some controversy, all of which fuelled the fire for this final.
‘I was just delighted to get through the game. As a goalkeeper you don’t want to make a costly mistake that is remembered.
‘The state of the pitch didn’t help. I remember running out for the warm-up and thinking it was terrible. It wasn’t a surface for nice football, but then Rangers v Celtic isn’t about that anyway.
‘It’s about winning. By whatever means necessary. And we managed to do it.’
That was ultimately thanks to Croatian striker Jelavic, in whom Smith had invested £4million to bring from Rapid Vienna at the start of the season.
‘Jelavic was excellent,’ said Alexander. ‘He suffered a bit with his knees. I’d have loved to have seen him without injury issues.
‘But he was a great striker and person. Training against him, you had to be on top of your game because he was so deadly. It made you improve yourself.’
Jelavic was sold to Everton for £5.5m in February 2012 as Craig Whyte prepared to put Rangers into administration.
The subsequent financial meltdown and descent to the third division left the club in an unrecognisable position.
Alexander stayed for the first season of the upward climb before joining Crystal Palace in the summer of 2013.
He has since watched on as Rangers have twice reached major finals, losing to Hibs in the 2016 Scottish Cup and to Celtic in this season’s League Cup.
‘You would never have thought back in 2011 that it would be so long to win a trophy at Hampden with the history of the club,’ said Alexander. ‘Circumstances have played a huge part and I just hope they can amend it soon.
‘It doesn’t look like they will be winning anything this season, unfortunately, but I think Rangers are on the right path with Steven Gerrard and he is definitely the right man for the job. They just need that little bit more consistency but you can see a lot of improvement.’