Wily Walter Smith knows silverware means more than statues

HE MAY be on the verge of a landmark achievement as Rangers manager this weekend, but Walter Smith regards himself as far from worthy of being cast in bronze.

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The call from Willie Henderson, the Ibrox club's legendary former winger, that a statue should be erected in Smith's honour met with a predictably abashed response from the veteran coach yesterday. But if he continues to accumulate silverware at his current rate, the kind of recognition suggested by Henderson may yet be bestowed upon him one day.

Should he guide Rangers to victory in tomorrow's Co-operative Insurance Cup final against St Mirren at Hampden, Smith will secure his 18th trophy success as their manager. His current tally of 17 domestic honours sees Smith level in the all-time list with Scot Symon who landed 15 trophies as Rangers manager after leading East Fife to two League Cup triumphs.

Only iconic Old Firm managers Bill Struth and Willie Maley, who collected 30 trophies each, and the revered Jock Stein, who added 24 domestic prizes for Celtic to the Scottish Cup he won at Dunfermline, have been more decorated in Scottish managerial history than Smith.

Such comparisons, which also surfaced recently when he equalled the tally of Old Firm victories achieved by Stein and Symon, do not sit comfortably with Smith who appreciates only too keenly that he is always just one setback away from being lambasted just as vigorously by those who currently laud him.

"It gets a wee bit embarrassing," he said. "It's nice that someone like Willie Henderson says something like that (about a statue], but it is a bit embarrassing for me. I don't think there's any chance of that. I don't think anyone sees themselves on that kind of level.

"I've had one or two barbed comments about what Willie said this morning, as you can imagine. If we don't win the League Cup final on Sunday, it will probably be forgotten about anyway. That's how much a statue means. If you don't win the League Cup, then that's it knocked down."

While Smith, below, will leave others to judge the merits of his work as Rangers manager, his desire to be in the winners' enclosure appears insatiable. He admits it is the lure of occasions like tomorrow which persuaded him to resign as Scotland manager and return for a second spell at the club three years ago.

"The opportunity to get yourself to cup finals and into the position to win things was part and parcel of the decision to leave Scotland," he said. "It is always good to reach a cup final because each one holds something special for you. You always feel very fortunate as a manager when you are in that position, especially with the number I've been in. A lot of managers don't get that opportunity very often in their career, if at all, so it's always a big thing for a manager, regardless of how many times you have experienced it."

Smith, pursuing his fifth League Cup success as Rangers manager, recognises that enthusiasm in the build-up to this weekend's final has been diluted by the regularity with which the two combatants have faced each other in recent months. But he expects the setting of their sixth meeting of the season to inspire St Mirren and sharpen the attitude of his own players.

"It does take away the element of surprise," he said. "But what you have to do is handle the circumstances of the game. In football, you are never quite sure what they are going to be. We both know each other and the way we are going to play. The games against St Mirren this season have all been tough ones for us. We had to work extremely hard for our wins against them.

"Playing each other so often does take something away from it. When you end up playing teams six times a season in Scotland, it's not a good thing for supporters, never mind managers or coaches. But it is a cup final and that lifts it on to a different level. It's one we have to win on the day and we have to play well on the day if we are going to do that.

"I look back on the Scottish Cup final at the end of last season against Falkirk, just after we had won the championship, and we were a little bit fortunate. We managed to hang on and win. Hopefully we can do the same on Sunday.

"There is always a good atmosphere on cup final day at Hampden and you can see from their comments this week how much the St Mirren boys are relishing the opportunity. It's also been interesting to see how the St Mirren players from the 1987 Scottish Cup winning team are still treated.

"So it's easy to see what St Mirren's motivation will be for Sunday. Rangers are in a fortunate position because we get ourselves into more cup finals than most other teams, but winning still means as much to us as it does to them. From our own point of view, I know our players will be fully focused for this one."

Smith holds his opposite number Gus MacPherson in high regard, having first recognised the St Mirren manager's positive work ethic when he was a teenage defender at Rangers more than 20 years ago. MacPherson failed to make the first team breakthrough at Ibrox under the management of Graeme Souness and his then assistant Smith.

"I remember Graeme loaned Gus out to Exeter City back then," said Smith. "We had the likes of Gary Stevens playing right-back, so it wasn't easy for anyone to get a game. But even as a young boy, Gus always had a good attitude. I think that has rubbed off on his teams at St Mirren.

"He has created a team who are very difficult to beat, anyone who plays against them knows that. Gus and Andy Millen have done a terrific job, bringing them up from the First Division and then keeping them in the SPL. You see the level of endeavour he is getting out of his players, which is great. That's the one thing about St Mirren, you have to overcome their attitude and their willingness to work."