A fitting tribute to a thoroughly decent fella
The news that Rangers are to erect a statue of Walter Smith is both fitting and deserved.
It was only a few days ago that the first anniversary of his sad passing occurred, and it’s hard to believe he’s not been with us for that length of time.
His record in his two spells as Gers manager is there for all to see.
To deliver nine-in-a-row in his first tenure was superb, and when he returned in 2007 to take over from Paul Le Guen, he kept the trophies coming.
Walter brought three more titles to Ibrox, and also took the team to the 2008 UEFA Cup Final which they lost narrowly to Zenit St Petersburg.
In the past 30 years, Walter has been the benchmark for any new Rangers boss.
And whether it was Alex McLeish or Steven Gerrard, they turned to him for advice, and hung on his words of wisdom.
Walter would never impose himself on any manager. He would wait until he was asked, and only then would he offer an opinion.
He was involved in the Scotland set-up for many years, and his coaching credentials were recognised by Sir Alex Ferguson.
It spoke volumes that he brought Walter to Manchester United as his assistant for a spell before Walter became manager of Scotland.
On top of all his achievements and silverware, above all else, Walter was also a really nice fella.
Despite what he did for Rangers, he was respected by most Celtic supporters, and that also tells you all you need to know.
I enjoyed being in his company many times, and I loved his down-to-earth attitude.
He was never one for talking about himself and his achievements. No, he was happier listening to others.
However, when he did decide to talk, everyone listened.
We will now all wait for his statue to be unveiled, and I’m sure his family, friends and colleagues will be very proud.
So they should be.