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Scotland International
Past Team Manager
Walter Smith - 2005-2007

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Ex - Scotland International Team Coach Walter Smith , November 2004

Scottish Football 2004 - Scotland International Team Manager Walter Smith

Ex - Scotland International Team Manager Walter Smith

Resigned

10/1/2007

1948: Born 24th February in Glasgow.

1967: Defender Walter Joins Dundee United

1974: Walter Played in the Dundee United side which lost the Scottish Cup final to Celtic 3-0. Archie Knox was also in the side.

1979: Walter rejoins Dundee United taking a job on the coaching staff under Dundee United manager Jim McLean

1986: April, Walter Received a call from Glasgow Rangers chairman David Holmes who ask him to join as assistant manager to Graeme Souness.

1991: Takes over from Graeme Souness as manager of Glasgow Rangers

Rangers clinched Championship four matches later.

1992: Walter guides Rangers to a double. He is also Inspirational as his side beats Leeds United to qualify for the Uefa Champions' League.

1993: Rangers win a Scottish Football treble of League championship, Scottish Cup and League Cup.

1994: Walter Smith's Rangers side win the title by three points and also the League Cup.

1995: Rangers win the Championship. Walter Smith signs Paul Gascoigne.

1996: Smith leads Rangers to a third Championship and Scottish Cup double.

1997: Smith leads Rangers to record, equalling 9th successive League Championship after beating nearest rivals Celtic in all four League matches.

Walter is awarded the OBE in the Queen's birthday honours.

1998: Walters last season in charge at Ibrox ends without silverware after Celtic lift Scottish title for first time in a decade and Hearts beat Rangers 2-1 in the Scottish Cup final.

July 1st Walter rejects an offer from Sheffield Wednesday to sign three-year contract. Becomes the fourth Everton manager in four years.

1999:May - Everton finish 14th in the Premier League, seven points above the relegation zone.

October 21 - At the club's AGM, Smith slams the "gross mismanagement" at Goodison Park which has resulted in their dire financial situation.

December 26 - Walter agrees a two-year extension to his existing contract, keeping him at the club until the summer of 2003, following theatre impressario Bill Kenwright's Ł20million takeover.

2000: May - Everton finish 13th in the Premiership, 17 points clear of relegation but it is still a disappointing season as they are knocked out of the Worthington Cup by Second Division Bristol Rovers and the FA Cup by First Division Tranmere.

July 17 - Walter Signs former England midfielder Paul Gascoigne from Middlesbourgh.

August 17 - Walter re-signs cult hero Ferguson from Newcastle for Ł3.75million.

2001: May - Walter's Everton finish 16th, 8 points clear of relegation zone.

2002: March - Walter's contact at Everton is terminated after a dismal run of just one win in 13 Premier League matches, and a defeat to Middlesbrough in the quarter-finals of the FA Cup.

2004: March - Walter Smith joins Manchester United as Sir Alex Ferguson's assistant
until the end of the season.

October - Walter Smith emerges as one of the main contenders to take over as Scotland manager after the resignation of Berti Vogts

2004: December 2nd - Walter Smith has now been confirmed as Scotland manager.The Road To Hampden wish Walter and our International team all the success in the world.

Nicknames: WS, Wally, The Silver Sloth

Walter Smith Factfile / Profile / 1948 - 2007

2004: December - Walter dose not take over officially until January 2005,but he will travel with the squad to Frankfurt. Tommy Burns and Rainer Bonhof are in charge of the Future Cup squad as they take on the might of 16th placed Germany. [ Walter watched us get GUBBED 3 - 0 ]

2004: December - Scotland manager Walter Smith admits he was stunned by his side's slump to 86th in the FIFA world rankings - behind such nations as Burkina Faso, Syria and the United Arab Emirates.[report]

2005: January - Walter Smith finally takes over at the helm of the Scottish International Football team and is welcomed to Hampden by being locked out.It could only happen here eh Walter !!!.If ye didnae laugh ye'd greet. [report]

2005: January - Walter announces his new squad selection as he aims to rebuild the side.A couple of new faces yet again and the return of David Weir from Everton [report] [Newsdesk]

