A wave, a smile and moments later one of our greats was gone

It will forever be a JFK moment that special talent. It may sound in Scottish football. a bit unbelievable coming from

That morning at Broadwood me but I should have been much Stadium when Davie Cooper tougher on him. collapsed on the trackside and a “I allowed him to get his own legend was lost. way. We had been team-mates

As a Clyde player at the time, for so long both at Rangers walking into the stadium for and with Scotland but when I training and saying ‘hello’ to the worked with him at Ibrox it was guy using the phone in reception my fault that I allowed him to do was a thrill. what he wanted.

He raised a hand, smiled and “He wanted to leave as he the fragile nature of life was believed he wasn’t going to play about to be laid bare as only every week and he got his way. minutes later he was gone. “I regret the fact I didn’t say no

That it’s now 25 years since to him at that time.”

Super Cooper passed away is In the days after Cooper’s difficult to comprehend but the death, Clyde’s club chaplain memory is forever ingrained. at the time gathered all of the

Every anniversary players in the centre of his death brings circle at Broadwood the old stories to fo for a few minutes of the fore and for a r reflection. host of boys who He spoke to us were there that day, about the tragedy, aaa there’s a personal about coming to and enhanced te terms with what had sense of sadness as happened and a life hhc we all have our own cut c short at the age stories to tell. of 39. It was a oof

The panic, being freezing fr morning told by coaches who a and another tried to disguise memory that will live mmf their shock at what forever fo for all of us was unfolding, who listened to his www that training was words of comfort cancelled and we a and about faith. had to head home is My old Clyde a recollection that c coach Bill Munro also had childhood was also a close wwf hero Charlie Nicholas friend, fr a man who front and centre. managed dC Coops at Clydebank,

Charlie had just witnessed and he tells many a good story a good friend pass away just about a personality that bucked yards from him, a traumatising the trend of the stereotypical moment for all who were there. footballer.

We’ve spoken about it since, Anyone who knows Bill the shock, overwhelming will testify to his dry sense of sorrow followed by a state of humour and that he’s not the surreal. someone who hands out praise

Having to write about that on a whim. You had to work hard morning, on one occasion I to gain any plaudits. phoned Graeme Souness to ask But Bill appreciated the person him about his recollections of just as much as an ability to play a man he famously showed the the game and he had this to say door to at Ibrox. about the former Rangers and

It’s worth recalling what he Scotland star. had to say about the He said: “Davie gave so much circumstances surrounding the pleasure to so many and was far exit of a talent who, it’s incredible and away the greatest talent I to think, only amassed 22 caps have ever worked with. for Scotland. “Davie Cooper wasn’t just

Souness said: “There was one of Scotland’s greatest never an element of taking him players – he was one of the for granted or not appreciating game’s nicest men.”