Rangers commission statue of legendary manager Walter Smith on first anniversary of his passing

Rangers have commissioned a statue of legendary manager Walter Smith on the first anniversary of his passing.

The former Light Blues, Everton and Scotland boss died at the age of 73 last year following a short illness as the footballing world turned out in huge numbers to pay their respects at a memorial service at Glasgow Cathedral.

Smith, who won 21 major honours across two spells in charge of the Ibrox side, remains the club’s second most successful manager of all-time after Bill Struth.

He won 10 top-flight titles, five Scottish Cups and six League Cups as well as reaching the UEFA Cup final in 2008. Smith’s achievements will now be commemorated with a statue at the Copland Road end of Ibrox.

A club statement read: “On the first anniversary of his passing, Rangers Football Club are today pleased to announce a statue of legendary manager Walter Smith has been commissioned to commemorate his incredible achievements at the club.

“In the modern era, nobody contributed more to Rangers than Walter. He served as assistant manager, manager, and Chairman, with his spells as manager yielding an incredible 10 top-flight titles, five Scottish Cups and six League Cups.

“A boyhood supporter who more than lived the dream, future generations will be met with this new sculpture at the famed Copland Road end of Ibrox Stadium.”

Which teams did Walter Smith manage?

A former Dundee United and Dumbarton defender, Lanark-born Smith made his first foray into coaching under Jim McLean at Tannadice. He later became head coach of Scotland under-18s in 1978 and the under-21 in 1982, while assisting Sir Alex Ferguson at the 1986 World Cup in Mexico.

Smith initially joined Rangers as a player/assistant manager to Graeme Souness later that summer before being handed the job on a full-time basis when Souness moved south of the border to manage Liverpool in 1991.

He continued the club’s domination of Scottish football, completing a domestic treble in the 1992/93 season - the same year in which they narrowly missed out on a place in the Champions League final after finishing as runners-up in the group.

Smith equalled Celtic’s record of nine successive champions in 1996/97 before leaving the club at the end of the campaign to join Everton.

A brief spell as Ferguson’s assistant at Manchester United towards the end of the 2003/04 season paved the way to becoming Scotland National Team boss in December 2004 following Berti Vogts departure.

Smith oversaw a significant rise of 70 places in FIFA’s international rankings, despite failing to qualify for a mjor tournament. He returned to Ibrox for a second spell in January 2007 and was able to replicate the success of his first stint.

He led the club to a UEFA Cup final, which they lost 2-0 to Zenit St Petersburg at Old Trafford and added a further eight pieces of silverware to the club’s trophy room. A short three-month spell as Rngers chaiman followed in 2013 but he resigned from the position after infighting within the boardroom.