Davie was just so grumpy off the pitch ... but on it he was simply the best, says pal DJ

He shied away from the publicity that many of the Ibrox club's stars enjoyed and was dubbed "The Moody Blue" by sports hacks.

And he didn't, unlike some of the ferocious competitors around him in the Gers dressing room, seem overly concerned when his side lost.

Yet, Davie Cooper's team mates enjoyed playing with the mercurial winger every bit as much as the supporters loved watching him.

He quickly endeared himself to those alongside him in the starting line-up - not to mention fans of the Glasgow giants - after joining in 1977.

None more so than the Rangers strikers who fed off the deliveries he whipped into the opposition penalty box with unerring accuracy.

Jock Wallace's side won the domestic Treble - their fourth of the world record seven they have recorded in their 143 year history - in his debut season.

Light Blues legend Derek Johnstone netted 38 goals in all competitions that term and was named SFWA and SPFA Player of the Year.

The SportsTimes columnist confesses that he owed much of his success during the 1977/78 campaign to the lad playing outside him.

He said: "Coop helped me a lot. When we had wee Tam McLean on the right and Coop on the left it was just magnificent for me.

"The number of quality balls which came flying into the box was incredible. If you were good in the air at all, as I was, then you were always going to get 30 goals a season.

"Coop also used to kid me on. He would tell me: 'You should be paying me half of your wages because I create half of your goals!' It was a fair point!

"We always had great wingers at Rangers in my era. We had Coop, wee Tam and Willie Johnston who could get down the line and get decent balls into the box.

"But the great thing about Coop was he could play on either the right or on the left side - and he had an eye for goal as well."

The outrageously gifted individual's flamboyance on the field of play was in stark contrast to his reserved nature off it.

But Johnstone reveals his shy demeanour was deceptive and underneath it lay a sharp wit and wicked sense of humour.

He added: "Davie was quiet. He didn't like talking to the media when he was a player. He didn't go out of his way to speak to the papers.

"We used to call him Albert Tatlock after the grumpy old boy in Coronation Street. He was always moaning at us. So we called him Albert.

"But he was a really funny guy. Once you got to know him he could be a great laugh. He could come out with some great one liners.

"He reminded me of Kenny Dalglish in that respect. People think Kenny is this dour -faced Scotsman - but nothing could be further from the truth. Coop was a bit like that as well."

Johnstone added: "One thing I remember about him was if we had lost a game on a Saturday he would say: 'What's the matter with you? Cheer, up, we're still going to go out for a pint! We've always got next week!'

"That was his philosophy. You went from one game to the next. He wasn't like Jock Wallace in that respect. Big Jock wanted to win all the time."

Cooper's team mates at Rangers could sense the enthusiastic punter was going to have a good afternoon if the horses he backed came in first before kick-off.

Johnstone continued: "People said Davie was a big gambler. He wasn't. Yes, he loved the horses. But he put a fiver on five horses on a Saturday.

"The number of times he won too was scary. More often than not, his line came up. He just loved horse racing. He didn't bet a lot of money. He just enjoyed the thrill of winning.

"We knew he was going to have a good game if his horse came home in first place in the two o'clock race on a Saturday."

Cooper's form dipped at times after his team mate John Greig took over as manager in 1978 and he occasionally even found himself out of the side.

Johnstone said: "Teams got used to playing him. If he was on the left they used to put the right midfielder onto him. He would hit him before the right back got to him. He was crowded out at times.

"When big Jock was in charge he used to say: 'If Davie's taking men away that means we have spare men in other areas of the park. We have to use that to our advantage'. And we did. Davie created space for the rest of us in the forward areas and we scored goals that way as well."

However, Cooper enjoyed a resurgence when first Wallace returned in 1983 and then when Graeme Souness was appointed in 1985.

He won the Scottish title three times, the Scottish Cup three times and the League Cup seven times during his 12 years at Rangers.

Johnstone said: "Davie was one of those players who just shone out like a beacon. He knew exactly what Rangers were about. He was just superb.

"Davie always wanted the ball at his feet. It didn't matter if there were two or three players surrounding him, he was capable of beating them all."