Davie Cooper
Encyclopedia
David "Davie" Cooper was a professional football
player. He was a Scotland
international and played as a left winger.
He started his career at Clydebank F.C.
where he was an instant success, helping the club to the second division championship in 1975-1976. Some of the major clubs began to take notice of his ability and in 1977 he was signed by Rangers
manager Jock Wallace
for £100,000. With Rangers, Cooper won three League Championships and three Scottish Cup
s. By season 1988-1989 he was no longer a first team regular and moved to Motherwell
for £50,000. He went on to win the Scottish Cup with Motherwell in 1991 before returning to his former club Clydebank in 1994.
Dutch footballing legend Ruud Gullit
played against Davie Cooper in a friendly match for Feyenoord against Rangers, after which he called Cooper one of the greatest players he has ever seen, he later named Cooper in his greatest XI in football magazine Four Four Two
He died of a brain haemorrhage on 23 March 1995 whilst he was filming a coaching video.
Cooper moved up to St. John's Grammar School (now Hamilton Grammar School), which had no team playing before third year. He soon went on to secure a regular starting place with local juvenile team Udston United. As a boy he was a Rangers
supporter and when he was not playing it was to Ibrox
that he went with his father and brother. His brother, John, had a two year spell with Hull City
when he was 16, but he failed to secure a career as a professional footballer.
Cooper himself later moved on to Hamilton Avondale from where he would subsequently sign for Clydebank
. He played with the Under-16 team before moving up to Under-18. At the time he was working as an apprentice printer with the brothers who ran Avondale. He had gained a cap for the Scottish Amateur League, but his first International recognition came when he represented his country at Under-18 level against the Home Nations
.
Rangers
, Motherwell
, Clyde
and Clydebank
, together with English sides Coventry City
and Crystal Palace
, all expressed an interest in signing the young Cooper. After his brother's less than pleasant experience on Humberside
, however, Cooper was hesitant about the step up to professional football. But when he became too old to play for Avondale in the younger age groups, and after having served his apprenticeship as a printer, a career in professional football began to become a more realistic prospect. Cooper's bosses asked Jack Steedman, then the owner of Clydebank, to help persuade the youngster to turn professional. Steedman is said, perhaps apocryphally, to have turned up with the takings from the 'puggy' - the fruit machine - in the 'Bankies' social club as the lure. The sum involved varies, but the story has it that the objective was to "persuade" Cooper to sign. The result was that in the summer of 1974, Cooper became a Clydebank player.
in the League Cup
, in one of the then mini-leagues around which the competition was organised, which also included St. Mirren and Stirling Albion
. The game took place on Saturday 10 August 1974 at Broomfield and it proved to be a rather inauspicious debut for the youngster as the home team won, after leading 1-0 at the break, 4-0. Cooper came on to replace Joe McGovern.
Cooper's full debut came also against Airdrie and again in the Scottish League Cup
on Wednesday 28 August, but again Airdrie won, this time by 2-1. The game was also his first appearance at New Kilbowie Park. The 'Bankies' finished bottom of the section.
Cooper's Scottish League
debut came in the Second Division
, in the last season before League re-construction, on Saturday, 31 August. The game was against Queen of the South
at Palmerston Park, with the 'Bankies' going down 3-0 at the hands of the 'Doonhamers'. He was left on the bench for the visit of Stranraer
in midweek and although he replaced Norrie Hall he was unable to help the Bankies win as they recorded their second 3-0 defeat in two games. After that he drifted out of the team and it was not until the end of October that he became an almost permanent fixture in the Clydebank line-up.
Cooper first played on the winning side for the Bankies on 30 November, when Clydebank beat Cowdenbeath
at Kilbowie by 2-1. His first goal for the Bankies came two games later when, again at Kilbowie, he scored the third goal in the 4-1 defeat of Alloa Athletic
. Cooper ended the season with 29 starts, 2 as a sub, and scored 5 goals.
In the 1975-76 season, the Bankies led from the off in the 26 game Second Division and Cooper was one of four ever-presents that season, He was amongst the goals that season too, finishing top of the Clydebank list with 13 in the League, three of which were penalties. His first hat-trick
in Senior football included two penalties on a dark and cold Saturday, as the Bankies defeated Alloa Athletic
3-1. Cooper played in all of the Bankies 49 games that season, scoring 22 goals and seeing the club promoted to the First Division
.
In the League, the Bankies were the only real rivals to a superbly talented young St. Mirren side, steered by an inexperienced and fiery manager by the name of Alex Ferguson. The season involved a 6-0 win at Bayview and the Bankies record victory of 8-1 over Arbroath
at New Kilbowie when Cooper scored his second and final hat-trick for the Bankies.
The Bankies eventually sealed promotion to the Premier Division
in the fourth last game of the season with a memorable win over Dundee
. Clydebank finished runners-up to St. Mirren and became the first Scottish team to be promoted in successive seasons. Cooper's last goal for the Bankies was against Raith Rovers
in a 2-0 win at New Kilbowie on 23 April 1977. His last game was at Brockville in a 4-2 win, a week later.
for the Home International Championship and the trip to South America
, but immediately before he left for Chile
, he signed for Rangers
. The fee involved was £100,000 and it was reported that he received a signing on fee of £10,000 and was on a wage of £150 per week.
Cooper made a good start to his Ibrox
career, he appeared in 52 of Rangers 53 matches in the 1977-78 season, as Jock Wallace's side won the domestic treble. His first league goal for Rangers came against St Mirren at Love Street on 17 September 1977 in a 3-3 draw, his last goal came almost exactly eleven years later also against St Mirren. His first Ibrox goal for the club came a fortnight later in a 4-1 win against Clydebank and he went on to notch another in the same match direct from a corner kick
. He went on to score eight goals in total during his first season.
The following season Rangers retained both cups with Cooper making 49 appearances and scoring ten goals. Cooper scored an outrageous and widely remembered goal against Celtic in the 1979 Drybrough Cup
Final. He took the ball on his chest with his back to the goal, then proceeded to beat four defenders while playing keepie uppie
, before slipping the ball into the back of the net. This goal was voted the greatest ever Rangers goal by fans and listed by The Guardian
's Rob Smyth as the second greatest ever solo goal, after Diego Maradona
's Goal of the Century.
