Managers put rivalries aside to remember ‘genius’ Cooper

OLD Firm managers Ally McCoist and Neil Lennon united yesterday to honour the memory of Davie Cooper on the anniversary of his untimely death. The winger, who died of a brain haemorrhage on 23 March 1995, played with McCoist at Ibrox, and the Rangers boss said the current fight to revive the club was inspired by men like his former team-mate and previous members of the managerial staff.

“I’ve got a photo of him on my desk and I was looking at it this morning,” McCoist said. “There’s not a day goes by when I don’t think of Coops. It’s for people like Davie, Jock Wallace, Mr [Willie] Waddell, Mr [Willie] Thornton and guys like that that we have to get through this low period in the club’s history.

“It’s for the support, but it’s also for people like that and everyone that’s involved with the club. You look at the great names who’ve played for the club and it’s incredible to think that’s 17 years since Davie passed away.”

Lennon noted the anniversary of Cooper’s death on his Twitter page yesterday morning, saying “what a genius of a player he was . . . not too many of his ilk around today . . . inspirational player.” Later, at his pre-match media conference ahead of tomorrow’s visit to Ibrox, the Celtic manager expanded on his admiration for the Rangers icon.

“He was one of those players I enjoyed watching when I was younger,” said Lennon. “I never came across the guy and he passed away too early, before I came up to play in Scotland. But I thought he was a brilliant player and a class act. Even at Motherwell, in the latter stages of his career, he was a brilliant player to watch. People like Jimmy Johnstone, Jim Baxter, Henrik Larsson and Brian Laudrup do transcend the Old Firm barriers and earn the respect of both sets of supporters. I’d put Davie in that category.”

Born in 1956, Cooper played for Clydebank for three years before signing for Rangers in 1977. He spent a dozen years at Ibrox, winning three league titles and three Scottish Cups.

Capped 22 times by Scotland, he moved to Motherwell in 1989, and won the Scottish Cup with the Fir Park club two years later. Finally, he returned to Clydebank for one more season before retiring in 1995.