Clydebank
1974-1977
"I know he spent a lot of time at Ibrox and also a few years at Motherwell. But to us all here he was always Davie Cooper of Clydebank."
Jack Steedman, former Clydebank chairman
Cooper joined Clydebank in 1974 and made an instant impact; quickly rising through the ranks to secure a regular first team place. An early exposure to the big time came when the Bankies drew Celtic in the cup. Cooper, a childhood Rangers fan, was determined to do well against a star studded Celtic team that contained the likes of Kenny Dalglish and Dixie Deans. He didn’t disappoint and must have taken particular enjoyment in tormenting Celtic defender Danny McGrain at Parkhead that day. Indeed, his performance drew attention from the Scottish media and fellow pros. and it was the start of the Cooper buzz that would snowball in the following years.
The following 1975-76 season was a good one for Cooper. Clydebank secured promotion to the First division and Cooper was a major factor in their success, scoring 22 goals and playing in all of the Bankies 49 games that season. He continued to develop in the following 1976-77 season and received his first call-up for the Scotland's under-21s side. The Bankies good form prevailed and they went onto secure promotion to the Premier division that season.
Word was spreading nationwide of Davies talent and Aston Villa bid £65,000 for the winger. Birmingham followed with an approach for Cooper offering him three times his existing salary at Kilbowie. However, there was only one team in Coopers sites and that was his childhood heroes Rangers. One match proved pivotal in his move to the Ibrox giants. Clydebank drew Rangers on the quarter finals of the league cup. An epic tussle ensued with 2 replays, Rangers eventually winning the third match 2-1 at Firhill. Cooper recalls his first encounter with fiery Rangers captain John Greig at Ibrox:
“He waded in with the kind of challenge Jack the Ripper would have been proud of…and then he growled “If I get another chance, I’ll break your leg.”
However, despite Greigs best efforts, Cooper played brilliantly and scored in all three matches. His performances again caught the eye of Rangers manager Jock Wallace and soon after the Ibrox team put in an offer for the player. Cooper describes the feeling of awe when arriving at Ibrox for transfer talks:
“You get a tremendous feeling of history and achievement when you are at Ibrox. This place has an aura about it.”
Having previously rejected an approach from Rangers before joining Clydebank, Davie knew this was perhaps his last chance to sign for his footballing idols and agreed to join for a transfer fee of £100,000 and a basic wage of £150. However, as Cooper recalls financial concerns were of secondary importance to joining the club of his dreams:
“…even before I signed I knew I would be joining Rangers regardless of the financial arrangements.”