How come Davie Cooper only got very few caps for Scotland?

[legalbeagle]

Really?
McCoist was capped in nearly every game after his debut. Except after his leg break and as he hit his thirties.

What workhorse strikers kept him from getting more than the 61caps?

Except the big games at major tournaments when they almost invariably jumped to almost anyone else, so off the top of my head - Alan McInally, Gordon Durie, Robert Fleck, John Spencer and Kevin Gallacher. Debut April 86, but not taken to the World Cup, only picked for the last game of World Cup 90, ditto Euro 96, not taken to World Cup 98.

 

[jdm1873]

I remember watching Coop get a player sent off at Ibrox (maybe Charnley) he was unplayable but as soon as the player was sent off, he disappeared out of the game.

Still the best player I've seen. A true icon and legend.

 

[top_cat]

Amazing to think about the genuine talent Scotland had at that time.

We really did, we still made a kant of it, though

 

[bluetonic]

Pat Nevin was prefered to at times by Roxburgh

 

[DonDraper]

I think it was either him or Davie Provan most of the time. The emerging Aberdeen and Dundee Utd teams had players in the mix too
Provan was more consistent and played for a more inform team

Proven rarely played for Scotland. John Robertson was one of the top left wingers In Europe at the time

 

[DEJA BLUE]

EB

Proven rarely played for Scotland. John Robertson was one of the top left wingers In Europe at the timrp

Proven rarely played for Scotland. John Robertson was one of the top left wingers In Europe at the timte

Proven rarely played for Scotland. John Robertson was one of the top left wingers In Europe at the time

Provan had quite a few caps , plus being nowhere near as good as davie.

 

[Mad John]

I thought for a time DC made it clear he wasn’t fused about playing for Scotland.

That’s shocking

 

[Gee]

Seems hard to believe that someone of his caliber only got 20 odd caps for Scotland. I know back then we had a decent team and a much better quality of player to choose from than we do now.

Was this a case of managers as we have seen with Brown and Roxburgh who continued to pick their favourites and ignore Rangers players?

Plus did Davie ever play in a WC?

I agree. He was breat on his day but unfortunately he had a lot more days when he wasn’t good and was not even a regular under Grieg s last few years IMO he is vastly over rated on here. Yes on his day he was brilliant but a great player has more good than bad sadly Davie was the opposite still loved him though but should never be in greatest ever team there a a few more better options Wilson Henderson Willie Johnston to name just 3

 

[soapybubble]

Cooper was a player every nation apart from New Zealand, because football is an alien concept, would have built their entire football philosophy around. Instead we see an shitcan academy from Largs inspired a league full of players that can’t spell football never mind play the game.

 

[ibrox1975]

One for older bears who genuinely remember what following Rangers was like from 1979 to 1984
We were pretty brutal and Cooper would go into a kind of sulk get abuse from us in the terraces.
I remember him getting absolute pelters at Dens Park early 80’s guys standing right beside me.
We weren’t a force in that 5 year period

 

[Melbbear]

Moody blues Coop wasn’t always consistent. Stepped up a level when Souness came.

 

[Boldvale]

Seems hard to believe that someone of his caliber only got 20 odd caps for Scotland. I know back then we had a decent team and a much better quality of player to choose from than we do now.

Was this a case of managers as we have seen with Brown and Roxburgh who continued to pick their favourites and ignore Rangers players?

Plus did Davie ever play in a WC?

During John Greigs reign Cooper wasnt always a first pick in the Rangers side, never mind Scotland.

 

[Krissie]

Bobby Russell never got any which considering his talent and class is hard to work out.

John Greig testimonial v Scotland, BR controlled the midfield that day.

 

[coolatballet]

If you are old enough to remember how much the David Holmes/Graeme Souness revolution meant to the club, then you will understand why Coop was not a Scotland stalwart.

The situation with John Greig as manager was not acceptable, We had journeymen players for many years and at that time it was almost as though some fans were so switched off that they realised that continued failure was not so bad, as it meant that there would have to be a revolution.

Obviously, the revolution arrived and we really did not look back until the end of the first decade of the new millennium.

We are now at the beginning of a new revolution. This time, however, it is far more based upon business reasoning rather than having an over enthusiastic sugar daddy at the helm.

Having contrived a strategy to remove us from the top league for years, the Tims have totally blown the opportunity to sink us.

As I see it, we are witnessing the restoration of the natural order.

 

[Cooperfan]

It will be hard for younger fans to appreciate the amount of top class talent Scotland had then.

 

[MO_TxTruBlu]

He would probably have won more caps had the Rangers team between 1979 - 85 been more successful. We struggled during those years and don't forget that at various points our own manager (John Greig) would not give Davie an automatic starting berth.

Pretty much. A lot of the stuff with JG was said to be personal. When at the bankies a young Coop pretty much ripped JG a new one and he didn't like it.

