FEW players have lit up the Scottish game quite like Davie Cooper and, given the dearth of natural wide players in the 21st century, it may be a long time before we see his like again.
He had a magical left foot, his dribbling skills would mesmerise opponents and he packed a ferocious shot that could turn a game in seconds. He would run at defenders, show them a glimpse of the ball, pull it back, feint and then with a shimmy he would be gone, leaving a bemused opponent in his wake.
His shooting power was never more evident than in the 1987/88 League Cup final when his fierce free-kick was rebounding from the back of the net before Jim Leighton in the Aberdeen goal had even moved. However, his finest goal came in the Drybrough Cup final against Celtic on 4 August 1979.
He received the ball on his chest with his back to goal on the edge of the box and, seemingly with nowhere to go, flicked it in the air four times with his left foot to ease past four Celtic defenders and then slipped the ball into the net. It was a majestic strike of outlandish flair and imagination and was voted by fans in a worldwide poll in 1999 as the ‘Greatest Ever Rangers goal’.
It also summed up the essence of Cooper. He was a man who played off-the-cuff and was able to create something tangible out of nothing. He signed for Clydebank from local amateur side Hamilton Avondale for £300 – the previous night’s takings from the social club – and inspired them to the Second Division title in 1975/76.
The big clubs began to take notice. Arsenal, Aston Villa and Coventry all tried to entice him, but Cooper was waiting for Rangers to make a move. He got his chance to impress when Clydebank were drawn against Rangers in the quarter-final of the League Cup in September 1976.
Cooper said at the time, "The press built the game up because there was a lot of talk about me moving to Ibrox and I always was a Rangers supporter so it was a big test for me.
"I remember arriving at Ibrox and I was in awe of the size of the place, it was incredible. Next thing I was standing on the halfway line waiting for the game to start and I realised I was playing against John Greig.
"I remember that 30 seconds into the game I picked the ball up on the wing and I knocked the ball past John who booted me in the air. I got up expecting an apology but he just said, 'If I get another chance I will do it harder next time. After that, I knew I was going to be in for a tough 90 minutes."
Cooper turned it on that day, scoring the match-saving equaliser in a 3-3 draw. It took two replays for Rangers to overcome the Bankies but Cooper had done his work. He was duly signed for Rangers by Jock Wallace in June 1977 for £100,000. On his arrival at Ibrox, he said, "Right now I must be the happiest guy in the whole of Scotland. There’s just not another club I would have signed for."
He and fellow new arrivals Bobby Russell and Gordon Smith fitted the system perfectly and Rangers were sensational that season, winning their second treble in three years. Coop scored in the 2-1 League Cup final win over Celtic and only missed two League matches all season as Aberdeen were pipped for the title and then beaten 2-1 in the Scottish Cup final.
However, Jock Wallace’s decision to quit at the end of that campaign meant that John Greig took over. Greig was not as much of an admirer as Wallace had been and Cooper had to fight to make it into the starting line-up.
Things went well initially, but then Greig brought back veteran Willie Johnston to take Cooper’s place. However, Cooper was still capable of some sensational performances and one of the best in the replay of the 1981 Scottish Cup final, when he inspired Rangers to a 4-1 win over Dundee United.
It seems laughable that Cooper won just 24 caps for Scotland but he did make it to the Mexico World Cup in 1986. In fact, he was largely responsible for taking Scotland to the finals.
He held his nerve to score the vital penalty against Wales in Cardiff which took Scotland into a play-off with Australia, although the joy was short-lived that day when manager Jock Stein collapsed and died of a heart attack.
In Mexico, he played alongside Graeme Souness, newly appointed as manager at Ibrox. There is little doubt Cooper was a rejuvenated player when he returned for the start of the next season.
He scored the winning penalty in the 1986/87 League Cup final against Celtic with just minutes remaining to give Souness his first trophy, and the new manager never had any doubts.
He said, ‘When I saw Davie walk up and place the ball on the spot I knew, even before he had kicked it, that we had won the cup. That is how much confidence I had in him. When a player can hit the ball so well and with so much accuracy, like Davie could, the keeper had no chance.’
Fittingly, it was Cooper who delivered the cross that allowed Terry Butcher to head the goal at Pittodrie that clinched the title that year – Rangers’ first in nine years. Cooper was the only survivor from the championship team of 1977/78 and the feeling was so sweet. Souness was happy to admit that Cooper ‘was as responsible as anybody for the success in winning the championship’.
But, by season 1988/89, Davie was no longer an automatic choice at Ibrox and in August 1989 he went to Motherwell in search of regular first-team football. True to his talent, Cooper helped his new club win the Scottish Cup, defeating Dundee United 4-3 in the epic 1991 final.
He was planning to end his career where it started, back at Clydebank, but on 22 March 1995 he collapsed while filming a soccer skills programme with Charlie Nicholas. He later died of a brain haemorrhage. He was only 39.
The tragedy stunned Scottish football fans everywhere, especially at Rangers. Flowers and scarves adorned the gates at the Copland Road end of Ibrox in his memory. One of Scotland’s greatest football sons had gone.
Ten years after his death Rangers and Motherwell wore specially inscribed shirts in his honour when they contested the League Cup final and the great man no doubt approved from on high as his beloved Rangers won 5-1.