The Moody Blue Myth
Davie’s reluctance to speak to the media and his introverted personality, during his early days at Rangers, undoubtedly contributed to him being labeled “The Moody Blue” by the tabloids. But as, ex-Rangers team mate, Tommy Mclean points out Cooper was intelligent in his dealings with the media, and it stood him in good stead for the remainder of his career:
“He didn't want to be exploited, and quite rightly so...because, over the years, a lot of players have got caught up in a web of people trying to manipulate them."
The simple truth is that as a teenager and young adult Cooper was undoubtedly a shy, quiet lad who liked to keep a low profile. He was a real hometown boy and the fact that, early on in his career, top local sides couldn't’t persuade him to leave Hamilton is testament to this. His big move from Clydebank to Rangers was massive footballing news and all the hype, pressure and adulation was probably overwhelming and embarrassing for the Hamilton youngster. It’s no wonder he initially wanted to be allusive and evade the attentions of the veracious Scottish press core.
However, although he was quiet, he was definitely his own man and wasn’t influenced by peer pressure. In particular, he was not scared to share his forthright views on Scottish footballing matters, in particular the SFA and the national setup:
“We can never be an international force as long as the system dictates that stamina is more important than skill, tension replaces talent and kickers are rewarded the same way as class players."
It’s also true that Cooper did like a good moan, but as Graeme Souness pointed out it was his perfectionism and stubborn streak that made him the player he was:
"…his nickname ‘Albert’ which stemmed from the Coronation street character Albert Tatlock who was always moaning. I could tell if Coop was going to have a good game if he came into Ibrox and was moaning even more than usual!"
Cooper was blessed with a god given footballing talent, but was very humble and unassuming about it all. This modesty made him very popular with not only Rangers fans, but all followers of Scottish football in general. As Jimmy Nichol commented:
“He had no airs and graces, no big ideas about himself, no belief that he was better than anyone else and that was proved time and again.”
Indeed, his sudden, shocking death is one of the few sad occasions that united both sides of the Old firm. Cooper had earned the respect of Celtic supporters with his majestic skills and humility - green-and-white scarfs were seen draped outside Ibrox after his death and tributes poured in from hoops fans. It was unprecedented.
Away from the footballing pitch, Cooper loved having a flutter on the horses. Indeed, his penchant for the bookies was a running joke at Ibrox. During his speech, at Coops testimonial dinner, Ally McCoist joked that Cooper “...was the only seven year old in the street with a copy of the 'Sporting Life' instead of the 'Beano'”. Jack Steedman, former Clydebank chairman, also remembers investigating a mysteriously large phone bill at the club:
“Davie had sweet talked Mary, our kitchen lady, into letting him use the phone to put a line on at the bookies.”
As Cooper entered his thirties, he started to feel more comfortable with being in the spotlight and in general became more relaxed and outgoing. Tommy Mclean, who had played beside a young Cooper at Ibrox in the 70s, noticed a difference in his personality when he arrived at Motherwell:
“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."
When later Cooper moved back to Clydebank, Jack Steedman also noticed a new openness in the wingers dealings with the public and the media:
"He actually became a totally different individual in the public eye yet he still retained a certain shyness."
Indeed, Davie got more involved with coaching and even started doing media work as a football “pundit” on television. He was clearly thinking of a life beyond playing football and had become more comfortable and confident in who he was. The fact that Cooper was looking forward to a new chapter in his life and was growing as a person, makes his untimely death at the age of 39 even more tragic.