2005: February - Scotland manager Walter Smith is pleased Barry Ferguson has returned to play with Rangers in the SPL. "In Scotland I think we have got to be delighted we are getting a good player - the captain - back playing in the country again," said Smith. [report]

2005 : February - Walter calls for a return of the Auld Enemy fixtures as he feels that it would rekindle some of the passion thats missing from playing meaningless friendlies.Bring on the English. [report]

2005 : March 23rd - Walter shapes up for his first game in charge of the squad. I suppose Italy at home in the San Siro would frighten any manager, but not our Walter. As he tries to lift the players before battle commences in Milan on Saturday evening he stated. "Part of what a manager has to do is to convince players they should be on this stage. Well good luck from everyone back here and the thousands who travel to support the side. "I hope they have learned how to listen.Walter also said,"Coming into the international side part of my job is to try to lift their confidence. [full story]

2005 : March 26th - San Siro - Milan
Walter takes his place in the San Siro dugout. His first match as International team coach is about to begin. The team sheet reads,
Douglas,McNamara,Pressley,Weir,Naysmith,Caldwell,Hartley,Ferguson, Quashie,McCulloch,Miller.
Subs: Gordon,McCann,Anderson,O'Neil,Webster,O'Connor.
On a rain soaked Milan pitch in front of 41,000 spectators with 9,821 of them Tartan Army followers,Scotland were beaten 2 - 0 on the night.Obviously disapointed by the final result,Walter refused to dwell on defeat and looks at the positive,by applauding the team for their commitment and effort.He said "The boys were terrific here," [report][news][fixtures]

We are right behind you Walter : The Scottish Tartan Army in the San Siro , Milan 26th March 2005

2005 : April - Walter gets a chance to see what the players on the fringe of the International 'A' team can do as they prepare for the Future Cup match against Austria on the 19th.Walter had cosen a 16 man squad and since has added a further two new faces. [report]

2005 : April 19th - Walter gets his first goal as Scotland coach when Celtic's craig Beattie found the net with six minutes to go in the B International Future Cup match away to Austria.The only problem being,Austria were already 2 goals up and won the match 2 - 1.After the match a satisfied Smith said
"It was always going to be difficult and I thought the first half showed that".
"We were a little bit better in the second half.

2005 : June 4th - Walter Smith Takes control of Scotland at Hampden Park for the first Time as his side take on Moldova in a Group 5 qualifier in front of a packed house.A determined Scotland side took all 3 points from a very stubborn Moldova with goals from substitutes Christian Dailly and James McFadden.Although delighted with the win, Walter desribed the outcome as another small step towards restoring his country's standing in world football.

Walter Smith celebrates with the Nation as his Scotland side win 2 - 0 against Moldova in his first game in charge at the National Stadium , Hampden Park.

2005 : June 8th - World Cup Group 5 contenders Belarus stand in Walters way to-night in Minsk. A nil - nil draw seemed to be welcomed by the manager as his injury packed squad fought a hard fight to take at least a point from the match. Afterwards the manager said ,"we showed great commitment and resilience and I'm proud at the way they stuck to their task."

2005 : August 17th - International Friendly match away to Austria, Walters first 45 mins was a treat to watch as Scotland lead by 2 goals to nil. With 4 changes for the second 45 the team really struggled to match their earlier performance. The match ended 2-2 and a confident Smith said, "We lost our way a little with changes in personnel and formation and I am disappointed not to have won the game. "All the lads that have been involved have shown great commitment and that's made a big difference to our displays."

2005 : September 3rd - Ahead of Scotland's world cup group 5 qualifier, Walter is in a confident mood that his team selection will give their all against Italy as he has helped to rebuild the confidence that was sadly missing during the Vogts years.Walter said "There is an increasing belief in the squad that we have an opportunity to win games now - regardless of who we are playing against,".

2005 : September 3rd - Scotland take the lead and then hold on to the 1 - 1 draw and a well deserved point at Hampden Park after a terrific performance in front of a packed stadium.Walter Smith although happy with the point in group 5 was dissapointed that Scotland did not hold on and win the match,he said "We got off to a decent start and scored from the first real opening we had - it was a terrific move and a terrific goal."Italy missed one or two chances, but, from my perspective, I have to look at the level of commitment I had from the players and felt disappointed that we lost a goal, and the manner in which we lost it".

