Walter Smith was more than a Rangers manager, he felt like family - Derek Clark

He felt like family which makes his untimely death at the age of 73 all the more heartbreaking.

Growing up, he was at the very heart of my childhood. He gave me, and countless others, some of the most cherished memories of our lives.

My earliest recollection of Walter was that famous 1992-93 season when he guided Rangers to a domestic treble and the team were agonisingly close to reaching the Champions League final. I was fortunate enough to watch that illustrious side in action and it felt like the greatest team in the world.

Walter was the quintessential Rangers manager. He oozed class, he had a steely determination; you just knew you were in safe hands when he was at the helm.

I was too young to experience the great Bill Struth, Willie Waddell or Jock Wallace but feel so privileged to have been able to appreciate Walter.

The outpouring of grief from the wider footballing world shows just how highly regarded he was. You hear players and journalists speak about the aura he had when he walked into a room - it's true, he had that in abundance.

I remember covering matches at Ibrox in Walter’s second spell as manager and feeling that first hand when he walked into the press room. As a young reporter, I recall eventually plucking up the courage to ask him a question about Thomas Buffel on one occasion after a game and feeling on top of the world that he responded.

He had a presence about him that not many people in football can claim to possess. That being said, he held himself with humility and had a class about him that endeared him to so many.

On the pitch, he provided some iconic moments in my life that I will never forget. I was fortunate enough to be at Parkhead when Rangers beat Hearts 4-3 in a dramatic League Cup final, the 2009 title win at Tannadice was incredible as were the numerous Hampden cup final victories.

Walter Smith holds the League Cup aloft after defeating Hearts 4-3 at Parkhead

Walter helped create memories that are still so vivid in my mind that I remember exactly where I was and what I was doing when they occurred.

Take the famous Ally McCoist bicycle kick against Hibs in the League Cup final at Parkhead. I remember watching it in my living room and jumping about going bananas at what I had just witnessed before bursting outside to try to recreate the goal with my friends.

There was the 3-1 win over Celtic at Ibrox in 1996, I remember watching the game at Torrance House Golf Club in East Kilbride and being overwhelmed with excitement and jubilation when Erik Bo Andersen notched a double and the iconic images of Walter racing down in the touchline in celebration.

Back in the 90s, the blanket coverage of football wasn’t anywhere near what it is now. As such, I remember spending many an afternoon or evening glued to the radio listening to games - that is how I witnessed Walter leading the team to nine in a row when Brian Laudrup’s header sealed the milestone at Tannadice.

Whenever Walter came on the telly to give his pre- or post-match interview, everyone in the Clark household had to stop what they were doing. Conversations were brought to an abrupt end. ‘Shush! Walter’s talking!’ 

Despite his success in his first spell, I admit I felt a change in manager was required when he moved on in the summer of 1998. When, however, he was appointed for a second time to restore the club from the mess it had been left in, there was nobody more delighted than myself.

READ MORE: Tributes flood in for Rangers legend Walter Smith from across the footballing world

After that, well, it wouldn't be long until Walter was waving shiny things in front of us again.

As much as his first spell as manager was successful, it’s the work he carried out between 2007-11 that catapults him to a level only possibly matched by Struth.

It’s hard to fathom just how he managed to bring so much success to the club given the financial restraints off the pitch and the level of player he had at his disposal.

The run to the 2008 UEFA Cup final in Manchester will live long in the memory. Lyon, Bremen and Lisbon were sensational but Florence was like nothing I’d experienced before as a supporter.

It’s funny hearing Ally McCoist mentioning that Walter didn’t know the score before Nacho Novo stepped up to take the winning spot-kick - as I was in the same boat. I remember asking my dad for confirmation that if he scored it meant Rangers had won. It was such a surreal experience it was hard to compute what had been achieved, but again that was Walter at his absolute best.

I was lucky to be able to cover the final for a local radio station but what I remember more vividly than that is how close I came to tears as I watched Walter and the players applaud the supporters following the defeat to Zenit. It was just one bridge too far for that group who had overachieved enormously. It's probably the only time I’ve been close to crying at a football match.

Walter Smith with the trophy after the 2010 League Cup win

In his second spell, Walter would wrestle the league title back from Celtic and retain the trophy for three successive seasons as well as adding two Scottish Cups and two League Cups.

The 2010 League Cup triumph epitomises Walter in all his glory as he masterminded a nine-man Rangers side to victory against St Mirren. His raw emotion when Kenny Miller bulleted the winning header past Paul Gallacher is what we all loved about Walter, he lived and breathed every second of the game.

There wasn’t a dry eye in the house when he said goodbye to the supporters on a soaking wet night at Ibrox in May 2011 but as much as he will be remembered for bringing so much success and joy on the field, he leaves a massive void off it.

McCoist summed up his former manager perfectly on talkSPORT this morning when he said: “The history books will tell us how good Walter was as a manager and a coach and that’s all the things that we understand and appreciate and we love him for but I’ll tell you right now: what a friend, what a pal, what a boss, what a husband, what a grandfather, what a dad.”

A fitting tribute should see a stand renamed in his honour and a statue erected outside Ibrox. It’s befitting of one of the greatest, if not the greatest, figure in the club’s 150-year history.

Thanks for everything Walter, rest in peace.