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Smith toasts his True Blue Champions
Hibs 0 Rangers 1
WALTER SMITH last night hailed his title heroes for defying the bean-counters and logic to retain the SPL championship.
The Rangers boss was ecstatic as Kyle Lafferty’s 17th-minute winner at Hibs proved enough to earn the Ibrox side a world record 53rd title with three games to spare.
For Smith it was his 19th trophy success as Rangers supremo – and one of the sweetest.
Against a backdrop of financial crisis and swingeing cuts, Smith has fashioned a team good enough to retain the SPL title ahead of big-spending Celtic
And as he sipped from a glass of champers, he saluted a team of grafters for proving themselves to be Scotland’s top dogs.
Smith said: “We have a good group of players – we just don’t have enough of them for a club the size of Rangers.
“That’s what maybe separates this title from some of the other championships that I’ve been fortunate enough to win.
“This time we’ve done it with a small group and against the odds – especially this season.
“We’re delighted for the group of players. We’ve had to ask a lot from them – even today they’ve lost the brightness they once had.
“They have come back on a regular basis and have been fantastic. For that and the consistency they deserve a lot of credit.
“Like a lot of things – when we’ve been under pressure they’ve come through. They are a resilient bunch and a difficult bunch to beat.”
Rangers have only lost twice in the SPL this term – and blown away the opposition with their consistent knack of picking up wins.
Smith worried about his threadbare squad’s ability to home in on title glory when a striker injury crisis struck in January. But his team fought on – and victory in the Old Firm game on February 28 thanks to Mo Edu’s late winner convinced him his team could go on and claim the crown.
Smith added: “I thought when we got over January and a striker crisis we could win.
“We had Beasley, Novo, Naismith Lafferty, Boyd and Miller all injured and had to field a side at Hamilton without the requisite number of subs.
“Once we got through that with a lead and then increased it after the last Old Firm game I thought we could then do it.” Smith and his players last night arrived back at Ibrox to a heroes’ welcome and partied into the night.
The manager now faces a choice – does he quit on a high or stay on for next season.
Last night he made fun of the serious situation and joked: “Whet my appetite? Are you having a laugh! Seriously, though, you always enjoy winning and it’s special for everyone involved.”
Rangers will receive the SPL trophy after their final home game of the season against Motherwell on May 9.