FANS are calling for a local council to take urgent action to restore a memorial to Davie Cooper – or move the statue to Ibrox.
The Rangers legend had a bronze monument in his honour erected in his hometown of Hamilton in 1999.
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Cooper, who also played for Motherwell and Clydebank, tragically died at the age of 39.
He was coaching young footballers when he suffered a brain haemorrhage and passed away the following morning in hospital.
Cooper also won 22 caps for the Scotland national team and was a popular figure within Scottish football.
South Lanarkshire Council unveiled the statue, sculpted by Kenny Mackay, in March 1999, four years after the footie hero’s death.
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It is located in the north east of the town within the Hamilton Palace Sports grounds.
A former team mate of Cooper’s, Dave MacKinnon, posted on social media after he spotted the state the memorial has been left in.
Images show the words on the plaque have been worn away, with several letters missing.
The bust itself is not in as poor a condition.
MacKinnon wrote on Twitter (now X.com): “Sad situation at Hamilton Palace grounds, where the statue of my former team mate #DavieCooper needs some TLC. Erected by @SouthLanCouncil maybe @RangersFC could refurbish and move to the club’s museum Coop was a legend in the game and deserves better.”
His post led to calls from fans for the memorial to be fixed up immediately by the council.
One Rangers fan replied: “Yeah it’s a shame the way it’s not been cared for by the council but then the councils haven’t really cared for anything over the past 10 years.
“Pretty sure Rangers could take care of it or move it to Ibrox permanently but then it was the fans who raised funds for the restorations of the founding fathers and others graves and not the club.”
Another said: “It’s not been in a great condition for years sadly such a shame for our local hero Super Cooper.”
A third responded: “What a state to leave Super Cooper in, hopefully the council fix it if they can be bothered.”
And a fourth said: “When monuments are erected they’re not for gratification, they’re for generations. Davie Cooper is one of our most beloved heroes, his statue deserves the prerequisite care and respect that his illustrious Rangers career deserves.”
A member of a Gers supporters club named after the player said: “Our supporters bus spent the best part of two years trying to get it all done and what a hassle it was proving. They didn’t seem interested Covid then hit and nothing been mentioned since. It’s a shame.”
It also sparked a debate on whether it should be moved to Ibrox and placed under the care of his former club.
A statue of Walter Smith is due to be erected at the stadium, with John Greig currently the only ex-player to have a sculpture at the ground.
One supporter said: “My boy is lucky enough to see Davie every week but it would be good for other young Gers to get to see him outside Ibrox.”
Another said: “I agree with Davie get it sorted and moved to the museum if possible great idea.”
“Rangers should relocate the statue to Ibrox where it can be properly cared for,” came a third response.
But this fan disagreed: “He deserves to stay in his home town, if @RangersFC and @MotherwellFC could help get it restored, it would be great to see.”
Another said: “A true legend of Scottish football.@SouthLanCouncil @SouthLanLabour, Davie Cooper deserves better. This needs fixed. Can the local East Kilbride MP candidates who are ten mins away and Hamilton MPs @mgshanks and Angela Crawley arrange to sort this out.”
A Celtic supporter added: “As a Celtic fan, this is a shame for a truly great player. It should be kept and retained where it is. It was his home area and it would be nice to keep it there.”
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