2005 : September 7th - Scotland travel to Oslo in a bid to take 3 points from Norway and keep the Group 5 challenge a reality. Walter Smith has the players confidence soaring at the moment, which showed in their display at the Ullevaal Stadion, where they beat Norway 2 - 1.Two superb goals from on form Kenny Miller was enough to secure the points and afterwards Walter said "People may look at the team and say we might not have a lot of things, but we certainly don't lack commitment.

2005 : October 8th - Scotland take on Belarus at the International Stadium Hampden Park, Glasgow. Walter knows that only a victory can keep us in touch with the possibility of reaching the play off places for Germany 2006. No one expected Belarus to play us off the park, which is exactly what they did. It had only taken them 6 minutes to stick the ball where it counts, firmly in the back of Craig Gordon's net. The game finished 0 - 1 and for all of us, the dream is over. Another Wish We Were There - World Cup Finals. An unhappy Smith said, "Of course it's damaging that we have not made the finals,"

2005 : October 12th - Walter takes the National squad to Slovenia, telling the palyers that they need to go out on a high. Scotland, although on the back foot from time to time worked hard and with 3 top drawer goals won the match convincingly 0 - 3.

2005 : November 12th - Scotland take on Fifa rank 7th, United States of America in a friendly match at Hampden Park.Only 2 players were unavailable for selection from Walters squad,Barry Ferguson & Neil McCulloch. Walter had only 2 days to get the squad together for this match. The USA looked a decent side as they passed the ball about well and were awarded an early penalty which Josh Wolff converted in 9 minutes. Scotland though fought back well and were rewarded after 37 minutes when Andy Webster headed the equalizer home.
Walter Smith later said "There's always things to improve, but from where we were when we took over, we're going in the right direction."
I think so too, Scotland 1 - 1 USA, Well done boy's.

2005 : December 6th - Future Cup match v Poland at Rugby Park Kilmarnock. Scotland manager Walter Smith gets the chance to field some fringe players during the National team rebuild.Scotland won the match 2 - 0 and a delighted Walter was very impressed with the effort and professionalism of the squad.

2005 : December 24th - Walter looks back on a very encouraging 12 months as manager of our International Football Team. He has every right to be optomistic about the future as we now have one since he took charge at Hampden Park. Fans of the International Team now follow the side with an aire of confidence as the players are now beginning to realise that winning is part of our game once more. A great deal of thanks is due to the Manager and his background staff for the re-emergence of the Hampden Roar which was sadly missing before they took the helm. Walter has recieved a deserved affection from all over and told the Scotsman Newspaper, "I should have been prepared for the goodwill I've encountered through the year, because Craig Brown primed me for it even before I started," said Smith.You can read his report [ Here ]

2006 : January 27th - The draw for the Euro 2008 tournament and Walter is in Montreux, Switzerland to hear Scotland's fate. The Scottish International team have been drawn in group B with France, Italy, Faroe Islands, Lithuania, georgia and Ukraine. This will be Walter's first tournament in full control from the start from taking over as manager and he said of the draw,"The group we have is obviously a very difficult one - possibly the hardest one of all."From our own point of view we enter the tournament with more optimism than before but we have some very difficult matches.[Report]

2006 : March 1st - Scotland play host to the Swiss International Football Team in a friendly at Hampden Park, Glasgow. Scotland have not won a friendly at Hampden since 1996 when we beat Australia 1 - 0 on March 27th, Ally McCoist scored the winner. Walter's hopes of ending this record tonight took a step backwards as our International Team were beaten 1 - 3 on a very cold night in Glasgow in front of 21,000 dedicated fans. It has been Walters worst experience so far since taking over from Berti Vogts and after the match he said "I've got no argument about the result," "They were the better team throughout.[Report]

2006 : March 15th - Scotland lose their final Future Cup match against Turkey which was played at The Tulloch Caledonian Stadium, Inverness by 3 goals to 2. David Taylor was happy with the performance and suggested Inverness could be one of the cities in line to stage an Under-21 match in the very near future. Walter Smith said "I thought the players showed decent spirit and determination and some of them did themselves no harm in staying in the reckoning for the national side."

