Heartbreaking moment when Smith heard pal Coop was gone
Gordon Smith, though, believes there ought to be a spot on the left wing for Davie Cooper in anybody’s team. Tomorrow marks the 25th anniversary of the Rangers and Scotland legend’s death and Smith can scarcely believe that a quarter- of- a- century has now passed.
The pair both moved to Ibrox in the summer of 1977 and became firm friends from that day on until Cooper’s untimely passing aged just 39 in 1995.
Smith reveals he had been due to meet the former wing ace for lunch the next day – and was stunned when a phone call told him the tragic news.
The former Scottish FA chief-executive said: “I’ll never forget the moment I heard. Someone from STV phoned me up to ask for my thoughts on Coop.
“I thought they were maybe producing a documentary looking back on his career or something like that.
“I hadn’t heard the news, so they were the ones to break it to me. And I just remember being in total shock and thinking this couldn’t be true. That was a real heart-breaking moment for me.
“Coop and I had stayed good friends long after we had both stopped playing. We were actually meant to be having lunch the next day. It was so tragic what happened. He was the best player I played with at any point in my career.” Smith explained what it was about Cooper that made him such a special talent. He added: “He was just so comfortable on the ball. He was a great striker and a brilliant passer.
“I never had to shout for the pass as he always saw you going. And then he would slot the ball through with perfect timing. He made it look almost effortless.
“He was a special talent with a great technique. People say he was one- footed but that was enough. It didn’t matter about his right foot as his left foot was so good.
“If you’re picking an all-time Scottish team then you’d have to have Coop in there. You couldn’t leave out someone with that talent. Any manager would have loved to have been able to call upon Davie and what he could bring.
“I just wish there was more footage available of Coop that we could all look back on.” Smith and Cooper’s first season at Ibrox together was a special one. Jock Wallace’s side won the Treble and the two new signings made a huge impact along the way. Smith recalled: “The two of us and Bobby Russell were the new faces in the dressingroom that summer. Most of the other guys had been there for a while so the three of us had a closeness as we had all arrived at Rangers around the same time.
“We all got in the team around the same time under Jock. And it ended up being a really successful season. Those were really special moments.
“In the first cup final we played in together I made the first goal for Coop and then got the winner as we beat Celtic 2-1 at Hampden. So that was a brilliant day for both of us. It meant a lot that we had both contributed to such a big occasion in our first season. “To go on from there to win the Treble was just incredible. We couldn’t have asked for a better start on the pitch.”
sport@sundaypost.com
THE LEGEND WRITES FOR YOU
sport@sundaypost.com
Celtic captain Scott Brown will turn 35 this summer but, according to manager Neil Lennon, the midfielder will still be leading the Hoops out next season and, quite possibly, for a while after that.
Lennon insists that it would have damaged the champions if he had left for Australia in January of last year, when he decided to reject a move to Western Melbourne, and he’s in no rush to lose the veteran’s influence.
The Irishman uses Brown, who last night posted a bestwishes video clip to supporters urging them to stay safe, as a sounding board to gauge the mood of his squad.
“He’s looking well and, as you’ll have seen, he’s had a great season so far so he’ll be around next year, that’s for sure,” Lennon insisted.
“I think he would be a huge loss to us as a club if he stopped playing now. The way he’s played this season and the way he leads the lads on and off the park, he’s been exemplary. Plus this extra wee break might just do him the world of good.
“I speak to Scott all the time about things. He’s my go-to guy in the squad about a range of subjects. I couldn’t ask for a better captain than him, to be honest.
“He tells you how the dressing room is feeling about a certain situation or whatever and you go from there. All the players in the squad respect him and he’s a huge figure at the club.” Brown was already the skipper when Lennon first took hold of the reins at Parkhead a decade ago but his influence has grown since then.
“He has a bigger role this time around than in my first spell as manager,” he revealed. “He’s a few years older, obviously, and he’s won so much in the game.
“Scott’s led the squad to so much success and has also matured into a great lad and great player so it’s only right that I speak to him about things.
“He sets the template at this club for all of the players. In training, he still has that great desire to work hard and all the boys take their lead from him as their captain.
“You can’t give him that, or coach it into someone – that’s something which was already built into him. He not only wants to keep pushing himself but also the team on to bigger and better things.
“During this spell of not playing – but also whenever we have games coming up – if Scott suspects even the slightest bit of complacency then he nips it in the bud straight away. Players listen to him and he’s a great role model to everyone in the team.”
Brendan Rodgers was still in charge when Brown chose not to go down under 14 months ago and he claimed that Brown, if he had emigrated, should have a place on the coaching staff at Lennoxtown when he returned.
Lennon is equally keen that Brown’s experience shouldn’t be lost to the club.
“I wasn’t here at the time but when I heard the talk about him possibly going to Australia, I thought it would have been a disaster for Celtic,” he said. “As far as I’m concerned, when he stops playing, there will be a coaching role for Scott here at the club – I would offer him something straight away.
“For me, it’s the obvious path for him in the future. He’s doing his badges at the minute and I would definitely want him around the place once he hangs up his boots.”
Former Motherwell chairman and ’ Well Society board member Brianmccafferty has voiced his confidence the club will survive the financial trauma of the coronavirus shutdown.
The fans-led ’Well Society this week both appealed to existing members to continue their contributions and encouraged other fans to consider lending financial support.
And with clubs receiving a boost in the form of the bailout package announced by the UK Government to cover 80% of wages over the period, Mccafferty believes the Steelmen will be able to ride out the storm.
“These are obviously very tough times for everyone,” said the man who was pivotal to Motherwell’s community ownership model. “When you don’t have someone with squillions of pounds bankrolling you, you have to be realistic.
“So what we have is a set-up where many of the people who support the club by going to the games, also give financial backing. “Motherwell are very much a community club. They do not just get local people involved on match days but every day.
“A lot of work has been put in on that front and I think at tough times like these you see the benefit of that approach.
“There have been points in that past when these events would have been catastrophic (Motherwell had to sack 10 players after the club went into administration) but I don’t believe that’s the case just now.”
Clubs are waiting to see exactly how the offer from chancellor Rishi Sunak to cover 80% of wages will affect them.
The proposed scheme is to cover monthly salaries up to a level of £2,500 and will be rolled out within weeks, backdated to the beginning of March.
That is potentially great news, not just for clubs in terms of managing their budget, but also the players who are likely to be at the sharp end of the cuts.
Hibs’ chief-executive Leeann Dempster said of the Government’s move: “It’s welcome for everyone – football included. Even with decent reserves in the bank, no money coming in only does one thing and that’s never good.
“I feel for everyone at the moment. We, all of us, needed some good news and this is certainly good news.”
She countered though, saying: “We are all just assuming rates relief is there as well as some of the other measures.
“But until we get that in totality from Edinburgh, I can’t bank on it. I’ve made this known in the strongest terms and the Scottish Professional Football League is now taking action.”
Players’ union boss Fraser Wishart has stated his members are prepared to do their bit to help, where possible, but urged clubs against making ultimatums.
His message followed the move by Hearts to cut salaries across the board by 50%.