10 titles. 21 trophies. That is the stuff of legends. That is Walter Smith’s Rangers.”
— Ian Crocker, Sky Sports, May 15th, 2011
A specific topic of conversation has sparked countless debates among Rangers fans in pubs and forums across the country for years: “Who’s on your Rangers Mount Rushmore?”
Answers vary depending on era and opinion. Successful captains like John Greig and Richard Gough usually get a mention. The sheer genius of Paul Gascoigne and Brian Laudrup certainly brings them to the table. Legendary goal scorers such as Derek Johnstone and Ally McCoist often feature as well. Even boardroom figures, namely Dave King and David Holmes, are frequently namechecked for their part in restoring the club to better times after periods of difficulty.
But one name is unarguable: Walter Smith. And on the anniversary of his passing, it feels fitting to reflect on the importance and success delivered by this extraordinary Rangers manager. THE Rangers manager.
Walter gave so much to so many across four decades. In the late 1980s, he was the calm, assured, and authoritative assistant to Graeme Souness. The perfect counterbalance to his brash, spotlight-loving manager. He then led the club through a trophy-laden 1990s as manager in his own right. And after nearly a decade away, he returned during the club’s time of need in the mid-2000s, guiding Rangers to more silverware and even a European final appearance before retiring in the early 2010s. His final game in charge in 2011 saw another league championship secured. Because, of course, it did.
The skill set Smith possessed proved invaluable to Souness, and the legendary duo were the perfect combination to return Rangers to their rightful position as Scotland’s premier club. Souness claims to this day that recruiting Smith as his trusted right-hand man was the best signing he ever made at Rangers.
Which is why there was only one name on Souness’ list when chairman David Murray asked for his outgoing manager’s input on potential candidates to replace him at the tail end of the 1990/91 season, before he left to join Liverpool.
The pressure and intensity that come with being in the Ibrox top job were emphasised for Smith within days of his appointment as Rangers manager, when he was immediately tasked with seeing Rangers over the line in a tight title race with Aberdeen. He had to hold together a squad rocked by the bombshell that their manager of four seasons was departing with just a handful of games left.
In only his third game in charge, he suffered a disastrous 3-0 loss at Fir Park, setting up a final-day showdown between Rangers and Aberdeen at Ibrox the following week to decide the destination of the championship flag. Aberdeen only needed to avoid defeat to win the league; Rangers required a victory to secure three-in-a-row. It was a sliding doors moment, and Mark Hateley’s double secured a 2-0 win and the title. It was an afternoon that defined an era. Without it, there would be no nine successive championships, and history would have been altered. Even in the first few weeks of his tenure, Smith was holding his nerve in a high-pressure moment to deliver success for Rangers. It was a pattern he would repeat. Again and again.
Success continued when Rangers retained the title again in 1992. And they would do so in every season up to and including 1997, and the claustrophobia surrounding that particular campaign would have seen many crumble. But not Walter. In the most intense, suffocating season in club history, the championship had to be delivered. Had the unthinkable happened and Rangers relinquished their grip on Scottish football, the previous eight titles would have been rendered redundant. This was the season of all seasons. This was number nine. It had to be secured. And it was.
It wasn’t without its challenges, and Walter’s perfect man-management of the unpredictable, and at times controversial, Andy Goram and Paul Gascoigne went a long way in ensuring his band of warriors had enough in them for one last push to win what was, at the time, the biggest title win in the club’s history.
Following his departure in 1998, spells at Everton and Scotland followed, as well as a brief stint as Sir Alex Ferguson’s assistant at Manchester United. But in January 2007, he returned home to help his club during a period of turmoil, replacing the disastrous Paul Le Guen. It was then that he began to lay the foundations for the club’s most successful era of the 21st century to date.
His first full season back at Ibrox saw a cup double secured, and although he narrowly missed out on the league title, he guided Rangers to just the fourth European final in their history. What was apparent during that amazing run to the UEFA Cup final in 2008 was that he had returned to Rangers a better coach than when he originally departed in 1998.
His teams were organised, well-structured, and tactically precise. The performances on that European run, particularly away in Lisbon and Florence, were some of the most perfectly executed European performances ever carried out by a Rangers side.
The following three seasons brought more silverware. Three league championships in a row were won, alongside three domestic cups. One of which was a 1-0 League Cup final triumph in 2010 against St Mirren. With Rangers down to nine men and under the cosh, Walter provided some tactical and motivational expertise to reshuffle and regroup his tiring side as Kenny Miller’s late header clinched the cup against the odds.
His final season, 2010/11, was, for many, the most exhausting and toxic season in living memory. While our rivals’ players, manager, and fans were fixated on referees, conspiracies, and off-field chaos, Walter’s eyes were on the prize. And it showed. The 5-1 win on the last game of that season at Rugby Park gave Walter his final trophy in his final match in charge. That squad of players were never going to let him bow out empty-handed. They were determined to deliver for their manager, and it was a fitting way to end an era.
As well as being the unflinching, father-figure-like leader, Walter’s legacy wasn’t only about masterminding success on the pitch. Comedic timing was a skill he possessed, too. This was evident in 1990 when Rangers drew the formidable Red Star Belgrade in the old European Cup. As an assistant, one of his duties was to travel to the home of Rangers’ next European opponent and produce a detailed dossier for Souness. On this occasion, Walter returned from Serbia (Yugoslavia at the time) and handed his manager a single sheet of paper. When Souness sat down to examine it, it simply read: “We’re fucked.”
There’s also another famous clip available on YouTube that’s gone down in Scottish football folklore. Reporter Chick Young was interviewing a prickly Smith amid a run of form that saw Rangers lose three games in a row, a defeat to AEK Athens in the Champions League, an Old Firm loss to a struggling Celtic, and a shock League Cup exit to lowly Falkirk. Young dared to ask his interviewee if he felt the summer signings might not meet the standards expected of Rangers players. He regretted it almost instantly. (link below)
Walter Smith vs Chick Young Interview
Even in his penultimate game in charge, a 2-0 win at home to Dundee United in May 2011, he was being interviewed again by Young, post-match, and was asked if he was looking forward to retirement. Walter’s response was simple:
“The day I don’t need to be interviewed by you, Chick… that will be a good day.”
The statue of this titan of Rangers history, unveiled in May 2024, was long overdue. It will stand the test of time at the place many of us call home and is a testament to how deeply he resonates with fans. In my opinion, nobody is more deserving of such an honour at the stadium where he produced some of his finest work, giving so many of us so many unforgettable memories.
Between 2003 and 2021, five stars adorned every Rangers kit, each representing ten league titles won. Walter Smith is responsible for one of those stars alone. He managed Rangers across two spells, spanning 11 years. In that time, he won 10 league titles, 5 Scottish Cups, and 6 League Cups. Of his 11 full seasons in charge, 10 ended with at least one trophy won. He was the greatest ever, and there will never be another like him. That man gave us some of the greatest moments of our lives, and we will be forever grateful.
In closing, it’s only right to quote another Rangers legend, Ally McCoist, a man also worthy of a place on this fictional Mount Rushmore:
“I don’t think I’ll ever forget what Walter did, and I don’t think I’ll ever forget what Walter said, but I can guarantee you, I will never, ever, ever forget how that man made us all feel. Walter, we love you to bits. Thank you very much for the memories.”