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Walter Smith

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For other people named Walter Smith, see Walter Smith (disambiguation).
Walter Smith
Personal information
Full name Walter Smith
Height 1.82 m (5 ft 11+1⁄2 in)
Position(s) Defender
Team information
Current team
 Rangers (manager)
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
1966–1975 Dundee United 108 (2)
1975–1977 Dumbarton 44 (0)
1977–1980 Dundee United 26 (0)
Managerial career
1978–1982 Scotland U19
1982–1986 Scotland U21
1991–1998 Rangers
1998–2002 Everton
2004–2007 Scotland
2007– Rangers
*Club domestic league appearances and goals

Walter Smith, OBE (born 24 February 1948) is a Scottish football manager. He is currently the manager of Scottish Premier League club Rangers. This is his second spell as manager of the club.

Smith had a relatively undistinguished playing career, consisting of two spells with Dundee United which was split by a short time at Dumbarton.

Smith won seven consecutive Scottish league championships in the 1990s during his first spell as manager. Smith is the second most successful manager in the history of Rangers behind Bill Struth.

He left Rangers in 1998 and managed Premier League club Everton for four seasons, but was sacked in 2002. Smith was later appointed Scotland manager in 2004 and presided over a revival in the national team's fortunes, before returning to Rangers in 2007.

Early life

Smith was born in Lanark, and was a boyhood fan of Rangers. He was employed by the South of Scotland Electricity Board before launching his football career in the 1960s with Junior League team Ashfield.

Playing career

Smith signed as a defender with Dundee United in 1966, joining as a part-timer while working as an electrician. In September 1975 he moved to Dumbarton, but returned to United in 1977. At the age of 29, a pelvic injury threatened his career and he was invited to join the Dundee United coaching staff by Jim McLean. His first team appearances were limited thereafter, but he remained a signed player and his final club match was in September 1980. In total, he made over 150 senior appearances, scoring three goals.

Managerial career

Early coaching career

He developed his coaching skills, not only at Tannadice Park as assistant manager to Jim McLean, at a time when Dundee United were Scottish champions and European Cup semi-finalists, but also with the SFA. While working with McLean, a notoriously hard-bitten manager, Smith developed a reputation for being a strict disciplinarian. According to Kevin Gallacher, who was an apprentice of the club at the time in the early eighties, Smith could become ferociously angry and was known to deal out punches to enforce discipline.[1] In 1978 he was appointed coach of the Scotland Under 18 team, and helped Scotland to win the European Youth Championship in 1982. He became coach of the Under 21 team, and was Alex Ferguson's assistant manager during the 1986 Mexico World Cup. Latterly Sir Alex Ferguson commented on Walter Smith by saying: "There are few people in the game with his experience, knowledge and technical ability."[1]

Rangers

By 1986, Graeme Souness had invited him to become assistant manager at Rangers. When Souness left for Liverpool, Smith was appointed manager of the club in April 1991. In October of that year, he was charged with breach of the peace after an incident in the tunnel with St. Johnstone manager Alex Totten. Totten was convicted and fined £250, while a verdict of not proven was recorded against Smith.[2]

Seven successive league titles followed under Smith's tenure, including a domestic treble in 1992–93. He also won both the Scottish Cup and the League Cup three times each. This was achieved at a cost, as Smith spent over £50m on transfer fees in his six years in charge – more than any other club in Scotland or England over the same period.[3]

It was announced in October 1997 that Smith was to retire after a period of domination of Scottish league football. Smith took Rangers to the brink of the Champions League final in season 1992/93, going ten games without defeat in that campaign.[4] At this time David Murray was reaching a decade in charge and in this period Rangers had spent £90 million on players and £52 million on stadium development.[5] Rangers equalled Celtic's record of nine successive championships in 1997 but were denied a record-breaking tenth success in 1998 as Rangers lost the title to Celtic and then lost the Scottish Cup final to Hearts. In Europe Rangers were beaten 4–2 by Strasbourg in the first round of the UEFA Cup, after being beaten 4–1 by IFK Gothenburg in the UEFA Champions League preliminary round. Smith had spent £13m on eight new players that season alone.[3] This marred a domestic-trophy-laden managerial career and Smith left Ibrox in May 1998 along with many ageing stalwarts such as Andy Goram and Ally McCoist.

Everton

After qualified success in his native Scotland, Smith's retirement lasted a month as he took the manager's job at Premier League club Everton in June 1998.[6] Smith replaced Howard Kendall after his third spell as Everton manager, having only avoided relegation in 1998 due to their superior goal difference over Bolton Wanderers.

Initially Smith was linked with the managers job at Sheffield Wednesday,[7] but false promises made to him by the Everton chairman of massive transfer funds and unlimited ambition lured Smith to Goodison Park.[7] Smith spent money on players only to discover that it was money the club did not have.[7] When Duncan Ferguson was sold behind Smith’s back he was tempted to quit.[7] The remainder of his time at Everton revolved around selling the club's top players to balance the books.[7]

Under Smith, Everton finished in the bottom half of the table for three consecutive seasons. The Everton board finally ran out of patience with Smith and he was sacked in March 2002 after an "abject"[7] 3–0 FA Cup Sixth Round defeat to Middlesbrough, with Everton in real danger of relegation from the Premier League. He was replaced by David Moyes, who delivered Everton to a safe finish in fifteenth place.[8] Smith had been very unpopular with Everton fans, but left with a lucrative pay-off.[7]

Manchester United

In March 2004, Smith returned to football when he had a short spell as assistant manager to Alex Ferguson at Manchester United at the end of the 2003–04 season.[9]