The 1979-80 season was the first of only three seasons during his time at Ibrox that the club failed to win a trophy, with their final league position of 5th not winning the club a place in European competition. Aberdeen
won the Premier Division, Celtic the Scottish Cup beating Rangers in the Final and Dundee United
the League Cup.
The summer of 1980 almost saw the end of Cooper's Rangers career as Brighton
's Alan Mullery
put in a bid for both Cooper and Gordon Smith. Greig however would only let one go and Mullery plumped, perhaps wrongly, for Smith.
The following season (1980-81) was to be, in the main, another disappointing one for Cooper, as John Greig used the his talent sparingly in league matches (starting fewer than half the games) and even more sporadically in the Scottish Cup. He was recalled to the starting line-up for the final replay against Dundee United inspiring Rangers to regain the Cup. This was to be Davie's last Scottish Cup winners medal for the Ibrox side.
1981-1982 saw Cooper start his 21st consecutive League Cup tie for Rangers as they won through to the Final to defeat the holders, Dundee United, who were going for a hat-trick of victories in the competition. His only goal in the Ibrox side's 11 ties came in the Final. Coop' also returned to the manager's plans in the League missing only 6 fixtures as Rangers finished third.
The end of the season brought the club's 7th successive Scottish Cup Final but they suffered a 4-1 drubbing at the hands of Aberdeen. However, it saw yet another medal to add to the Cooper collection.
The 1982-83 term saw two significant landmarks in the Cooper career: His first hat-trick for Rangers (in a Sectional League Cup tie against Kilmarnock
) and his first and only European goal, netted against Borussia Dortmund
at Ibrox, in the UEFA Cup
. That season was also to prove to be his most prolific goalscoring season for the club, netting 12 times in all competitions. Despite this, it was to prove yet another season without trophies. Although Rangers reached both Cup Finals, Celtic were victorious in the League Cup and Aberdeen, for the second successive year, secured the Scottish Cup.
The following two seasons (1983-84 and 1984-85) saw Davie succeed again in the League Cup, wrapping up winners medals No 4 and No 5. The Rangers management changed, with Jock Wallace returning to Ibrox in place of John Greig
. In hindsight, Greig's treatment of Cooper's mercurial skills was widely held to have been ineffective.
Rangers, despite Cooper missing only six matches during this time, continued to disappoint in the Premier Division, securing only fourth in the table on each occasion.
With the arrival of Graeme Souness
as Rangers manager in April 1986, optimism was high for the following campaign and Cooper was to play a major part once more. The League Cup returned to Ibrox with victory over Celtic in the Final of 1986-1987, the winner coming from the penalty spot after referee Davie Syme adjudged that Terry Butcher was impeded by Roy Aitken thus he pointed to the spot and it was netted by Davie Cooper. After a hesitant start, Rangers won the League championship for the first time in 9 years. Cooper not only set up a substantial fraction of Rangers goals, but netted 8 in league matches himself.
The 1987-88 season saw Cooper again produce the unexpected on the Hampden stage in the League Cup Final, with an unstoppable free-kick to net Rangers first goal in the 3-3 draw against Aberdeen. The Ibrox side eventually won 5-3 on penalties and so Cooper was able to claim his seventh winners medal. Celtic claimed the other two domestic trophies in their Centenary season.
In his last season at Ibrox, Cooper became increasingly frustrated as Graeme Souness used his talents sparingly and often favoured Mark Walters
as his first-choice winger. This lack of first-team games was to lead to his leaving the club. Davie Cooper's career as a Rangers player began to draw to a close at Hampden in May 1989 in another Scottish Cup Final, as Rangers chased their first treble in 11 years. Unfortunately for Cooper, who appeared as a substitute, a Joe Miller goal retained the cup for Celtic.
At the beginning of the 1988-89 season (Tuesday 9 August 1988), Cooper's testimonial match
against Girondins de Bordeaux saw over 43,000 spectators watch Rangers win 3-2 with Butcher, Drinkell and McCoist netting for Rangers. Cooper finished his Rangers career with 75 goals in 540 appearances. When asked to describe the highlight of his time at Rangers, he simply responded "I played for the team I loved."
at Motherwell
in August 1989. In his four and a half seasons at Fir Park
, Davie played over 150 times for the "Steelmen" and was instrumental in the club winning its first major trophy in 39 years, in the epic Scottish Cup Final of 1991 which saw Dundee United
defeated 4-3 after extra-time. The move also revived Cooper's Scotland career and he earned another four caps before injury put paid to his chances of going to the 1990 World Cup Finals in Italy
.
Third Round Replay at Tynecastle
on 7 February 1995. But despite the Bankies best efforts they were unable to overcome the Edinburgh team. That was Cooper's last First XI appearance. The last goal he scored was against Airdrie in the League Cup Semi-Final - typically it was a first class strike. Cooper made his last appearance in a Clydebank jersey in a reserve fixture at New Kilbowie on 21 February 1995 against Hamilton Academical.
town of Pilsen. Cooper played alongside the likes of Roy Aitken
, George Burley
and John Wark
in a 0-0 draw. His cap that October night meant that he missed the Clydebank game Brockville the only match he missed all season. He secured another three caps that season - against Wales
, Switzerland
and England
.
Cooper had become a regular in the Scotland team where, prior to the 1986 World Cup, he had played in 11 straight games. He played in the crucial match against Wales
at Ninian Park
, coming on as substitute for Gordon Strachan
and scoring the penalty that took Scotland another step on the road to Mexico
. The night also brought sadness as Jock Stein
, the Scotland manager, died.
Scotland had to beat Australia for the privilege to cross the Atlantic and Cooper was on the score sheet in the 2-0 win. Cooper, who had been prominent in the run up to the World Cup, was employed sparingly by Alex Ferguson
in Mexico, making just two appearances.
Cooper suffered a brain haemorrhage on 22 March 1995 at Broadwood Stadium where he and former Celtic, Arsenal
and Aberdeen Scottish international Charlie Nicholas were recording a coaching film for youngsters. He died in hospital the next day. He was 39 years old.