During John Greigs reign Cooper wasnt always a first pick in the Rangers side, never mind Scotland.

I think the reason Cooper was not always an automatic starter under John Greig was obvious.
He had nowhere near the consistency levels we had come to expect of the wingers we had been used to during Greig's career, such as Henderson, Wilson, Johnston, McLean.
As brilliant as Cooper could be, it was a rarity.
Despite this,
Cooper still made more appearances under John Greig than any other Rangers player.
In 4 of the 5 full seasons that Greig was in charge, Cooper started in at least 40 games.
Only Bobby Russell (221) got more starts under Greig, but Cooper got 209 Starts, and 39 as a Sub.

As good as Cooper was late 70's/early 80's, he had little chance of displacing the consistent John Robertson in the Scotland side, who won two European Cups at Nottingham Forest, with Robertson scoring the winner in one Final, and laying on the winner in the other Final.

As decent as Scotland was 85-90, Davie Cooper was only twice on the winning side
(2-0 v Australia, 3-0 v Luxembourg) in the 15 Caps he won during that period.

 

[Ever Ready]

Amazing to think about the genuine talent Scotland had at that time.

Incredible.
My first Scotland game the team had 8 European medals, along with Davie Cooper and Mo Johnston.

 

[thomsonstackle]

Incredible.
My first Scotland game the team had 8 European medals, along with Davie Cooper and Mo Johnston.

Double post

 

[thomsonstackle]

Incredible.
My first Scotland game the team had 8 European medals, along with Davie Cooper and Mo Johnston.

You couldn’t even imagine it now, but we had some of the best players in the world at the time.

Liverpool won the 78’ European Cup, Star player? Kenny Dalglish.
Nottingham Forest won the 79’ and 80’ European Cup, star player? John Robertson.
Liverpool won the 81’ European Cup, best defender of that tournament? Alan Hansen.
Aston Villa won the 82’ European Cup, their centre back pairing? A couple of relatively unknown Scottish lads called Evans and McNaught.
Aberdeen won the Cup Winners Cup in 83’ with a team full of Scots.
Liverpool won the European Cup again in 84’, their captain and inspiration? Graeme Souness.

It really isn’t a stretch to say that from 1978 to 1984 we genuinely had the talent to win a major international competition.

 

[stevie221]

We were pish.

Had Davie Cooper and Bobby Russell - exceptional wing wizards who deserved so much more, and a whole load of others. Wallace left Greig with an amazing team and why we didn't win the treble in 1979-80 is ridiculous, but the famous JG was never a manager.

In the early to mid-80's all we did was sign players who had played well against us in a game.

I don't want to say it too loud in case they hear me but John Greig and Ally McCoist as managers remind me of Neil Lennon today.

 

[Kentbear]

We were pish.

Had Davie Cooper and Bobby Russell - exceptional wing wizards who deserved so much more, and a whole load of others. Wallace left Greig with an amazing team and why we didn't win the treble in 1979-80 is ridiculous, but the famous JG was never a manager.

In the early to mid-80's all we did was sign players who had played well against us in a game.

I don't want to say it too loud in case they hear me but John Greig and Ally McCoist as managers remind me of Neil Lennon today.

I don't think Russell was anywhere near the wing, wizard i will agree with.

 

[stevie221]

I don't think Russell was anywhere near the wing, wizard i will agree with.

I think my dad and I went to every domestic game that Bobby ever played, home and away. He was the best crosser of the ball and corner taker I ever knew. He was a winger and I watched almost every game he ever played - No.7 or 11.

 

[alba73]

Didn’t Eamon bannon get a game ahead of him in Mexico 86.


Listening to talkSPORT yesterday and they were discussing a new pizza with a vegan Xmas dinner topping. Ally then said a few times he loves his “Bobby Russell’s” doubt the English knew what he was talking about

 

[stevie221]

When I was a young boy I was a "ball boy" and used to play fitba on the red ash pitch under the Main stand. We used to stand in the goal (along with a couple of metal statues) and let the team take free kicks. Coop was either your best buddy or didn't care. For what it's worth John McCLelland knocked the heads off both the statues!

 

[Oleg_McNoleg]

Robertson only got a handful more caps than Cooper, to be fair. My boyhood memory is of Cooper featuring for Scotland a lot of the time. Guess there just weren’t as many games.

 

[Smkz23]

Cooper was a player every nation apart from New Zealand, because football is an alien concept, would have built their entire football philosophy around. Instead we see an shitcan academy from Largs inspired a league full of players that can’t spell football never mind play the game.

Rangers didn’t build their philosophy around him either.

 

[Il Ciocco]

Provan played on the right, Cooper mainly on the left.

John Robertson was the main Scotland number 11, and I think Peter Weir of Aberdeen might have played a few times.

