Skipper Weir pays tribute to departing Rangers manager

RANGERS captain David Weir believes it will be "crazy" if Walter Smith does not remain in football management after leaving the Ibrox club this weekend.

Smith will step down after tomorrow's SPL title deciding fixture against Kilmarnock at Rugby Park and has stated he is leaving without any firm intention of taking another job elsewhere. The 63-year-old did add that he will consider any offers which come his way and Weir is certain they will not be in short supply. The veteran defender, who remains unsure about his own future beyond tomorrow's game, feels his mentor Smith will soon have decisions to make.

"I would be astounded if he didn't get other offers, because I know how good he is," said Weir. "Whether he takes them or not, I don't know. He has family commitments and I'm sure he might like a wee break from football after everything that has gone on at Rangers over the last few years. Time will tell.

"But I think he would be crazy not to stay in the game. Football would be crazy to miss out on Walter with everything he has to offer. I am sure someone will want him. I don't think there will be a shortage of job offers.

"You don't stay in the game as long as he has without becoming better at what you do along the way. He is an intelligent man and still a young man as far as management goes. It is a shame he is leaving this club."

While Smith yesterday sought to switch the attention on to the contribution of his players as Rangers close in on a third successive SPL title, Weir has no doubt where the bulk of the credit lies. "I don't think you can put into words what he has done here," said Weir. "It probably won't actually hit home until after he has left and people can put into context what he has done over various periods of time and in different circumstances at the club.

"The nine-in-a-row era speaks for itself and then he came back for the second time, when the club were in a certain amount of disarray and were fighting hard just to finish second in the league. He turned the club around very quickly, got them winning trophies and into a European final.

"In the cold light of day, when you sit down and look at what he has done, you can really put his record up against anyone. He will go down as one of the all-time Rangers greats, there is no doubt about that.

"He does downplay his own influence on things, that's just the nature of the man. But it is no co-incidence that the club has been successful since he came back. He is the driving force behind the whole club and the team. If you asked any player or member of staff, they would be more than happy to admit he is the man who dictates what happens.

"He never changes. Through the course of a season, he is very straightforward and tells it like it is. The players hang on to his every word. We trust what he says and we try to follow it as best we can. He is a great presence to have at the club and he is someone we have been lucky to have.

"On a personal level, he has obviously been the greatest influence on my career. He took me to England with Everton, gave me the opportunity to play for Scotland again and then brought me to Rangers. I owe him so much." Weir, who celebrated his 41st birthday earlier this week, has not ruled out extending his playing career for another season, although he is understood to be pondering various coaching opportunities.

"I'm not going into Sunday thinking it will be my last game for Rangers," he said. "I don't look at things that way. I don't have any talks planned with Ally McCoist about next season and it's something I'll think about some time after Sunday.

"All I'm thinking about is trying to win this game and the title. If you are successful, then you want to carry on playing.

"You have to question yourself all the time. I'll just wait and see."