His funeral took place at Hillhouse Parish Church, Hamilton on Monday 27 March 1995, and he was buried in the town's Bent cemetery.
Cooper is remembered as one of the most significant players in the histories of Clydebank, Rangers and Motherwell football clubs. In his tribute to Cooper, the then Rangers manager, Walter Smith
, said that "God gave Davie Cooper a talent. He would not be disappointed with how it was used."
was named after Cooper by his father, ex pro Henry Templeton
. David Templeton's full name is David Cooper Templeton.
After Cooper's death, Motherwell re-named Fir Park
's North Stand in his honour.
The 2005 Scottish League Cup Final
between Rangers and Motherwell paid tribute to Cooper's memory. Ticket stubs had an image of him printed on them, and a percentage of the programme sales went towards establishing a centre for special needs children.
Football (soccer)
Association football, more commonly known as football or soccer, is a sport played between two teams of eleven players with a spherical ball...
player. He was a Scotland
Scotland national football team
The Scotland national football team represents Scotland in international football and is controlled by the Scottish Football Association. Scotland are the joint oldest national football team in the world, alongside England, whom they played in the world's first international football match in 1872...
international and played as a left winger.
He started his career at Clydebank F.C.
Clydebank F.C.
Clydebank Football Club are a Scottish football club based in the town of Clydebank, West Dunbartonshire, near Yoker. The present club, formed in 2003, is a member of the Scottish Junior Football Association, and currently plays in West Super League Premier Division...
where he was an instant success, helping the club to the second division championship in 1975-1976. Some of the major clubs began to take notice of his ability and in 1977 he was signed by Rangers
Rangers F.C.
Rangers Football Club are an association football club based in Glasgow, Scotland, who play in the Scottish Premier League. The club are nicknamed the Gers, Teddy Bears and the Light Blues, and the fans are known to each other as bluenoses...
manager Jock Wallace
Jock Wallace
John "Jock" Martin Bokas Wallace was a professional Scottish football player and manager. His father, Jock Wallace, Sr., was a goalkeeper for Raith Rovers, Blackpool and Derby County....
for £100,000. With Rangers, Cooper won three League Championships and three Scottish Cup
Scottish Cup
The Scottish Football Association Challenge Cup,, commonly known as the Scottish Cup or the William Hill Scottish Cup for sponsorship purposes, is the main national cup competition in Scottish football. It is a knockout cup competition run by and named after the Scottish Football Association.The...
s. By season 1988-1989 he was no longer a first team regular and moved to Motherwell
Motherwell F.C.
Motherwell Football & Athletic Club are a Scottish professional football club based in Motherwell, North Lanarkshire. The club compete in the Scottish Premier League and are one of only seven teams to have remained in this league since it was founded in 1998...
for £50,000. He went on to win the Scottish Cup with Motherwell in 1991 before returning to his former club Clydebank in 1994.
Dutch footballing legend Ruud Gullit
Ruud Gullit
OON is a Dutch football manager and former football player, who played professionally in the 1980s and 1990s. He was the captain of the Netherlands national team that was victorious at Euro 88 and was also a member of the squad for the 1990 World Cup. He was named the European Footballer of the...
played against Davie Cooper in a friendly match for Feyenoord against Rangers, after which he called Cooper one of the greatest players he has ever seen, he later named Cooper in his greatest XI in football magazine Four Four Two
He died of a brain haemorrhage on 23 March 1995 whilst he was filming a coaching video.
Early life
Cooper was born in Hamilton, Scotland on Saturday 25 February 1956. He attended Beckford Street Primary in Hamilton before moving on to Udston Primary, and it was to be at the latter that his talent started to flourish as captain of the school team. He played then at left-half (the equivalent of left midfield in contemporary footballing terms) and at inside left (roughly equivalent to a modern-day deep-lying striker).Cooper moved up to St. John's Grammar School (now Hamilton Grammar School), which had no team playing before third year. He soon went on to secure a regular starting place with local juvenile team Udston United. As a boy he was a Rangers
Rangers F.C.
Rangers Football Club are an association football club based in Glasgow, Scotland, who play in the Scottish Premier League. The club are nicknamed the Gers, Teddy Bears and the Light Blues, and the fans are known to each other as bluenoses...
supporter and when he was not playing it was to Ibrox
Ibrox Stadium
Ibrox Stadium is a football stadium located on the south side of the River Clyde, on Edmiston Drive in the Ibrox district of Glasgow. It is the home ground of Scottish Premier League club Rangers and has an all-seated capacity of 51,082...
that he went with his father and brother. His brother, John, had a two year spell with Hull City
Hull City A.F.C.
Hull City Association Football Club is an English association football club based in Kingston upon Hull, East Riding of Yorkshire, founded in 1904. The club participates in the Football League Championship, the second tier of English football...
when he was 16, but he failed to secure a career as a professional footballer.
Cooper himself later moved on to Hamilton Avondale from where he would subsequently sign for Clydebank
Clydebank F.C.
Clydebank Football Club are a Scottish football club based in the town of Clydebank, West Dunbartonshire, near Yoker. The present club, formed in 2003, is a member of the Scottish Junior Football Association, and currently plays in West Super League Premier Division...
. He played with the Under-16 team before moving up to Under-18. At the time he was working as an apprentice printer with the brothers who ran Avondale. He had gained a cap for the Scottish Amateur League, but his first International recognition came when he represented his country at Under-18 level against the Home Nations
Home Nations
Home Nations is a collective term with one of two meanings depending on the context. Politically, it means the nations of the constituent countries of the United Kingdom...
.
Rangers
Rangers F.C.
Rangers Football Club are an association football club based in Glasgow, Scotland, who play in the Scottish Premier League. The club are nicknamed the Gers, Teddy Bears and the Light Blues, and the fans are known to each other as bluenoses...
, Motherwell
Motherwell F.C.
Motherwell Football & Athletic Club are a Scottish professional football club based in Motherwell, North Lanarkshire. The club compete in the Scottish Premier League and are one of only seven teams to have remained in this league since it was founded in 1998...
