The John Greig Years (1978-83)

“Jock Wallace had bought me and clearly rated me. John Greig didn't appear to share that opinion quite as strongly and we didn't really hit it off when he went 'upstairs'.”

Davie Cooper

 

Greigs reign at Ibrox was a frustrating time for Cooper. The manager used his talents sparingly and, for five years, he spent a significant amount of time on the bench. Eventually, the lack of first team football affected Coopers physical condition and enthusiasm for the game:

 

‘I unquestionably let myself go a bit. I had lost my way and was drifting aimlessly along.”

 

He did, however, shine on a number of occasions, and the Scottish cup final replay of 1981 against Dundee United sticks in the mind. In a brilliant performance, Cooper tore the “Arabs” defence to shreds and was a major factor in Rangers regaining the Cup in a 4-1 victory.

 

Shockingly, in the summer of 1980, Coops was almost sold to the English side Brighton F.C.- Brighton's manager Alan Mullery put in a double bid for Cooper and striker Gordon Smith. John Greig, however, would only let one player leave the club and Mullery opted for Gordon Smith. Greig's willingness to sell Cooper, in 1980, is a stark reminder of the poor relationship that existed between manager and player at that time.

Ironically, during those “lost years” Cooper scored the most memorable goal of his career against Celtic in the 1979 Drybrough Cup Final. Surrounded by four Celtic defenders with his back to goal he had seemingly nowhere to go. In a piece of audacious skill he nonchalantly flicked the ball in the air four times before slotting the ball past the keeper. In a worldwide poll of Rangers fan, it was voted the greatest ever Rangers goal.

 

Although Greig won the Scottish Cup and the League Cup twice during his stint as Rangers manager, his tenure is widely viewed as a disappointing spell in the clubs history. Towards the end of his reign, Ibrox attendances fell to an alarmingly low level and he was eventually replaced by Jock Wallace in 1983.

Rangers 1977-1989

The Jock Wallace Years (1977-78)

"My kind of manager...he didn't go over the top tactically, he knew my ability on the ball and let me go out and play my natural game."
Davie Cooper on Jock Wallace

Coopers first season at Rangers, under jock Wallace, was a dream come true. The Ibrox side won the domestic treble, and Davie played in 52 of Rangers 53 major matches in the 1977-78 season. He reveled in the tactical freedom given to him by Jock Wallace and struck up an instant footballing rapport with striker Derek Johnstone - setting up countless goals for the big center forward. Ironically his first goal at Ibrox was against his former club Clydebank in a 4-1 victory. In fact, the only scare that season was in an epic league cup semi-final with Forfar; which Rangers finally won in extra time, after drawing 2-2 in the 90 minutes.

 

Given Coopers excellent relationship with Wallace he was bitterly disappointed when in 1978 the Rangers boss shocked the Ibrox giants and left to take up the managers post at Leicester City. Interestingly, right up until his death in 1996 Wallace maintained a dignified silence on his reasons for leaving the club and the circumstances surrounding his departure remain unclear to this day. The Rangers board didn’t hang about though, and quickly instated Rangers Captain John Greig as Wallace’s successor. It was an appointment that would turn out to have dire implications for Davies footballing career in the following five years.

Jock Wallace's Return (1983-85)

“He got me fit again by ordering me to lose five pounds in a month. I lost it in a week.”

Davie Cooper

 

The return of Jock Wallace to Ibrox, as manager, reinvigorated Cooper and helped him to break out of the malaise that had consumed him under John Greig. His physical fitness improved and his appetite for the game returned. It was no secret that Wallace was a fan of Davies mercurial skills and in the following two seasons Cooper only missed six games. His return to form also caught the eye of Scotland manager Jock Stein and Cooper featured heavily in the qualification matches for the 1986 World Cup Finals.

 

However, at Rangers Coops was very much a big fish in a small pond, surrounded by players who were, by the Ibrox giants standards, not up to the task. In both the 1983-4 and 1984-5 season Rangers could only manage fourth place in the league. A scant consolation was winning the league cup in both those years, adding more medals to Davies trophy cabinet.

 

As with most managers who return to a club after a successful first spell, Wallace could not re-create the magic he produced first time round. His second reign only lasted two years and he was quickly replaced by Graeme Souness. The next few years, under Souness, would see Cooper play some of the most electrifying and consistent football of his career.

The Souness Years (1986-1989)

“He was always a tremendous player for this club but when Graeme Souness and I moved into Ibrox he was transformed. There is no doubt in my mind that was because he was surrounded by better players.”

