The Courier & Advertiser (Perth and Perthshire Edition)
Age proves no barrier to exUnited boss
Former Dundee United manager Alex Smith will set a new record as Scottish football’s oldest-ever modern-day manager this weekend – but insists to call him ‘old-school’ would be an insult.
The veteran is just three months short of his 78th birthday, but has been placed in charge of Falkirk in the wake the departure of another exTannadice boss, Peter Houston.
He outstrips the likes of Sir Alex Ferguson, Craig Brown and the late Sir Bobby Robbson, who all worked into their 70s, and will come up just short of matching the legendary former Rangers boss Bill Struth, who retired aged 79.
And Smith, who had a pacemaker fitted after a heart scare in 2014 but returned quickly to his role as the Bairns’ technical director, is adamant he remains willing and able to do all he can to turn around fortunes at the club following a winless start to the league campaign.
“I think it probably is some kind of record,” said Smith, whose last full-time job in management ended when he was sacked by Ross County in 2005, when asked about returning to management at his advanced years.
“It’s certainly unusual. But it’s about how you are and how you feel about the game. I’ve been in football all my life and I thrive on it every single day.
“Because of the type of job I have I can keep myself reasonably fit and sharp. I’m up for the job, okay.
“It’s great, you get that excitement again and that feeling that I wish I was just starting over and I could get another 40-odd years in management. It’s just superb.
“You’ve always got something to prove, and I would want to prove I can manage this club at this stage in my life.
“That the wisdom I hope I’ve gathered over the years can be passed on to the rest of the young players, and I hope it makes them better. That’s always the challenge.”
Smith spent two years in charge at Tannadice, steering them to a Scottish Cup semifinal at the end of his first season, before being sacked in October 2002 after a poor run of results and replaced by former captain Paul Hegarty.