2006 : May 11th - Scotland's invitation to play in the Kirin Cup along with Bulgaria and hosted by Japan started in earnest to-day as Scotland took on Bulgaria at the Kobe Wing Stadium. Walter watched his side tear Bulgaria apart with 2 goals apiece from new boys Kris Boyd and Rangers team mate
Chris Burke. Everton's James McFadden got Scotland's 5th and finished the match off 5 - 1.
May 13th - Japan play Scotland in the second and final match of the tournament at the Saitama Stadium in Tokyo in front of 58,648 fans. Walter's side played out a goal less draw but end up top of the table by 1 point therefore winning the Kirin Cup. Walter could'nt speak highly enough about his players and was delighted with their performance and commitment.

Walter Smith and Scotland win the Kirin Cup in Japan

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2006 : September 2nd - Walter Smith faces the Faroe Islands at Celtic Park in Scotland's Euro 2008 campaign opener and has no doubts that a win is a must for Scotland if they hope to challenge for top spot.
A fantastic performance by the International team as they brush aside the Faroe Islands at Celtic Park. Scotland went to the top of group B in style with a 6 - 0 win which puts them in good stead before their trip to Lithuania on wednesday. A delighted Walter Smith said after the match,"We went about the game in the right way, played at a good pace and put together some good moves". Five players managed to get on the scoresheet which delighted a 50,000 crowd at Parhead and Walter said about the goals, "We managed to score goals, which was the main aspect, and I was pleased to finish the first half five-up, But I don't think the level of goals can cause disappointment. Teams come at you when they are behind, but they didn't."[Full Report]

Walter Smith, Tommy Burns, Ally McCoist interact with the players during the game against the Faroes at Celtic Park

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2006 : September 6th - Next up in our Euro 2008 group of death was Lithuania and Walter set out his players to frustrate the Lithuanians and hit them on the break. A tactical descision by Walter left out marksman Kris Boyd from the starting line-up. Scotland held the match at nil nil for the first 45 minutes but came out after half time with all guns blazing and were 2 - 0 up after 61 minutes. A late goal for Lithuania gave Walters team a scare but they battled to hold on to the 2 - 1 lead to win the match. A delighted Smith said, "It was a big performance from us - we put a lot of effort into the game," "But we are absolutely delighted with the result." , [Full Story]

2006: October 7th - Walter and the squad face up to the world cup finalists France @ Hampden with optimism and grit. The players stated before the match that fear was'nt an option. France totaly dominated the first 45mins and it took a half time talking too from Walter to lift the players for the second half. I do'nt know what the manager said but Scotland were fired up when they came back onto the pitch and had a real go @ the French. Gary Caldwell got on the end of a corner on the 66 minute mark and smashed the ball past France keeper Coupet. The boys held on to their lead and won the match in front of an ecstatic crowd who sang the tonsils off for 93 minutes. Well done everyone !!

A happy man - Walter after beating France @ Hampden 7th October 2006, Euro 2008 Qualifier

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2006: October 11th - Scotland travelled to Kiev on a high after an outstanding performance against France. Walter makes sure the players keep their feet on the ground before the next match away to the Ukraine. Scotland kept a cleansheet for the first 45minutes as the Ukraine went all out for a win on their home soil. Walter's men had a few good chances second half, but it was the Ukraine who made their chances count, scoring two second half goals to win the match.

2007: January 10th - Walter Smith has quit as National team coach and been appointed manager of Glasgow Rangers for the second time. Rangers parted company with French coach Paul le Guen after a series of bad results and dressingroom bust up's at Ibrox. Rangers David Murray had only one name on the shortest list ever to replace him - Walter Smith. Walter offered to split his time between Hampden and Ibrox until the end of the season but the SFA rejected this.
Personaly i would like to thank Walter Smith for all the good he has done during his time as National team coach and for the squad that the new coach will inherit, brimming with confidence and full of hope.
Refreshing ? you bet ! Thanks Wattie !!

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