, Clyde
Clyde F.C.
Clyde Football Club are a Scottish professional football team currently playing in the Third Division of the Scottish Football League. Although based for the last fifteen years in the new town of Cumbernauld, they are traditionally associated with an area that covers Rutherglen in South...
and Clydebank
Clydebank F.C.
Clydebank Football Club are a Scottish football club based in the town of Clydebank, West Dunbartonshire, near Yoker. The present club, formed in 2003, is a member of the Scottish Junior Football Association, and currently plays in West Super League Premier Division...
, together with English sides Coventry City
Coventry City F.C.
Coventry City Football Club, otherwise known as the Sky Blues owing to the traditional colour of their strip, are a professional English Football league club based in Coventry...
and Crystal Palace
Crystal Palace F.C.
Crystal Palace Football Club are an English Football league club based in South Norwood, London. The team plays its home matches at Selhurst Park, where they have been based since 1924. The club currently competes in the second tier of English Football, The Championship.Crystal Palace was formed in...
, all expressed an interest in signing the young Cooper. After his brother's less than pleasant experience on Humberside
Humberside
Humberside was a non-metropolitan and ceremonial county in Northern England from 1 April 1974 until 1 April 1996. It was composed of land from either side of the Humber Estuary, created from portions of the East and West ridings of Yorkshire and parts of Lindsey, Lincolnshire...
, however, Cooper was hesitant about the step up to professional football. But when he became too old to play for Avondale in the younger age groups, and after having served his apprenticeship as a printer, a career in professional football began to become a more realistic prospect. Cooper's bosses asked Jack Steedman, then the owner of Clydebank, to help persuade the youngster to turn professional. Steedman is said, perhaps apocryphally, to have turned up with the takings from the 'puggy' - the fruit machine - in the 'Bankies' social club as the lure. The sum involved varies, but the story has it that the objective was to "persuade" Cooper to sign. The result was that in the summer of 1974, Cooper became a Clydebank player.
Clydebank
Cooper made his debut for Clydebank, as a substitute, against AirdrieAirdrie United F.C.
Airdrie United Football Club are a Scottish professional football team based in the town of Airdrie, North Lanarkshire. They are currently managed by ex-Airdrieonians player and former Airdrie United Under 19s coach Jimmy Boyle. They are members of the Scottish Football League and play in the...
in the League Cup
Scottish League Cup
The Scottish League Cup is a football competition open to all Scottish Football League and Scottish Premier League clubs. At present it is also known as the Scottish Communities League Cup owing to the sponsorship deal in place with the Scottish Government. In the past it has been sponsored by...
, in one of the then mini-leagues around which the competition was organised, which also included St. Mirren and Stirling Albion
Stirling Albion F.C.
Stirling Albion F.C. are a Scottish football club currently playing in the Scottish Second Division. The club are nicknamed The Binos . They play at Doubletree Dunblane Stadium in Stirling, on the outskirts of the city near the River Forth...
. The game took place on Saturday 10 August 1974 at Broomfield and it proved to be a rather inauspicious debut for the youngster as the home team won, after leading 1-0 at the break, 4-0. Cooper came on to replace Joe McGovern.
Cooper's full debut came also against Airdrie and again in the Scottish League Cup
Scottish League Cup
The Scottish League Cup is a football competition open to all Scottish Football League and Scottish Premier League clubs. At present it is also known as the Scottish Communities League Cup owing to the sponsorship deal in place with the Scottish Government. In the past it has been sponsored by...
on Wednesday 28 August, but again Airdrie won, this time by 2-1. The game was also his first appearance at New Kilbowie Park. The 'Bankies' finished bottom of the section.
Cooper's Scottish League
Scottish Football League
The Scottish Football League is a league of football teams in Scotland, comprising theScottish First Division, Scottish Second Division and Scottish Third Division. From the league's foundation in 1890 until the breakaway Scottish Premier League was formed in 1998, the Scottish Football League...
debut came in the Second Division
Scottish Football League Second Division
The Scottish Football League Second Division is the second highest division of the Scottish Football League and the third highest overall in the Scottish football league system....
, in the last season before League re-construction, on Saturday, 31 August. The game was against Queen of the South
Queen of the South F.C.
Queen of the South Football Club is a Scottish professional football club founded in 1919 and located in Dumfries. The club currently plays in the Scottish First Division, the second tier of Scottish football. They are officially nicknamed The Doonhamers, but usually referred to as Queens or QoS...
at Palmerston Park, with the 'Bankies' going down 3-0 at the hands of the 'Doonhamers'. He was left on the bench for the visit of Stranraer
Stranraer F.C.
Stranraer Football Club is a Scottish semi-professional football team based in the town of Stranraer, Dumfries and Galloway. They are members of the Scottish Football League, and currently play in the Third Division.-History:...
in midweek and although he replaced Norrie Hall he was unable to help the Bankies win as they recorded their second 3-0 defeat in two games. After that he drifted out of the team and it was not until the end of October that he became an almost permanent fixture in the Clydebank line-up.
Cooper first played on the winning side for the Bankies on 30 November, when Clydebank beat Cowdenbeath
Cowdenbeath F.C.
Cowdenbeath Football Club are a professional Scottish football team based in the town of Cowdenbeath, Fife. They currently play in the Second Division of the Scottish Football League. The club plays its home games at Central Park in the centre of the town which has the unusual feature of a motor...
at Kilbowie by 2-1. His first goal for the Bankies came two games later when, again at Kilbowie, he scored the third goal in the 4-1 defeat of Alloa Athletic
Alloa Athletic F.C.
Alloa Athletic Football Club are a Scottish football team based in Alloa, Clackmannanshire. They are members of the Scottish Football League and currently play in the Third Division....
. Cooper ended the season with 29 starts, 2 as a sub, and scored 5 goals.
