Walter Smith signed Amoruso for Rangers in May 1997

Former Rangers captain Lorenzo Amoruso believes Walter Smith's ability to get the team playing as a unit and his communication skills are his strengths.

Smith's nine-man Rangers beat St Mirren 1-0 on Sunday to lift the Co-operative Insurance Cup.

"His quality is that he really makes the team work together, really making sure everything is being given on the pitch," the Italian told BBC Scotland.

"Also, Walter has this fantastic communication with the players."

Smith signed Amoruso for Rangers from Fiorentina in May 1997 and proved to be a popular player at the club, making almost 150 appearances in six seasons.

When Dick Advocaat replaced Smith in 1998, he made the imposing centre-half his captain and Amoruso went on to play under Alex McLeish when the Dutchman left.

"Any team has quality, any team has good players, but the most difficult thing for a manager is making them work for each other and following the suggestions of the manager," added Amoruso, now back in Florence.

"He has always done a great job for Rangers and, when he left, it was a bit of a strange situation.

It was important for Rangers to win another trophy because, if somebody comes into buy the club, it shows them that Rangers are still competitive Lorenzo Amoruso

"But he came back at an important moment for Rangers because there were a lot of problems. However, Walter turned everything upside down.

"There was the final of the Uefa Cup - OK, they lost, but he took the team to a high level all over Europe, and won the league, and that says a lot about this manager."

Amoruso was pleased at how Rangers recovered from the loss of Kevin Thomson and Danny Wilson in Sunday's cup final, after Craig Thomson sent the pair off in the second half.

"It is another way to show that the unity of the team can even be stronger than the referee's decision or the other team," was his assessment of Rangers winning the cup against the odds.

Majority shareholder David Murray has placed the Ibrox club up for sale but has discovered that interest is limited, and those with suitable cash reserves to wipe out the debt and invest in the team even more thin on the ground.

Amoruso added: "It was important for Rangers to win another trophy because, if somebody comes into buy the club, it shows them that Rangers are still competitive and ready to fight all over again."

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