Rangers manager Walter Smith insists he has no intention of following in the footsteps of Sir Alex Ferguson by having a change of heart over retiring at the end of the season.
The 62-year-old revealed in the summer this would be his final year in football, before making way for his assistant Ally McCoist to replace him in the Ibrox hot-seat. However, speaking ahead of Rangers' highly anticipated Champions League clash with Manchester United, Ferguson urged his close friend and former colleague to have a rethink, claiming he still has too much to offer the game.
"It was nice of him to mention it but I've made my decision," said Smith. "I'm leaving at the end of the year and that's it."
Ferguson himself almost retired in 2002 but subsequently changed his mind. Then, in April this year, he dismissed rumours he was set to quit at the end of this season.
"It doesn't surprise me," said Smith of Ferguson's determination to prolong his managerial career.
"I think at one stage, when he was probably around the same age I am at the present moment, he maybe felt he had enough.
"Then he got the second wind and decided to stay on. I'm sure everybody at Manchester United will be delighted he made that decision. I think the level of player that he is working with is also keeping him going.
"My own situation was completely different. I had no intention of staying even this length of time when I first came back to Rangers.
"The two situations are both on a parallel but I think every manager needs a level of motivation as well and I think Manchester United motivates Sir Alex as much as the other way around."
Source: PA
