Auchinyell Sox Change Posted December 10, 2014 Share Posted December 10, 2014 Aye cause international caps is the primary indicator as to how good a player is/was....... you are correct quality of free kicks and penalties and of course grainy super 8 glasgow cup goals beiing another roxburgh was indeed quoted in the record pre wc 90 about wanting to take Cooper because of his ability in free kicks and corners... he was past his prime by then, and only injury i feel made roxburghs mind up , otherwise he would have been happy to keep the legions happy the 1-3 reverse at home to egypt should have served as a wake up call pre WC how bad we were durrant would have made no appreciable difference either at that stage Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
scottincarlisle Posted December 10, 2014 Share Posted December 10, 2014 One of the best players I've seen. Always appeared to be a true gentleman. Died 39 years old & I think he could have gone on to be a real asset for us in coaching. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dave the bankie Posted December 10, 2014 Share Posted December 10, 2014 Saw him playing for the Bankies , great player and a good person , I believe that he did not like to be in the limelight and found that difficult to handle Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Flora MaDonald Posted December 10, 2014 Share Posted December 10, 2014 One of the best players I've seen. Always appeared to be a true gentleman. Died 39 years old & I think he could have gone on to be a real asset for us in coaching. A great player, but the stories I've heard about him, not the nicest of gents. I can't stand myths about all deed people being lovely folk. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Barney Rubble Posted December 10, 2014 Share Posted December 10, 2014 you are correct quality of free kicks and penalties and of course grainy super 8 glasgow cup goals beiing another roxburgh was indeed quoted in the record pre wc 90 about wanting to take Cooper because of his ability in free kicks and corners... he was past his prime by then, and only injury i feel made roxburghs mind up , otherwise he would have been happy to keep the legions happy the 1-3 reverse at home to egypt should have served as a wake up call pre WC how bad we were durrant would have made no appreciable difference either at that stage That game was why DC dropped out of the running for Italia 90. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Barney Rubble Posted December 10, 2014 Share Posted December 10, 2014 Davie Cooper, is the greatest ever Scottish born player, I have seen play, and at my age, I have seen a few. True he could me moody, and at times lazy, but my god when he turned it on, he was unstopable. I respect your opinion, but KennyDal was always a class above the excellent player that DC was when the mood took him. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
thewolf_1980 Posted December 10, 2014 Share Posted December 10, 2014 Davie Cooper is still the only player to receive 10/10 in the Sunday Mail Starcheck. There can surely be no greater accolade in the world of football than that. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RenfrewBlue Posted December 10, 2014 Share Posted December 10, 2014 Wonderful player that was totally unstoppable when he was on song. Just didn't hit his best often enough. Lack of pace meant he should have been in the hole not on the wing but that wasn't the style when he played. Templeton should be made to watch Cooper videos every day to see if it rubs off on the useless git. Cooper was as good as Laudrup at beating players but without Brian's pace. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jock strap Posted December 10, 2014 Share Posted December 10, 2014 Templeton is more Alice Cooper than Davie Cooper. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Deedee Posted December 10, 2014 Share Posted December 10, 2014 Cooper scored one of the greatest free kicks I've ever seen against us in the '87-88 Skol Cup Final. From the edge of the 'D' he took a couple of steps and hit it so hard it had hit the net and bounced before Jim Leighton even moved. I was in the South Stand right in line with the 18 yard box and I still vividly remember the sound of the ball ripping down the back of the net and bouncing before anyone in the stadium could react. I was sitting pretty near you! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
alkymalky Posted December 10, 2014 Share Posted December 10, 2014 Ruud Gullit has said he's one of the best players he ever played against. That's good enough for me http://www.fourfourtwo.com/features/ruud-gullit-perfect-xi Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Toepoke Posted December 10, 2014 Share Posted December 10, 2014 (edited) The guy was my hero when I was at school, some of his performances were incredible. Could be very moody though. John Grieg was always dropping him, I mind my dad taking me to see him play for the reserves against Hibs at Ibrox (while the first team were at Easter Road). It was when Jock Wallace returned to Ibrox that he seemed to get a boot in the erse and started producing the goods on a more consistent basis, which culminated in him becoming a Scotland regular. Hard to say how he would do in today's game. He was incredibly one footed, couldn't tackle, was hopeless in the air and never tracked back. I'm struggling to think of a modern comparison tbh. As mentioned he seemed a bit of Jekyll and Hyde character on and off the pitch. I've heard stories about him being the nicest guy, but also of him being a bit of a bigot sadly. He was from Lanarkshire mind you. I went to his funeral and stood in the crowds outside, the only time I've done that for someone I didn't know. Edited December 10, 2014 by Toepoke Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
