Rangers reveal Walter Smith statue unveiling date as Ibrox legend to be immortalised before Celtic showdown

Rangers have announced plans to unveil a statue of legendary manager Walter Smith ahead of the Scottish Cup Final.

Remembered as one of the greatest managers in the Ibrox club's history, Smith won 21 major trophies across his two spells and was at the helm for seven of their famous Nine-in-a-Row run in the 1990s. He passed away in October 2021 to an outpouring of emotion and tributes to one of the greatest managers in Scottish football history.

Smith, who also managed Scotland and Everton, is now set to be immortalised by a bronze statue near where the old East Terracing at Ibrox used to be - where he watched games as a boyhood fan growing up. It will be designed by sculptor Douglas Jennings and is set to be formally unveiled on Saturday May 25, before the Scottish Cup Final with Celtic. Chairman John Bennett said: “It is a poignant moment in the history of this great football club to unveil a statue of our legendary former manager, Walter Smith.

“The outpouring of tributes which arrived from near and far following his passing two-and-a-half-years ago speaks to Walter’s stature as both a human being and custodian of our historic football club, and there is no Ranger more deserving in the modern era of being honoured in bronze.

“I would like to place on record our thanks as a club to the artist and sculptor, Douglas Jennings, as well as internal and external stakeholders who have helped facilitate the process since the commissioning of the statue in October 2022. I’m sure the day of the unveiling will be one full of emotion for Walter’s wife, Ethel, his two sons, Neil and Steven, and the rest of the family. The work consolidates the significance of the great man and the place he occupies in the storied history of