“He just wanted to know if I was interested in coming and, obviously, I was. It wasn’t a hard sell for me: I was just delighted to get the chance to play for Rangers.
“I had no inclination to return to Scotland. Rangers were probably the only club I would have come back for. When Walter got the job, if I’m honest I thought I’d maybe have a wee chance, although I was hoping for it more than expecting it.
“Reaching the Uefa Cup final wasn’t the pinnacle. The highlight is winning things, You learn that quite quickly here. That is what it is all about.
“You have got to win here and Walter taught us how to win. That has been a big part of the experience of being here. The Uefa Cup final was a disappointment. I’ve never watched it and have no great inclination to watch it.”
Weir also believes that consistently winning trophies while the club was in financial meltdown will see a special place in Rangers folklore reserved for the side fashioned by Smith during his second spell in charge.
“I think what we have achieved is unheralded given all the various issues that have been going on,”
he said. “We have had to sell players and maybe not been able to bring players in.
“I think it has been an incredible achievement from the bunch of lads who have been here. I think over time it will go down as one of the great Rangers team ever. I genuinely feel that.”
While one player departs another, Swedish midfielder Mervan Celik, arrives. The 21 year-old passed a medical yesterday after agreeing terms on a 31/2-year contract.
“He hasn’t played for a while,” said McCoist. “Having said that he’s a very fit lad and he’s young enough. I haven’t given it a great deal of thought, but I wouldn’t be opposed of throwing him into the 18 if it all goes through in time. It’s not a disaster if it doesn’t happen.
“He’s the type the fans will like, he’s very, very positive. He goes to take people on and he gets on the end of things and he’s very direct. He’s still very young at 21 and he’s still only a kid, but we would be very hopeful we could push him forward early and get him in the team.”
McCoist also hopes to conclude a deal with Estonian right-back Enar Jaager, who is a free agent after being released by Norwegian club Aalesund. Honduran midfielder Jorge Claros has also impressed and will be asked to spend another week at the training complex.
The new faces have, McCoist claims, served to invigorate a squad which had looked jaded over the festive period.
“It gives everybody a boost,” he said. “It freshens the place up and it’s great. The most important thing is that when the players come in they are really positive and they bring something to the party.
“The two trialists have certainly done that and I believe Mervan will do that as well, I don’t have any doubt about that. I won’t lie to you: from where I am sitting it’s a real boost as well.”
One player who will not be coming to Ibrox, though, is St Johnstone striker Francisco Sandaza, who will allow his contract to run out at McDiarmid Park.
“Fran has rejected the offer of a precontract in the summer which, of course, he is absolutely within his rights to do and, in that respect, we have cooled on it a little bit,” said McCoist.
“To be fair, he does know: we’ve made no secret of it, we’ve been very up front and honest.
"So if we get an opportunity to bring someone in between now and the end of the window, that would have to put a dampener on the situation with Fran: at this moment of time I’d have to say we are looking elsewhere.”