thplinth Posted December 10, 2014 Share Posted December 10, 2014 Very similar to Sean Maloney. Short, skillful and overall... disappointing in a Scotland jersey. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GHfaeGTA Posted December 10, 2014 Share Posted December 10, 2014 Remember 1981 cup final replay when he won cup for Gers almost single handedly. Bad day for us Arabs. Saw him live many times and he is by far the best most one footed player I have seen. I could never get my head round why the full backs he was up against could not work him out with only one foot Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Toepoke Posted December 10, 2014 Share Posted December 10, 2014 Saw him live many times and he is by far the best most one footed player I have seen. I could never get my head round why the full backs he was up against could not work him out with only one foot His dribbling style was bizarre, the ball appeared to be attached by a string to his left foot. He could probably have played just as well with a wooden right leg! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hoodster Posted December 10, 2014 Share Posted December 10, 2014 Davie Cooper was that lazy but brilliant player that everyone knows could have made it but didn't, but who actually did make it. Its impossible to know what would have motivated Cooper to fulfill his potential thats why he was such an enigma. He should have went down south but what Rangers were paying seemed to be enough for him. Towards the end of the middle of his career he benefitted from being around really good players for the first time, and he raised his game accordingly. The Souness era, and his time at Motherwell, really changed his outlook, all of a sudden he was on TV doing analysis whereas before he wasn't interested in talking to anyone. Was it shyness or laziness, I don't think anyone ever really worked out Davie Cooper, but for me he was just one of these players caught inbetween eras, on the wrong team, with the wrong attitude for too long. He made me want to play football though, because on the right day in the right frame of mind, it was mesmerising. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mitre Posted December 11, 2014 Share Posted December 11, 2014 Smashing player. The last true winger (in the traditional sense) that we have had. Unbelievable ball control and could beat his man easily without seeming to accelerate. Not the most consistent performer but name a winger who is. Definitely the most skillful Scottish player I have witnessed in the flesh. He could easily have played at the highest level with anyone in England. Might have been better for his overall development as a player. His loyalty to (a mostly turgid) Rangers definitely held him back. Like the above guys I was also at Hampden in 1987 and was the opposite side in the terracing Section M. The noise of the ball lashing the net was audible even from half way up the terrace. Used to play 5s directly after him and his pals at Larkhall Leisure Center back in the day. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Charlie Endell Posted December 11, 2014 Share Posted December 11, 2014 Did he not turn down a move to Spurs? I seem to vaguely recall them being interested but it's so long ago now I'm not sure. I saw him play for Rangers on a good few occasions and as others have said he was a joy to watch when he was in the mood. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Robroysboy Posted December 11, 2014 Share Posted December 11, 2014 Very similar to Sean Maloney. Short, skillful and overall... disappointing in a Scotland jersey. Shaun maloney under leviene arguably yes, under strachan no. His goals in warsaw and at celtic park plus his work rate take him into the key player category in my eyes. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
er yir macaroon Posted December 11, 2014 Share Posted December 11, 2014 Shaun maloney under leviene arguably yes, under strachan no. His goals in warsaw and at celtic park plus his work rate take him into the key player category in my eyes. He was also nothing like Shaun Maloney. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
er yir macaroon Posted December 11, 2014 Share Posted December 11, 2014 He was like Elvis. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Billy 2 Boots Posted December 11, 2014 Share Posted December 11, 2014 The best ever Scottish performance I have seen live was Scotland running Spain ragged in a 3-1 victory at Hampden in 1984. My enduring memory was of Davie Cooper, with a double shimmy wrong footing the whole of the Spanish defence. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
glasgow jock Posted December 11, 2014 Share Posted December 11, 2014 The best ever Scottish performance I have seen live was Scotland running Spain ragged in a 3-1 victory at Hampden in 1984. My enduring memory was of Davie Cooper, with a double shimmy wrong footing the whole of the Spanish defence. Aye - that was his best performance for Scotland, was at that game & still in my teens, i truly believe Scotland would have beaten any team in the world that night, Cooper, Dalglish & Mo Johnston where outstanding Happy Memories That Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fugitive Posted December 11, 2014 Share Posted December 11, 2014 I met him once. He was in the bar in the Newhouse Hotel during my (first) wedding. One of my mates was a massive fan and went up and spoke to him for a while with me - nice guy. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ErsatzThistle Posted December 11, 2014 Share Posted December 11, 2014 I never saw Davie Cooper play and he died when I was very young but looking through the footage of him on YouTube what would we give to have a player like him available for Scotland today ? He looks to have been a truly wonderful football player. I may have read this wrong but wasn't he touted by a couple of newspapers in 1978 as potential wildcard for the World Cup that year ? Is it true though, about him being outraged by Mo Johnson's signing for Rangers as he thought it broke a certain "club traditions" he considered important ? Hope it's not true. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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