In the 1975-76 season, the Bankies led from the off in the 26 game Second Division and Cooper was one of four ever-presents that season, He was amongst the goals that season too, finishing top of the Clydebank list with 13 in the League, three of which were penalties. His first hat-trick
Hat-trick
A hat-trick or hat trick in sport is the achievement of a positive feat three times during a game, or other achievements based on threes. The term was first used in 1858 in cricket to describe HH Stephenson's feat of taking three wickets in three balls. A collection was held for Stephenson, and he...
in Senior football included two penalties on a dark and cold Saturday, as the Bankies defeated Alloa Athletic
Alloa Athletic F.C.
Alloa Athletic Football Club are a Scottish football team based in Alloa, Clackmannanshire. They are members of the Scottish Football League and currently play in the Third Division....
3-1. Cooper played in all of the Bankies 49 games that season, scoring 22 goals and seeing the club promoted to the First Division
Scottish Football League First Division
The Irn-Bru Scottish Football League First Division Championship is the highest division of the Scottish Football League and the second highest in the Scottish football league system....
.
In the League, the Bankies were the only real rivals to a superbly talented young St. Mirren side, steered by an inexperienced and fiery manager by the name of Alex Ferguson. The season involved a 6-0 win at Bayview and the Bankies record victory of 8-1 over Arbroath
Arbroath F.C.
Arbroath F.C. are a Scottish football club currently playing in the Scottish Second Division. They were founded in 1878 and currently play their home matches at Gayfield, Arbroath, Angus. They play in maroon strips, and are nicknamed "The Red Lichties" due to the red light that used to guide...
at New Kilbowie when Cooper scored his second and final hat-trick for the Bankies.
The Bankies eventually sealed promotion to the Premier Division
Scottish Premier League
The Scottish Premier League , also known as the SPL , is a professional league competition for association football clubs in Scotland...
in the fourth last game of the season with a memorable win over Dundee
Dundee F.C.
Dundee Football Club, founded in 1893, are a football club based in the city of Dundee, Scotland. They are nicknamed The Dee or The Dark Blues and play their home matches at Dens Park. Their shirt colour is dark blue. Dundee currently play in the Scottish First Division, having been relegated from...
. Clydebank finished runners-up to St. Mirren and became the first Scottish team to be promoted in successive seasons. Cooper's last goal for the Bankies was against Raith Rovers
Raith Rovers F.C.
Raith Rovers Football Club is a Scottish professional football club based in Kirkcaldy, Fife. They are members of the Scottish Football League, currently playing in the First Division, having secured promotion from the Second Division as champions in 2009. Rovers have won one national trophy, the...
in a 2-0 win at New Kilbowie on 23 April 1977. His last game was at Brockville in a 4-2 win, a week later.
Rangers
Cooper was included in the Scotland squadScotland national football team
The Scotland national football team represents Scotland in international football and is controlled by the Scottish Football Association. Scotland are the joint oldest national football team in the world, alongside England, whom they played in the world's first international football match in 1872...
for the Home International Championship and the trip to South America
South America
South America is a continent situated in the Western Hemisphere, mostly in the Southern Hemisphere, with a relatively small portion in the Northern Hemisphere. The continent is also considered a subcontinent of the Americas. It is bordered on the west by the Pacific Ocean and on the north and east...
, but immediately before he left for Chile
Chile
Chile ,officially the Republic of Chile , is a country in South America occupying a long, narrow coastal strip between the Andes mountains to the east and the Pacific Ocean to the west. It borders Peru to the north, Bolivia to the northeast, Argentina to the east, and the Drake Passage in the far...
, he signed for Rangers
Rangers F.C.
Rangers Football Club are an association football club based in Glasgow, Scotland, who play in the Scottish Premier League. The club are nicknamed the Gers, Teddy Bears and the Light Blues, and the fans are known to each other as bluenoses...
. The fee involved was £100,000 and it was reported that he received a signing on fee of £10,000 and was on a wage of £150 per week.
Cooper made a good start to his Ibrox
Ibrox Stadium
Ibrox Stadium is a football stadium located on the south side of the River Clyde, on Edmiston Drive in the Ibrox district of Glasgow. It is the home ground of Scottish Premier League club Rangers and has an all-seated capacity of 51,082...
career, he appeared in 52 of Rangers 53 matches in the 1977-78 season, as Jock Wallace's side won the domestic treble. His first league goal for Rangers came against St Mirren at Love Street on 17 September 1977 in a 3-3 draw, his last goal came almost exactly eleven years later also against St Mirren. His first Ibrox goal for the club came a fortnight later in a 4-1 win against Clydebank and he went on to notch another in the same match direct from a corner kick
Corner kick
A corner kick is a method of restarting play in a game of association football. It was first devised in Sheffield under the Sheffield Rules 1867...
. He went on to score eight goals in total during his first season.
The following season Rangers retained both cups with Cooper making 49 appearances and scoring ten goals. Cooper scored an outrageous and widely remembered goal against Celtic in the 1979 Drybrough Cup
Drybrough Cup
The Drybrough Cup was a Scottish annual football tournament. It was held from 1971 until 1974, and was revived from 1979 to 1980. It was open to the four highest-scoring teams from Division 1, and the four highest-scoring teams from Division 2. The format allowed the tournament to have three...
Final. He took the ball on his chest with his back to the goal, then proceeded to beat four defenders while playing keepie uppie
Keepie uppie
Keepie uppie, or "kick-ups" is the skill of juggling with a football using feet, lower legs, knees, chest, shoulders, and head, without allowing the ball to hit the ground...
, before slipping the ball into the back of the net. This goal was voted the greatest ever Rangers goal by fans and listed by The Guardian
The Guardian
The Guardian, formerly known as The Manchester Guardian , is a British national daily newspaper in the Berliner format...
's Rob Smyth as the second greatest ever solo goal, after Diego Maradona
Diego Maradona
Diego Armando Maradona is a retired Argentine football player and widely regarded as one of the greatest football players of all time. Over the course of his professional club career Maradona played for Argentinos Juniors, Boca Juniors, Barcelona, Napoli, Sevilla and Newell's Old Boys, setting...
's Goal of the Century.
The 1979-80 season was the first of only three seasons during his time at Ibrox that the club failed to win a trophy, with their final league position of 5th not winning the club a place in European competition. Aberdeen
Aberdeen F.C.
