Rangers legend Ally McCoist's Walter Smith tribute did his old gaffer and friend proud - OldFirmFacts

Due to the man’s high standing in the game, writers will spend hours searching for the right combination of words to do the former Rangers and Scotland boss' legacy justice.

It’s unlikely, however, that any will be able to match the poignancy of Ally McCoist’s tribute on Tuesday morning.

McCoist was the star striker as Smith secured seven league titles in the nine-in-a-row era, his assistant when the man returned for a successful second spell and a coach alongside the late Tommy Burns during his reign as Scotland manager.

It’s a relationship that has spanned 40 years, going back to McCoist’s time in Scotland’s youth team, and upon hearing the sad news nobody would have begrudged McCoist leaving the talkSPORT studio and heading home.

Instead, he stayed on and paid tribute to his gaffer.

“He was my boss, my coach, my second father. He became one of my best friends.”

“It can’t take away the pain and grief.” 💔

Ally McCoist pays an emotional tribute to #RangersFC legend Walter Smith. 🙏 pic.twitter.com/kQRP6ZdXF5

— talkSPORT (@talkSPORT) October 26, 2021

In doing so, McCoist perfectly articulated the sadness felt by those who knew and loved the man. He also demonstrated bravery and selflessness that would have made his mentor proud.

Speaking live without notes, he talked with emotion and clarity about what Smith meant to him as a person, and not just as a manager or colleague.

“I could sit here and tell you about Walter Smith until the cows come home, about how good a manager, how good a coach, how good a football man he was.

“But I think I can safely say, he was probably the best husband, the best father, the best friend, everything you’d expect in a man”.

McCoist reminisced about the time Smith played air guitar during an AC/DC gig at Hampden. Talking about Smith’s love of music, golf and quizzes, he fleshed out the family man and friend that he knew and loved.

By providing an insight into who Smith was away from the game, he allowed listeners to come away with a better understanding of who a man they might only have known from interviews and pictures was as a person.

“He was just the most genuine of men. Hard, fair, honest. Absolutely wicked, wicked sense of humour, and just brilliant to be around”.

Importantly, McCoist spoke of the high regard in which he was held by Celtic supporters. It was a respect that deepened in 2008 when Smith and McCoist carried Tommy Burns’ coffin. He spoke movingly of their time as a trio with the national team, saying that union of Rangers and Celtic men “grabbed the imagination of the country”.

The tributes from Celtic fans on social media and at Ibrox served to underline McCoist’s point.

“We love football rivalry. Everybody loves it, as long as it’s taken the right way. My phone’s just incredible just now with Celtic friends and supporters, and he was just a football man”.

The enthusiasm in McCoist’s voice when he describes the action as a co-commentator is infectious and has elevated him to a level of popularity that eludes the vast majority of his broadcasting peers.

That same enthusiasm was evident as he discussed Smith’s qualities, and made his words all the more powerful.

“He knew what was required and when it was required. Whether it was a pat on the back, a little gee up, a cuddle. He was just a proper human being”.

To sum the man up in such an articulate, dignified manner having just heard the news speaks volumes for McCoist, and also said so much about the impact Smith had on his life.

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

He also put things in perspective by repeatedly referring to Smith’s family. Football fans in Scotland have lost a titan of the game, but he was also a husband, father and grandfather.

“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 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. That’s the message that this morning we should all be thinking about.”

You can read about the 21 trophies, 10 titles and UEFA Cup run on his Wikipedia page or watch the clips on YouTube, but that success in the dugout was but one aspect of his life. McCoist made listeners across Britain understand who Smith was as a human.

“Absolutely unbelievable human being"

In an era when many pundits resort to cliche or exist mainly to generate controversy, McCoist has transcended the nonsense and gained the respect of fans across the board. Just like his mentor.

Smith will have played a major role in McCoist’s development as a goalscorer, but the manner in which McCoist spoke of him today proves he’s left a bigger imprint on him as a person.

McCoist’s composed, heartfelt tribute perfectly encapsulated who Walter Smith was as a man and, in the process, showed the type of man that he is himself.

“He was everything to a lot of folk, myself included. He was my boss, my coach, he was my second father... and then he turned into one of my best friends”.

R.I.P.