Walter Smith

 

Initially Cooper was nervous about the appointment of Souness as the new Ibrox manager.  Although they played together in the Scotland setup he didn’t really know Souey that well, whereas big Jock Wallace had been his mentor for years. Age was another issue; Cooper was now into his thirties and was conscious that a new manager may want to bring in younger talent:

 

“I was pessimistic and concerned, I was concerned about myself because I wasn’t sure what Graeme would do. I briefly believed he would bring in youngsters immediately and that would threaten my place at Ibrox”

 

However, his fears were quickly put to rest; Souness clearly rated the skilful winger and built up a new team in which Coops played a key role. Souness revolutionised Rangers, enticing big name English players, from down South, to join the Ibrox giants. It was unprecedented, as the trend up until that point had been for good Scottish players to move down south and ply there wears in the English divisions. In the following months, many high profile English players signed for the Ibrox club. However, the biggest coup was securing the services of England internationalists Chris Woods and Terry Butcher. It was a sign of intent from Souness that he wanted only players of the highest caliber to play for Rangers. For the first time in years, Cooper was surrounded by other world-class players. It had an immediate impact on his game, and in those last few seasons at Ibrox he played some of the most scintillating and consistent football of his career.

 

The first taste of success came against Celtic in the Skol Cup Final of 1986. In a pulsating encounter, Cooper showed nerves of steel from the penalty spot to ensure Rangers won the title 2-1. Souness had no doubts that Cooper would beat the keeper from the spot:

 

"The minute he picked the ball up I thought we've won the cup. Because in a one on one, and the way he can strike a ball with such accuracy, it's really an unfair contest for the goalkeeper."

 

However, winning the title was the priority for the new Ibrox gaffer and it came shortly afterwards at Pittodrie in May 1987. Rangers hadn’t won up North in five years but a 1-1 drew ensured they won the title, as Celtic lost 2-1 to Falkirk at home. Unsurprisingly, Davie was a key factor in Rangers goal that day, swinging an inch perfect cross into the box for big Tel to thud home a header. Rangers hadn’t won a league title since 1978 and it meant a lot to the fans and of course Cooper:

 

“It goes almost without saying that it was a fantastic feeling, maybe even better than my first time which seemed like a century before.”

 

The following 1987-88 season brought disappointment in the league and Scottish cup with Celtic clinching both domestic trophies. However, Cooper continued to feature regularly and play at a consistently brilliant level. He saved one of his best performances, that season, for the Skol Cup Final against Aberdeen. Hampden always brought out the best in Cooper, and he wowed the crowds that day with a thunderbolt free kick that rocketed passed Jim Leighton into the top corner. Rangers went onto regain the trophy in extra time winning a dramatic penalty shoot. It was a classic final, made unforgettable by Davies stunning dead ball strike.

 

However, the success under Souness was tinged with a certain amount of regret for Cooper:

"I do feel a little bit frustrated that these good and exciting times at Ibrox have come a little too late for me. But against that frustration is the realism that I have enjoyed a marvelous career that others would give their right arm for so I can’t be greedy."

The 1988-89 season got off to a great start for Davie; his testimonial match against French side Girondins de Bordeaux was a sell-out, with 43,000 fans watching Rangers 3-2 victory. It was a fitting tribute to a player who been loyal to the Ibrox club, through good and bad times, for ten years. However, Cooper’s last season at Ibrox was to be a frustrating one; he struggled to hold down a first team place with Souness often opting to play winger Mark Walters instead. His appearance as a substitute in the 1989 Scottish cup final proved to be his last in a Rangers jersey.

 

Davie didn’t want to leave Ibrox, but he was desperate to play first team football and  realised that at at the age of 34 he had only a few years left in the top flight of the game. So when Motherwell manager Tommy Mclean made an audacious bid for the winger in the summer of 1989 Cooper agreed to join with mixed emotions:

 

“I hated leaving Rangers, but I wanted to go somewhere where I could keep playing.”

 

He finished his Rangers career with 75 goals in 540 appearances. However, Coopers Rangers career wasn’t about statistics and records, he was a genius, an entertainer and no figures can quantify the joy he gave to fans, with his special kind of magic, in those years at Ibrox. As Andy Roxburgh commented at Cooper's testimonial dinner:

 

"Football is not about robots or boring tactics. It's about excitement, emotion and individual flair and imagination as shown by Davie Cooper."

 

His position in Rangers folklore was secured.