THOUSANDS of fans and friends yesterday gathered to pay their last

respects to Davie Cooper, the gentlemanly genius of Scottish football.

There were so many mourners that they brought much of his hometown of

Hamilton, Lanarkshire, to a standstill.

Famous footballing figures were joined by crowds of faithful fans in

bidding an emotional farewell to the former Rangers and Scotland star

who died last Thursday from a brain haemorrhage, at the age of 39.

A congregation of 400 packed the Hillhouse parish church for the

funeral service. But many more mourners gathered outside the church and

lined the route to Bent Road cemetery, where the family held a private

burial ceremony.

Many of the mourners standing outside the church wept as they listened

to tributes from Rangers striker Ally McCoist and Ibrox manager Walter

Smith, which were relayed by loudspeakers.

McCoist, a close friend as well as former team-mate, recalled how he

joined Rangers in 1983, when Cooper was already an established star. ''I

watched, listened, and learned from Davie. I learned the importance of

strength of character.''

Closing his tribute, he described Cooper as ''a remarkable talent and

a fine, fine man'' and added simply: ''God bless you, Davie''.

Smith told mourners: ''Somebody once said simplicity was genius, and

Davie Cooper's football was touched by genius. God gave him a great gift

and I don't think He can be disappointed about the way he used it.''

Church minister the Rev Jim Mackenzie said Cooper had been one of

those rare people who was regarded by everyone who met him as a genuine

gentleman.

Although some of the top Scottish footballers could not attend the

funeral because of the national squad's European championship qualifying

match in Moscow, all 40 senior Scottish league clubs were represented.

The stars were not restricted to the world of soccer. Among the

mourners were members of pop group Wet Wet Wet, including lead singer

Marti Pellow.

Lining the path to the church door were hundreds of wreaths, among

them one from rock star Rod Stewart with the message: ''One of

Scotland's greatest. He will be sadly missed.''

Family members at the service included Cooper's parents Jock and Jean,

and his brother John. His wife Christine, from whom he separated several

years ago, and his girlfriend Liz Thomson were also present.

Cooper began his career with Clydebank before moving in 1977 to Ibrox,

where he spent 12 years and collected many honours. He then moved to

Motherwell, where he won a Scottish Cup winners' medal in 1991, and

rejoined his first club in December, 1993, as player-coach.