Weir got 6 caps between 80 & 83 with Aberdeen in their heyday so seemed to hold down the position with Robertson in that period.

 

[adamski]

They didn't keep him out and other than Durie hardly got more than 10 each. How can that be Scotland preferring workhouses to someone like McCoist.?

They did, until Roxburgh took over

 

[tazzabear]

He made a couple of substitute appearances at Mexico 86. His form 1980-1983 was patchy at times only when WAllace returned did he show the real form he was capable of and showed 77-79

Then 86 to 89?

 

[tazzabear]

Cooper played for the club he loved.

The rest was irrelevant.

A Struth-esque comment.
I’d bet there are a million players who could’ve said the same but, to me, Cooper said it first.

 

[Southpaws]

Coop was an enigmatic genius and a home buddy who felt comfort in the things he knew and loved...His family, tennis, the bookies and of course Rangers. The fact that guys like Ruud Gullit recognised his genius was enough for me, Super was just super and when he could be arsed he was world class and when he couldn’t he was quite underwhelming.

He was definitely his ‘own man’, the ‘moody blue’ which did not always lend itself to him being the most consistent performer. That said I loved watching him perplex and bamboozle opponents by virtue of his incredible football brain and utter wand of a left peg...Coop is one who is very significantly missed by many!

 

[tazzabear]

They didn't keep him out and other than Durie hardly got more than 10 each. How can that be Scotland preferring workhouses to someone like McCoist.?

From the arrival of Souness until his leg break in 93, the only striker to come close to McCoist was Johnston.
He should’ve been first pick.

 

[Macca]

Cooper was a player every nation apart from New Zealand, because football is an alien concept, would have built their entire football philosophy around. Instead we see an shitcan academy from Largs inspired a league full of players that can’t spell football never mind play the game.

What does this even mean?

 

[Kentbear]

I think my dad and I went to every domestic game that Bobby ever played, home and away. He was the best crosser of the ball and corner taker I ever knew. He was a winger and I watched almost every game he ever played - No.7 or 11.

We will have to agree to disagree on that, Russell was never a winger, he was one of the classiest midfielders we have had in all my time of follow following.

 

[Davidsmith1]

EB





Provan had quite a few caps , plus being nowhere near as good as davie.

10 caps Provan got between 79 and 82. For me Cooper was one of the most talented genuises i ever saw but also one of the laziest players i ever saw.

 

[Blue Lou Boyle]

What does this even mean?

And why pick on new zealand?

 

[imager]

We were pish.

Had Davie Cooper and Bobby Russell - exceptional wing wizards who deserved so much more, and a whole load of others. Wallace left Greig with an amazing team and why we didn't win the treble in 1979-80 is ridiculous, but the famous JG was never a manager.

In the early to mid-80's all we did was sign players who had played well against us in a game.

I don't want to say it too loud in case they hear me but John Greig and Ally McCoist as managers remind me of Neil Lennon today.

The Team JG inherited had a number of guys who were in their 30’s, he didn’t replace himself as a leader and the money had dried up as we redeveloped Ibrox, the result was we ended up fighting for 3rd place for 5 or 6 seasons with the odd Cup as a bonus.

 

[DonDraper]

Cooper was a player every nation apart from New Zealand, because football is an alien concept, would have built their entire football philosophy around. Instead we see an shitcan academy from Largs inspired a league full of players that can’t spell football never mind play the game.

Behave yourself

 

[Jaws]

Coop, Russell, and Gordon Smith came in and freshened up an aging team and helped secure a second treble in three years. One of our most talented ever footballers however his career stalled after Jock Wallace’s departure and we fell into decline under Greig. It wasn’t until Wallace’s return and Souness arrival that he was motivated to show his real greatness.

Those early days, the Scotland team came predominantly from the English 1st division and unless a player was truly outstanding in Scotland they wouldn’t feature much. When he should’ve been a fixture, John Robertson was dominant and a host of far inferior players seemed to get preferred to Coop, Provan, Peter Weir & Eamon Bannon ffs!

Robertson was a class player, however imho Coop was way better but there are a host of cracking players who’ve been underused by Scotland and an even longer list of jobbers who’ve been way over capped. Tells you all you need to know. For example, our own Bobby Russell, cultured modern midfielder who’s game would have been ideally suited to international football, not a single call-up, Roy Aitken, headless-chicken grafter, 57 caps

 

[Euro Scooter]

There are a lot of good answers to the OP in this thread and nearly all of them have a valid point in why the caps count seems low. That mix of inconsistency, occasional lack of interest or effort and good competition or manager's favourites all played a part.

There was also a definite bias in favour of "Anglos" as the England-based or born players were known in Cooper's early years and then a more defensive or pragmatic approach in his later years that counted against him.

I'm just glad he was at Rangers through a period when there was absolutely nothing else to look forward to most weeks but also that he got some reward and medals when the good times came back.