Rangers boss bows out on top

Outgoing Rangers boss Walter Smith said his team’s title win on Sunday was about the club and not him.

A Kyle Lafferty hat-trick, to go with goals from Steven Naismith and Nikica Jelavic, sealed a 5-1 thumping of Kilmarnock, making Celtic’s 4-0 win over Motherwell irrelevant after Rangers entered the final day of the season a point ahead of their rivals.

But Smith, who will be replaced by assistant Ally McCoist, said the title was a credit to his players and not about him as the departing boss.

“It’s for the club. It’s not for me. When you make a decision to leave, that’s it, everything that you do is for the club,” Smith told Sky Sports.

“They have played well, particularly in this last lot of games. I set them a challenge not to lose in the last 10 games and they have completed that.”

The veteran manager has won 10 titles in his two spells with Rangers but insists his decision to leave is the right one, albeit not easy to make.

“I’ll always have a regret. I had a regret when I was actually arguing with myself about whether to do it or not. Yes, there will be a regret but I still think it’s the right thing,” he said.

“It’s the right thing for myself and it’s the right thing for Rangers now that they’ve got a new owner and a new manager. It’s the right thing to do.”

“The lads who have been working with me – Ally McCoist, Kenny McDowell and Ian Durrant – have been patiently waiting for an opportunity to take over.”

Celtic manager Neil Lennon said he wants to remain at the club despite a troubled first season.

The 4-0 win over Motherwell on the last day of the season was not enough for Lennon’s team to win the title.

Lennon has been the target of death threats at Celtic Park but still has a chance to win a trophy this season with the Scottish Cup final clash, also against Motherwell, on Saturday.

“This isn’t the end, this is the beginning,” he said.

“The reason I took this job was to win silverware. We’re disappointed today but we’ve got one more piece of silver to win.”

Lennon also blamed people within the game for the troubles he has faced during the season, including a bullet being addressed to him and a fan attacking him during their 3-0 win over Hearts on Wednesday.

“I think a lot of people in the game here need to have a good look at themselves in the mirror,” he said.