Snelders owes success to old Dons boss Smith

THEO SNELDERS, the first overseas star to be voted PFA Scotland Player of the Year, has paid tribute to Alex Smith as the veteran coach bows out of football at the grand old age of 78.

Falkirk’s technical director yesterday said farewell to the Scottish game he’s graced for six decades before he retires to Australia.

Snelders will take to the stage tonight at the Hilton Hotel in Glasgow as 40 years of the prestigious award is celebrated in the company of 24 other winners — and he has Smith to thank. He acknowledges that the vision of Smith to recruit him as Pittodrie legend Jim Leighton’s replacement was only the start of the Aberdeen boss helping to shape Snelders’ great Scottish football career.

‘It’s always nice to remember that I’m the first overseas player to win the Player of the Year award — I was the first goalie as well,’ said Snelders (right), voted top man in 1988/89.

‘And, for Alex Smith, it was a proud moment too. Alex took a gamble on the Dutch market to buy two players for £500,000. We can say now that both did really well for Aberdeen and Alex as well.

‘It was me and, from Groningen, Paul Mason. The year after, Willem van der Ark and Hans Gillhaus joined us at Aberdeen.

‘To bring in an unknown player and to achieve what I did in the first season made me proud. I know that this weekend is Alex’s last game in football.

‘The man means a lot to me. He came over to Holland to see me, I then travelled to Largs to take part in training because he’d only watched me on video tape, and he brought me to Aberdeen. ‘For me, he is a special man. ‘He eats and breathes football. He got the best from a lot of players who were under him and that was down to the kind of guy Alex is. He had a real bond with people.’

When named the 12th winner of the award, Snelders blazed a trail for a glittering list of foreign talent. Danish genius Brian Laudrup was next up.

Paolo di Canio, Mark Viduka, Henrik Larsson (2), Lorenzo Amoruso, Fernando Ricksen (joint winner with John Hartson), Shunsuke Nakamura, Emilio Izaguirre and Stefan Johansen complete the group.

‘It is a long time ago now and I didn’t think much about it at the time but, with this special 40th anniversary, I got the invitation and I feel proud of what I achieved,’ said Snelders.