The long goodbye

[ian1964 10,545]

TANNADICE for trophies.

 

It's been his glory ground, his stadium for success.

 

Walter Smith has known nothing but joy down the years at the home of Dundee United.

 

But slip up there tonight and he knows his career could end with him being left with NOTHING.

 

Smith's best days as a player were at Tannadice.

 

He was then Jim McLean's No2 when United won the league title in 1983.

 

But that was only the beginning of his glittering career at the top of the Scottish game.

 

Tannadice was with him at various landmark steps along the way.

 

As Graeme Souness' right-hand man at Rangers he barked instructions from the away dug-out as Trevor Steven scored to win the Premier League.

 

Seven years later Smith watched his emotional skipper Richard Gough lift the same trophy as his heroes clinched a historic Nine in a Row.

 

It surely couldn't get any better than that.

 

But Smith returned as Ibrox boss for a second time for yet more tears and triumphs.

 

This time a 3-0 victory at DD3 7JW two years ago stopped Gordon Strachan's Celtic winning the SPL.

 

Whatever happens tonight Smith would be forgiven for standing back at the end and savouring a long goodbye.

 

This will almost certainly be the last time he sets foot in the place as a boss.

 

But the Rangers manager is totally focused on one more title win before he goes.

 

Ironically, it's United at home in Rangers' last game of the season and Smith's last game in charge. But tonight's clash against his old club has to be dealt with first as he dreams of ending his illustrious career on an all-time high.

 

At 63 he's earned his retirement, earned the right to step to one side.

 

And he jokes that he can't wait to let Ally McCoist take over in just six weeks time.

 

But deep down this is a man as determined as ever to see out his tenure in style.

 

That didn't happen when he stood down in 1998 - Celtic putting the brakes on Rangers' ten-in-a-row bid.

 

And that's the driving force behind this season's bid for domestic title success.

 

Smith's squad is leg-tired and weary, players who have had every ounce of energy squeezed from them.

 

And no one appreciates that more than the man whose job it is to pick the team.

 

But Smith believes the hardest part of the campaign is over with Gers ready, fit and refreshed for the big run-in.

 

He said: "If we still had 10 or 12 games to go then, yes, fatigue would be a worry.

 

"But once you start to get down to the last six games then you can see the finishing line.

 

"You know what you have to do if you are going to have a successful end to the season.

 

"So I'd hope that in itself would banish any kind of fatigue the players might have been feeling. Also, after this game and the Celtic match on Sunday, we have two midweeks without a game, for the first time in a long time. So that should refresh us too.

 

"But the best thing to keep us refreshed is winning games.

 

"That's what we need to keep our eye on tomorrow night and get back at a United side that beat us at Ibrox recently.

 

"But I do feel the players are starting to pick up again, mentally and physically.

 

"When you reach this stage if you don't have an appetite for the title fight then you really do have a problem.

 

"Our boys have shown a good mentality over the past couple of years and hopefully will show it again."

 

Managers everywhere are judged on their signings.

 

And when Smith thinks back there have been more successes than flop failures.

 

The days of Brian Laudrup and Paul Gascoigne are gone.

 

But Smith is thrilled the �£4million paid out for Nikica Jelavic is looking like good value for money.

 

He added: "He's a good lad, his attitude is good. The reports we had when watching him were that he had a lot of ability but also had a good approach to the game.

 

"We sent people to see him play and what came back was that his attitude was always excellent.

 

"He always wanted to win and that competitive streak is a big part of the overall package."

 

Smith's competitive streak is as strong as ever.

 

He revealed last night he turned down a job offer from the English Premier League to stay with Gers last summer. Smith added: "When you leave a job at 63 everyone assumes it's because of your age.

 

"It doesn't necessarily mean that I am going to retire.

 

"If the right opportunity arose elsewhere, then of course I would consider it.

 

"I've had opportunities to go back to England on a couple of occasions, the most recent being at the start of the season. It was a good Barclay's Premier League club.

 

"But I didn't think that it was right to leave Rangers when I had just agreed to stay for one more season."

 

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