Motherwell: Indian Summer 1989-1993

“It must be the best money Motherwell ever spent because he lifted the club to another level.”

Tommy Mclean, Motherwell Manager, 1984-94

 

Cooper continued the run of good form he displayed under Souness at Ibrox, and in his four and a half seasons at Fir Park he made 150 appearances and played at a consistently high level. His influence on the side was enormous, culminating in the “Steelmen” going on an unbelievable 1991 Scottish cup run, eventually beating Dundee United 4-3 in an epic final to lift the trophy. It was a dream come true for Cooper who thought his days of lifting silverware were over after leaving Rangers. His performances also caught the eye of Scotland manager Andy Roxburgh and amazingly revitalised his international career.

 

Cooper was a big hit with the Motherwell supporters; his quality and enthusiasm to play the game were there for all to see, and any initial doubts they had about him gently winding his career down were put to bed. As Tom Boyd pointed out:

 

“He didn’t want people to think he had gone out to graze at Fir Park and the fact that he helped us win the Scottish cup left him believing that he had proved his point.”

 

His wealth of experience, in the game, was another bonus and the younger Motherwell players such as Tom Boyd learned a lot from the maestro during his spell at the club:

 

“He was a huge influence on me when we were together at Motherwell. There’s no doubt that he helped shaped my career.”

 

Mclean who had played alongside Cooper at Ibrox in the 1970s also noticed that Cooper had grown as a person:

 

“He was a lot more outgoing when he went to Motherwell than he was when I first knew him at Ibrox..he was very good on the P.R. side of things because he had learned how to handle that side of football.”