Scotland national team

Smith was appointed manager of the Scottish national team on 2 December 2004, succeeding Berti Vogts.[10] Despite a revival of fortunes under Smith, hopes of reaching the 2006 World Cup were dashed after a defeat against Belarus. Scotland's world ranking improved by seventy places by the end of Smith's tenure at Hampden. Smith recorded his most famous result as Scotland manager when Scotland recorded a historic victory over World Cup runners up France on 7 October 2006 when they won their Euro 2008 qualifying match 1–0 at Hampden Park and temporarily led their group by three points.[11] A 2–0 defeat against Ukraine on 11 October 2006 was Smith's team's first of the campaign.[12]

Return to Rangers

On 5 January 2007, press outlets reported that Rangers had spoken to Smith with a view to hiring him to manage Rangers again, with Ally McCoist as assistant manager.[13] On 8 January, the SFA rebuffed Rangers' approach for Smith by refusing to release him from his SFA contract, or to accept his resignation, citing his contractual obligation to the national team until late 2008, during a critical period for the team.[citation needed] Smith's return as Rangers manager was announced on 10 January 2007.[14]

Smiths first match in his second spell at Ibrox was a 5–0 win against Dundee United on 13 January, with two goals from Kris Boyd and one each from Barry Ferguson, Chris Burke and Charlie Adam. Smith's first final since his return was secured with a 2–0 win over Hearts in the 2007–08 Scottish League Cup. Rangers played Dundee United in the final; the game was drawn 1–1 after normal time, and 2–2 after extra time. The winners were decided by penalty kicks. Rangers won 3–2, with Kris Boyd scoring the winning penalty (as well as the goals for Rangers in normal time and extra time).

In the UEFA Cup, Walter Smith booked Rangers' first European final for 36 years, after an exit in the UEFA Champions League group stage on the final day after good results against VFB Stuttgart, Olympique Lyonnais and FC Barcelona. In the quarter-final, after a 0–0 home draw with Sporting, Rangers went on to win the away leg 2–0. In the semi-final they drew 0–0 in both legs against Fiorentina and after extra time, they won 4–2 on penalties, taking Rangers to the UEFA Cup Final in Manchester, which they lost 0–2 to Zenit St. Petersburg.

In the 2008–09 UEFA Champions League second qualifying round, Rangers drew 0–0 with Lithuanian side FBK Kaunas at Ibrox on 30 July 2008 and lost the return leg 2–1. The loss against Kaunas meant Rangers made an early exit from European competition. Rangers went on to claim the SPL title — Rangers' 52nd Championship — on 24 May 2009. Smith followed this up with the Scottish Cup a week later to end the season with a League and Cup double.

In December 2009, it was revealed that Smith was to continue as Rangers manager without a contract when it expired the following month.[15] In March 2010, he guided Rangers to win the League Cup after they had been reduced to nine men in the final.[16] On 25 April 2010, Smith led Rangers to their 53rd title and their second in a row after a 1–0 win away to Hibernian.[17] On 25 May 2010, Smith signed a new one-year deal to continue as Rangers manager throughout the 2010–11 campaign, stating that it will be his last within football.[18][19]

Managerial statistics

  • Correct as of 23 October 2010
Team From To Record
G W D L Win %
Scotland Rangers 10 January 2007 202 128 45 29 063.37
Scotland Scotland 2 December 2004 10 January 2007 16 7 5 4 043.75
England Everton 1 July 1998 13 March 2002 168 53 50 65 031.55
Scotland Rangers 16 April 1991 31 May 1998 380 249 68 63 065.53

Honours

Managerial

Club

Rangers

Country

Scotland

Individual

References

  1. ^ a b "Profile: Walter Smith". Scotland on Sunday. 2008-05-08. {{cite news}}: Unknown parameter |accessed= ignored (help)
  2. ^ "Crimes of unsporting passion" The Herald. 11 May 1995.
  3. ^ a b Smith ensures Rangers are not prepared to stand still
  4. ^ "European Competitions 1992–93" Rec.Sport.Soccer Statistics Foundation.
  5. ^ |chapter='Old' and 'New' at Rangers Football Club}}
  6. ^ Everton move for Moyes
  7. ^ a b c d e f g Smith's Everton years
  8. ^ "Smith succumbs to pressure". BBC Sport. 13 March 2002.
  9. ^ "Walter Smith joins Man Utd" BBC Sport. 3 March 2004.
  10. ^ "Scotland name Smith as new boss". BBC Sport. 2 December 2004.
  11. ^ "Scotland 1–0 France". BBC Sport. 7 October 2006.
  12. ^ "Ukraine 2–0 Scotland". BBC Sport. 11 October 2006.
  13. ^ Forsyth, Roddy (January 4, 2007). "Rangers opt for McCoist and Smith". London: The Telegraph Sport.
  14. ^ "Smith appointed boss of Rangers". BBC Sport. 10 January 2007.
  15. ^ "Gers boss continues without deal". BBC Sport. 7 December 2009.
  16. ^ Forsyth, Roddy (21 March 2010). "St Mirren 0 Rangers 1". London: Telegraph. Retrieved 22 March 2010. [dead link]
  17. ^ "Hibernian 0–1 Rangers". BBC Sport. 25 April 2010.
  18. ^ "Walter Signs New Contract: News". Rangers F.C. 25 May 2010. Retrieved 25 May 2010.
  19. ^ "Walter Smith to stay at Rangers for one last season". BBC Sport. BBC. 2010-05-25. Retrieved 2010-05-25.

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