'His stature cannot be overstated' - reaction as Rangers icon Smith passes away

Former Rangers captain Richard Gough said he received news of Walter Smith's death through a phone call from Ally McCoist.

"We had been in touch regularly and he'd been keeping me [updated] as Walter's family was and then he told me that he had passed away this morning," Gough told BBC Radio Scotland.

"It's very sad news but we knew that it was coming. He'd been at home for the last 10 days or something to be with his family.

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"I got a text message from his son Neil saying that the family were all round him when he passed.

"I just feel for Ethel, his two boys and his grandkids. It's just sad news."

Former Rangers forward Derek Johnstone said the Rangers family had been left "devastated" by the news.

"We knew he hadn’t been well for a while but the one thing that Walter is, is a fighter," Johnstone told Sky. "He’s been a leader all his life, certainly at this club.

“He had so much passion for this football club and that is what the fans loved about him.

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“Arguably – he’s certainly up there – with the greatest managers that ever managed this club, if not the best.

“He had very, very few enemies. He was that kind of person that got on with everybody.

“So when I heard the news this morning, like every other Rangers fan, I just couldn’t believe it had happened."

Aberdeen midfielder Scott Brown expressed sadness following the passing of Walter Smith.

"Walter was a fantastic man, he was the one that gave me my first Scotland cap many years ago and I worked with him very very closely coming through with Scotland," former Celtic captain Brown said.

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"And I have got huge respect for him as well, especially with what he did with Tommy Burns as well, carrying his coffin at the time.

"He tried to bridge the gap as well between the two clubs which was fantastic at the time.

"Every time I met Walter he had so much time for every single person, he was great about the place with Scotland, he was a fantastic manager for the club as well and what he has done for the Scottish game is amazing..."

Former Scotland manager Gordon Strachan says news of Walter Smith's passing has come as a great shock.

Speaking on BBC Radio Scotland, Strachan said: "It took my breath away for a while.

"There's some things that you can deal with and there are some things that blow your mind.

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"The game that I love [football] and the reason why I'm still involved is people. I love football people and one of the greatest factors of my love of the game was Walter.

"Whenever I met him, life got better."

LMA Executive Committee member and West Ham manager David Moyes said: “I looked up to Walter with so much respect. He was such a great Scottish manager but, to me, he was an even better man.

"He was honourable, he showed great dignity, and always demonstrated such class. He was a true friend and mentor, and a man I feel privileged to have known. He will always be remembered fondly.“My thoughts are with all of Walter's family."

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All at the League Managers Association are so deeply saddened by the death of our very close friend, LMA member Walter Smith OBE, who has passed away at the age of 73.

Manchester City Manager and LMA member Pep Guardiola said: “I am so very sad to hear the news of Walter Smith’s passing.

“I was of course very aware of Walter’s impressive management career before I came to the Premier League. Through his role as Technical Consultant for the LMA, I have had the opportunity over the past five years to get to know him and see what a humble, insightful and very genuine man he was.

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“I always enjoyed spending time with Walter and we had been planning to have dinner together again.

“I feel very fortunate to have had the chance to get to know him and I send my deepest condolences to Walter’s wife Ethel, his sons Neil and Steven, his grandchildren and all of his family who have lost a very special man.”

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Scotland head coach Steve Clarke also said how Walter Smith was a “formidable” manager and talked about his first encounter with him almost 40 years ago.

“He always had a strength and presence that marked him out," Clarke says. "That no doubt contributed to the great success he had throughout his career.

“I had my first experience at the World Youth Championship when he was Andy Roxburgh’s assistant in 1983 and, even back then, he was impressive in his coaching and how he carried himself.

“He was always very supportive and terrific company when our paths crossed over the years. His loss will be felt profoundly across Scottish football.”

SFA president Rod Petrie has paid tribute to ex-national team boss Walter Smith, saying his "stature in the game cannot be overstated".

“Scottish football has lost an all-time great today," Petrie says. "He is a rare example of someone who truly deserves the legendary status that has been bestowed upon him.

“When his playing career was cut short due to injury, Walter’s true calling in life became evident and the impact he made in his career will resonate in Scottish football for many years to come.

“He was a devoted husband, father and grandfather and his reputation for conducting himself in a dignified manner at all times and being on hand to guide and advise those that knew him preceded him wherever he went."

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Ex-Celtic and Scotland captain Brown vividly remembers a bit of early advice he received from Smith.

"It was my first cap," Brown recalls. "He went, ‘wee man, go on and cause carnage and get yourself a goal' - and to be fair, on the day I scored a goal but it was offside.

"It was a fantastic occasion. It was probably one of the first times that I met Walter, he was this huge presence at the time and you knew that when he came in the room.

"Everyone had huge respect for him, he was a fantastic manager at Scotland, Rangers and what he did down in England was fantastic as well.

"I met him down at Cheltenham a couple of times and he gave me some good horse tips, we still kept in contact that way."

Aberdeen captain Scott Brown, who worked under Walter Smith with the national team, says the news of the ex-Rangers manager's passing is "so sad".

"Walter was a fantastic man," the ex-Celtic skipper says. "He was the one that gave me my first Scotland cap many years ago and I worked with him very, very closely coming through with Scotland.

"I have got huge respect for him as well, especially with what he did with Tommy Burns, carrying his coffin at the time. He tried to bridge the gap as well between the two clubs which was fantastic at the time.

"Every time I met Walter he had so much time for every single person, he was great about the place with Scotland. What he has done for the Scottish game is amazing."

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