Aberdeen Football Club are a Scottish professional football club based in Aberdeen...
won the Premier Division, Celtic the Scottish Cup beating Rangers in the Final and Dundee United
Dundee United F.C.
Dundee United Football Club is a Scottish professional football club located in the city of Dundee. Formed in 1909, originally as Dundee Hibernian, the club changed to the present name in 1923...
the League Cup.
The summer of 1980 almost saw the end of Cooper's Rangers career as Brighton
Brighton & Hove Albion F.C.
Brighton & Hove Albion Football Club are an English association football club based in the coastal city of Brighton & Hove, East Sussex. They currently play in the Football League Championship, the second tier of the English football league system....
's Alan Mullery
Alan Mullery
Alan Patrick Mullery MBE is a former English football player and manager. After enjoying a successful career with Fulham and in the 1960s and 1970s, he became a manager working with several different clubs. He is now employed as a television pundit...
put in a bid for both Cooper and Gordon Smith. Greig however would only let one go and Mullery plumped, perhaps wrongly, for Smith.
The following season (1980-81) was to be, in the main, another disappointing one for Cooper, as John Greig used the his talent sparingly in league matches (starting fewer than half the games) and even more sporadically in the Scottish Cup. He was recalled to the starting line-up for the final replay against Dundee United inspiring Rangers to regain the Cup. This was to be Davie's last Scottish Cup winners medal for the Ibrox side.
1981-1982 saw Cooper start his 21st consecutive League Cup tie for Rangers as they won through to the Final to defeat the holders, Dundee United, who were going for a hat-trick of victories in the competition. His only goal in the Ibrox side's 11 ties came in the Final. Coop' also returned to the manager's plans in the League missing only 6 fixtures as Rangers finished third.
The end of the season brought the club's 7th successive Scottish Cup Final but they suffered a 4-1 drubbing at the hands of Aberdeen. However, it saw yet another medal to add to the Cooper collection.
The 1982-83 term saw two significant landmarks in the Cooper career: His first hat-trick for Rangers (in a Sectional League Cup tie against Kilmarnock
Kilmarnock F.C.
Kilmarnock Football Club is a Scottish football team based in the town of Kilmarnock, Ayrshire. Founded in 1869, "Killie" is the oldest club currently in the Scottish Premier League. Home matches are played at Rugby Park...
) and his first and only European goal, netted against Borussia Dortmund
Borussia Dortmund
Ballspielverein Borussia Dortmund, commonly BVB, are a German sports club based in Dortmund, North Rhine-Westphalia. Dortmund are one of the most successful clubs in German football history. Borussia Dortmund play in the Bundesliga, the top league of German football...
at Ibrox, in the UEFA Cup
UEFA Cup
The UEFA Europa League is an annual association football cup competition organised by UEFA since 1971 for eligible European football clubs. It is the second most prestigious European club football contest after the UEFA Champions League...
. That season was also to prove to be his most prolific goalscoring season for the club, netting 12 times in all competitions. Despite this, it was to prove yet another season without trophies. Although Rangers reached both Cup Finals, Celtic were victorious in the League Cup and Aberdeen, for the second successive year, secured the Scottish Cup.
The following two seasons (1983-84 and 1984-85) saw Davie succeed again in the League Cup, wrapping up winners medals No 4 and No 5. The Rangers management changed, with Jock Wallace returning to Ibrox in place of John Greig
John Greig
John Greig MBE is a Scottish former professional football player who, despite his boyhood allegiance to hometown team Heart of Midlothian, spent his entire career in Glasgow with Rangers as a player, manager and director.Greig was voted "The Greatest Ever Ranger" in 1999 by the Rangers supporters...
. In hindsight, Greig's treatment of Cooper's mercurial skills was widely held to have been ineffective.
Rangers, despite Cooper missing only six matches during this time, continued to disappoint in the Premier Division, securing only fourth in the table on each occasion.
With the arrival of Graeme Souness
Graeme Souness
Graeme James Souness is a Scottish former professional football player and manager.Souness was the captain of the successful Liverpool team of the early 1980s and player-manager of Rangers in the late 1980s as well as captain of the Scottish national team. He also played for Tottenham Hotspur,...
as Rangers manager in April 1986, optimism was high for the following campaign and Cooper was to play a major part once more. The League Cup returned to Ibrox with victory over Celtic in the Final of 1986-1987, the winner coming from the penalty spot after referee Davie Syme adjudged that Terry Butcher was impeded by Roy Aitken thus he pointed to the spot and it was netted by Davie Cooper. After a hesitant start, Rangers won the League championship for the first time in 9 years. Cooper not only set up a substantial fraction of Rangers goals, but netted 8 in league matches himself.
The 1987-88 season saw Cooper again produce the unexpected on the Hampden stage in the League Cup Final, with an unstoppable free-kick to net Rangers first goal in the 3-3 draw against Aberdeen. The Ibrox side eventually won 5-3 on penalties and so Cooper was able to claim his seventh winners medal. Celtic claimed the other two domestic trophies in their Centenary season.
In his last season at Ibrox, Cooper became increasingly frustrated as Graeme Souness used his talents sparingly and often favoured Mark Walters
Mark Walters
Mark Everton Walters is a retired professional footballer from Birmingham, England.-Aston Villa:Walters began his career as an apprentice at Aston Villa on leaving school in the summer of 1980, turning the professional a year later - just after Villa's Football League First Division title triumph...
as his first-choice winger. This lack of first-team games was to lead to his leaving the club. Davie Cooper's career as a Rangers player began to draw to a close at Hampden in May 1989 in another Scottish Cup Final, as Rangers chased their first treble in 11 years. Unfortunately for Cooper, who appeared as a substitute, a Joe Miller goal retained the cup for Celtic.
At the beginning of the 1988-89 season (Tuesday 9 August 1988), Cooper's testimonial match
Testimonial match
A testimonial match or testimonial game, often referred to simply as a testimonial, is a practice in some sports, notably football and especially in the United Kingdom, where a club puts on a match in honour of a player for service to the club....
against Girondins de Bordeaux saw over 43,000 spectators watch Rangers win 3-2 with Butcher, Drinkell and McCoist netting for Rangers. Cooper finished his Rangers career with 75 goals in 540 appearances. When asked to describe the highlight of his time at Rangers, he simply responded "I played for the team I loved."
