Walter Smith

Walter Smith
OBE
Personal information
Full name Walter Ferguson Smith[1]
Date of birth (1948-02-24)24 February 1948[1]
Place of birth Lanark, Scotland
Date of death 26 October 2021(2021-10-26) (aged 73)[1]
Position(s) Defender
Youth career
Drumchapel Amateurs
Ashfield
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
1966–1975 Dundee United 108 (2)
1967Dallas Tornado (loan) 3 (0)
1975–1977 Dumbarton 44 (0)
1977–1980 Dundee United 26 (0)
Total 181 (2)
Managerial career
1978–1982 Scotland U18
1982–1986 Scotland U21
1991–1998 Rangers
1998–2002 Everton
2004–2007 Scotland
2004–2006 Scotland B
2007–2011 Rangers
*Club domestic league appearances and goals

Walter Ferguson Smith OBE (24 February 1948 – 26 October 2021)[2] was a Scottish football player, manager and director, primarily associated with his two spells as manager of Glasgow club Rangers.

A defender, Smith's playing career consisted of two spells with Dundee United, split by a short time at Dumbarton. A pelvic injury caused his retirement from playing and Smith moved into coaching at Dundee United, working for manager Jim McLean. Smith also took charge of the Scotland under-18 and under-21 teams, and assisted Scotland manager Alex Ferguson at the 1986 FIFA World Cup in Mexico, after it had been announced that he would be moving to Rangers as assistant to Graeme Souness.

Smith became the manager of Rangers in 1991, succeeding Souness. He won thirteen major trophies in seven years, including seven league titles in succession. After leaving Rangers at the end of the 1997–98 season, he was appointed manager of English Premier League club Everton. He was in charge at Goodison Park for four seasons before he was sacked in 2002.

After a brief stint as assistant manager to Alex Ferguson at Manchester United, Smith was appointed Scotland manager in December 2004. He presided over a revival in their fortunes, taking the national team seventy places up the FIFA World Rankings. After a UEFA Euro 2008 qualifying, he resigned as Scotland manager in January 2007 to return to Rangers. He won eight trophies during his second spell as Rangers manager and guided the team to the 2008 UEFA Cup final, before retiring from management in 2011. Smith is the second-most-successful manager in the history of Rangers, behind Bill Struth.

  1. ^ a b c "Walter Smith: Profile". worldfootball.net. HEIM:SPIEL. Retrieved 25 December 2019.
  2. ^ "Walter Smith - Obituary - Football - The Telegraph". The Telegraph. 27 October 2021. Archived from the original on 12 January 2022. Retrieved 27 October 2021.