Smith walked his Merseyside derby winners into town, dressed in Everton tracksuits, for a cooked breakfast, eager that his squad felt the slaps on their backs and saw into the eyes of thrilled supporters. When Everton’s players reported for training the following morning they were ordered to slip on their trainers. Perhaps the most famous game of Smith’s reign came in September 1999, a victory at Anfield that counted as a triumph for the skill and organisation and grit and belief of a team whose promise flickered only intermittently. There were tantalising glimpses of what could have been for Everton under Smith, arguably the right man at the wrong time for a club tightening its belt financially. Smith would be hamstrung by limited transfer market clout during close to four years at Goodison Park but managed a period when Everton were navigating choppy waters with grace and persistence and professionalism.
Smith’s ability to bring to heel the larger-than-life Gascoigne – and perform the same trick with countless big personalities in dressing rooms at Rangers and Everton – was indicative of a shrewd and empathetic character.Įverton’s appointment of Smith in summer 1998 – after he rejected interest from fellow Premier League club Sheffield Wednesday – was commonly viewed as a major coup.Ĭhairman Peter Johnson hailed the arrival of a manager with a “big club mentality”. High-profile players – Paul Gascoigne and Brian Laudrup, among them – flooded to Glasgow to play for Smith and grew to adore their personable but stern manager. Smith was chief architect of the club’s iconic nine-in-a-row – winning the league every season from his appointment until 1996/97 to complete nine successive campaigns of domestic supremacy for Rangers.Īlongside success in Scotland, the Smith-led Rangers jousted with the finest clubs on the continent and in 1992/93 were desperately unlucky to fall short of reaching the European Cup final after remaining undefeated in the competition. He skilfully moulded a Rangers side in his own image, blending flair and spirit with bloody-minded resilience. Smith, previously by Souness’ side for nearly five seasons, never looked back. The Ibrox club were neck-and-neck with Aberdeen in a Scottish title fight and on the final day beat their nearest rivals to win a third successive championship. Smith emerged from the shadows to replace Graeme Souness as Rangers manager deep into the 1990/91 season.
A proud and fiercely competitive, archetypal football man. Everyone who encountered Smith, who has died at the age of 73, relates tales of a charming and warm and kind human being.
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