Fitting farewell to a football legend... and a wonderful man
ATUESDAY night in May 2011 and Walter Smith strides on to the Ibrox pitch for the final time as manager of Rangers.
Rain tumbles from a leaden Glasgow sky. His club blazer and tie unsuited to the weather, Smith is more concerned for his own flesh and blood than he is for himself. He extends a hand to restrain a grandson proving trickier to manage than Paul Gascoigne after a caseload of Red Bull.
A lap of honour gets underway as supporters rise to their feet to show their appreciation. The electronic scoreboard on the Copland Road Stand flashes up a simple, heartfelt message: ‘Thanks for the memories Walter.’
After 20 trophies over two spells, the man of the moment knows there is work to do yet. Five days later, Rangers travel to Rugby Park, Kilmarnock, and retain their Premiership crown.
Where most football managers leave by the back door with a large cheque in their hip pocket, Walter Smith leaves Rangers on his own terms at a time of his choosing. After 21 trophies — ten league titles — his legacy as one of the all-time greats is secure.
Forward to a bright Wednesday afternoon in Ibrox in November 2021 and Rangers supporters are back on their feet to honour one of their own.
This time, the mood is sombre and respectful. At 3.15pm, a four-car funeral cortege rolls into Edmiston Drive and a ripple of applause breaks out, growing progressively louder.
The grandchildren are older now, the excitement of May 2011 supplanted by a deep, grievous sense of loss. Once again, however, the crowds have come from far and wide to give one of the greats a proper send-off.
They stand the length of Ibrox, many crowding on to the central reservation of the carriageway. Some throw scarves at the hearse bearing the coffin. All have come to pay their respects and say one final farewell. This time there will no encore on the pitch.
Hours after Smith’s death at the age of 73, Rangers posted an eight-minute video online. While the great and the good paid their respects on Sky Sports News, a moving and restrained piece of imagery by the club’s social media team said more than words ever could.
The images begin with a young(ish) Smith striding into Ibrox a pace or two in front of Graeme Souness, the manager who lured him from Dundee United as his assistant in 1986. Soon, the new Blues Brothers are arm in arm on the pitch after the first Rangers title in nine years. By 1991, Souness is gone and Smith is side by side with chairman David Murray in the Blue Room after accepting the job of manager. Four weeks later, a soaring header from Mark Hateley settles a final-day title decider against Aberdeen in May 1991. His first trophy as manager, it wouldn’t be his last. A leader of men growing in confidence and stature, Smith lifts one trophy after another into the
Glasgow sky with his right arm. Ally McCoist once joked of how his former boss arrived at Ibrox resembling the crooner Sacha Distel and left looking more like the craggy comedian Steve Martin. With every passing year, every trophy won, the hair grows just a little greyer. The walk down memory lane ends back in May 2011 — 20 years after his first title — with Kyle Lafferty’s early strike at Rugby Park. As manager of Rangers (twice), Everton and Scotland, Smith (below) enjoyed a hell of a ride. Yet that club video was not just his story. For fans of a certain vintage, it felt like the soundtrack