Motherwell
Although he did not want to leave Rangers, the lure of regular first team football persuaded him to sign for former team-mate Tommy McLeanTommy McLean
Thomas "Tommy" McLean is a Scottish former professional footballer who played for Kilmarnock and Rangers....
at Motherwell
Motherwell F.C.
Motherwell Football & Athletic Club are a Scottish professional football club based in Motherwell, North Lanarkshire. The club compete in the Scottish Premier League and are one of only seven teams to have remained in this league since it was founded in 1998...
in August 1989. In his four and a half seasons at Fir Park
Fir Park
Fir Park Stadium is a football stadium situated in Motherwell, North Lanarkshire, Scotland. The stadium plays host to the home matches of Scottish Premier League club Motherwell.- History :...
, Davie played over 150 times for the "Steelmen" and was instrumental in the club winning its first major trophy in 39 years, in the epic Scottish Cup Final of 1991 which saw Dundee United
Dundee United F.C.
Dundee United Football Club is a Scottish professional football club located in the city of Dundee. Formed in 1909, originally as Dundee Hibernian, the club changed to the present name in 1923...
defeated 4-3 after extra-time. The move also revived Cooper's Scotland career and he earned another four caps before injury put paid to his chances of going to the 1990 World Cup Finals in Italy
Italy
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
.
Return to Clydebank
While with Motherwell, Cooper had been working in a coaching capacity with the reserve and youth sides. In December 1993 he returned to Clydebank as a player, but also to assist in coaching duties. As in his first period at the club, Cooper began on the losing side as Clydebank lost 0-2 to Ayr United at New Kilbowie on 4 January 1994. In 1993-94 he played in a total of 20 games, including sixteen starts and four as a substitute. In 1994-95 he was almost an ever-present in the side, until the start of February when he played against Hearts in the Scottish CupScottish Cup
The Scottish Football Association Challenge Cup,, commonly known as the Scottish Cup or the William Hill Scottish Cup for sponsorship purposes, is the main national cup competition in Scottish football. It is a knockout cup competition run by and named after the Scottish Football Association.The...
Third Round Replay at Tynecastle
Tynecastle Stadium
Tynecastle Stadium is a football stadium situated in the Gorgie area of Edinburgh, Scotland, which is the home ground of Scottish Premier League club Hearts. Tynecastle has a seating capacity of 17,420, which makes it the seventh largest football stadium in Scotland...
on 7 February 1995. But despite the Bankies best efforts they were unable to overcome the Edinburgh team. That was Cooper's last First XI appearance. The last goal he scored was against Airdrie in the League Cup Semi-Final - typically it was a first class strike. Cooper made his last appearance in a Clydebank jersey in a reserve fixture at New Kilbowie on 21 February 1995 against Hamilton Academical.
International career
The 1976-77 season saw Cooper make his international debut for Scotland's under-21s. It came in the CzechCzech Republic
The Czech Republic is a landlocked country in Central Europe. The country is bordered by Poland to the northeast, Slovakia to the east, Austria to the south, and Germany to the west and northwest....
town of Pilsen. Cooper played alongside the likes of Roy Aitken
Roy Aitken
Robert Sime "Roy" Aitken is a former footballer who went on to become a coach with clubs including Leeds United and Aston Villa. His position as a player was defence.Born in Irvine, Ayrshire, he grew up in Ardrossan...
, George Burley
George Burley
George Elder Burley is a Scottish football manager and former player and manager, formerly the manager of Crystal Palace Football Club. Burley had a professional career spanning 21 years as a player making 628 appearances and earning 11 Scotland caps...
and John Wark
John Wark
John Wark is a Scottish former footballer who spent most of his playing time with Ipswich Town. He won a record four Player of the Year awards before becoming one of the four inaugural members of the club's Hall of Fame...
in a 0-0 draw. His cap that October night meant that he missed the Clydebank game Brockville the only match he missed all season. He secured another three caps that season - against Wales
Wales national football team
The Wales national football team represents Wales in international football. It is controlled by the Football Association of Wales , the governing body for football in Wales, and the third oldest national football association in the world. The team have only qualified for a major international...
, Switzerland
Switzerland national football team
The Swiss national football team is the national football team of Switzerland...
and England
England national football team
The England national football team represents England in association football and is controlled by the Football Association, the governing body for football in England. England is the joint oldest national football team in the world, alongside Scotland, whom they played in the world's first...
.
Cooper had become a regular in the Scotland team where, prior to the 1986 World Cup, he had played in 11 straight games. He played in the crucial match against Wales
Wales
Wales is a country that is part of the United Kingdom and the island of Great Britain, bordered by England to its east and the Atlantic Ocean and Irish Sea to its west. It has a population of three million, and a total area of 20,779 km²...
at Ninian Park
Ninian Park
Ninian Park was a football stadium in Leckwith, Cardiff, Wales. Until 2009, it was the home ground of Cardiff City F.C., who compete in the English Football League Championship...
, coming on as substitute for Gordon Strachan
Gordon Strachan
Gordon David Strachan OBE is a Scottish football manager and former player. He is currently without a club, having last managed Middlesbrough. Strachan played for Dundee, Aberdeen, Manchester United, Leeds United and Coventry City, as well as the Scotland national team. Prior to Middlesbrough,...
and scoring the penalty that took Scotland another step on the road to Mexico
Mexico
The United Mexican States , commonly known as Mexico , is a federal constitutional republic in North America. It is bordered on the north by the United States; on the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; on the southeast by Guatemala, Belize, and the Caribbean Sea; and on the east by the Gulf of...
. The night also brought sadness as Jock Stein
Jock Stein
John 'Jock' Stein CBE was a Scottish association football player and manager. He became the first manager of a British side to win the European Cup, with Celtic in 1967...
, the Scotland manager, died.
Scotland had to beat Australia for the privilege to cross the Atlantic and Cooper was on the score sheet in the 2-0 win. Cooper, who had been prominent in the run up to the World Cup, was employed sparingly by Alex Ferguson
Alex Ferguson
Sir Alexander Chapman "Alex" Ferguson, CBE is a Scottish association football manager and former player, currently managing Manchester United, where he has been in charge since 1986...
in Mexico, making just two appearances.
International goals
- Scores and results list Scotland's goal tally first.
# Date Venue Opponent Score Result Competition 1 28 February 1984 Hampden Park Hampden ParkHampden Park is a football stadium in the Mount Florida area of Glasgow, Scotland. The 52,063 capacity venue serves as the national stadium of football in Scotland...
, GlasgowGlasgowGlasgow is the largest city in Scotland and third most populous in the United Kingdom. The city is situated on the River Clyde in the country's west central lowlands...
1-0 2-1 British Home Championship British Home ChampionshipThe British Home Championship was an annual football competition contested between the United Kingdom's four national teams, England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland from the 1883–84 season until the 1983–84...2 12 September 1984 Hampden Park Hampden ParkHampden Park is a football stadium in the Mount Florida area of Glasgow, Scotland. The 52,063 capacity venue serves as the national stadium of football in Scotland...
, GlasgowGlasgowGlasgow is the largest city in Scotland and third most populous in the United Kingdom. The city is situated on the River Clyde in the country's west central lowlands...
1-0 6-1 Friendly match Exhibition gameAn exhibition game is a sporting event in which there is no competitive value of any significant kind to any competitor regardless of the outcome of the competition...3 10 September 1985 Ninian Park Ninian ParkNinian Park was a football stadium in Leckwith, Cardiff, Wales. Until 2009, it was the home ground of Cardiff City F.C., who compete in the English Football League Championship...
, CardiffCardiffCardiff is the capital, largest city and most populous county of Wales and the 10th largest city in the United Kingdom. The city is Wales' chief commercial centre, the base for most national cultural and sporting institutions, the Welsh national media, and the seat of the National Assembly for...
1-1 1-1 FIFA World Cup 1986 qualifying 1986 FIFA World Cup qualification (UEFA)Listed below are the dates and results for the 1986 FIFA World Cup qualification rounds for the European zone . For an overview of the qualification rounds, see the article 1986 FIFA World Cup qualification....4 20 November 1985 Hampden Park Hampden ParkHampden Park is a football stadium in the Mount Florida area of Glasgow, Scotland. The 52,063 capacity venue serves as the national stadium of football in Scotland...
, GlasgowGlasgowGlasgow is the largest city in Scotland and third most populous in the United Kingdom. The city is situated on the River Clyde in the country's west central lowlands...
1-0 2-0 FIFA World Cup 1986 Play-off 1986 FIFA World Cup qualification (UEFA)Listed below are the dates and results for the 1986 FIFA World Cup qualification rounds for the European zone . For an overview of the qualification rounds, see the article 1986 FIFA World Cup qualification....5 12 November 1986 Hampden Park Hampden ParkHampden Park is a football stadium in the Mount Florida area of Glasgow, Scotland. The 52,063 capacity venue serves as the national stadium of football in Scotland...
, GlasgowGlasgowGlasgow is the largest city in Scotland and third most populous in the United Kingdom. The city is situated on the River Clyde in the country's west central lowlands...
1-0 3-0 UEFA Euro 1988 qualifying 6 12 November 1986 Hampden Park Hampden ParkHampden Park is a football stadium in the Mount Florida area of Glasgow, Scotland. The 52,063 capacity venue serves as the national stadium of football in Scotland...
, GlasgowGlasgowGlasgow is the largest city in Scotland and third most populous in the United Kingdom. The city is situated on the River Clyde in the country's west central lowlands...
2-0 3-0 UEFA Euro 1988 qualifying
Death
Arsenal F.C.
Arsenal Football Club is a professional English Premier League football club based in North London. One of the most successful clubs in English football, it has won 13 First Division and Premier League titles and 10 FA Cups...
and Aberdeen Scottish international Charlie Nicholas were recording a coaching film for youngsters. He died in hospital the next day. He was 39 years old.
His funeral took place at Hillhouse Parish Church, Hamilton on Monday 27 March 1995, and he was buried in the town's Bent cemetery.
Cooper is remembered as one of the most significant players in the histories of Clydebank, Rangers and Motherwell football clubs. In his tribute to Cooper, the then Rangers manager, Walter Smith
Walter Smith
Walter Smith, OBE is a Scottish football manager. His most recent job was at Scottish Premier League club Rangers.Smith had a relatively modest playing career, consisting of two spells with Dundee United which was split by a short time at Dumbarton.A pelvic injury meant he moved in to coaching at...
, said that "God gave Davie Cooper a talent. He would not be disappointed with how it was used."
Legacy
Heart of Midlothian forward, David TempletonDavid Templeton
David Cooper Templeton is a Scottish professional association footballer. A tricky and skilful attacking player, he currently plays for Hearts in the Scottish Premier League.-Stenhousemuir:...
was named after Cooper by his father, ex pro Henry Templeton
Henry Templeton
Henry Templeton is a Scottish ex professional association footballer. Small, tricky and skilful, Templeton played as a forward for Airdrieonians, Ayr United, Clydebank F.C., Queen of the South and Frickley Athletic...
. David Templeton's full name is David Cooper Templeton.
After Cooper's death, Motherwell re-named Fir Park
Fir Park
Fir Park Stadium is a football stadium situated in Motherwell, North Lanarkshire, Scotland. The stadium plays host to the home matches of Scottish Premier League club Motherwell.- History :...
's North Stand in his honour.
The 2005 Scottish League Cup Final
2005 Scottish League Cup Final
The 2005 Scottish League Cup Final was played on 20 March 2005 at Hampden Park in Glasgow and was the final of the 58th Scottish League Cup. The final was contested by Rangers and Motherwell...
between Rangers and Motherwell paid tribute to Cooper's memory. Ticket stubs had an image of him printed on them, and a percentage of the programme sales went towards establishing a centre for special needs children.
External links
- DavieCooper.com
- Rangers FC - Cooper's entry in the Rangers Hall of Fame.
- Sporting Heroes - Career record.