JIM JEFFERIES is aiming to become the hate figure of half of Glasgow by spoiling Walter Smith's farewell party. The Hearts boss is keen to cap a great week, when he was named Bell's Manager of the Year, by helping Hearts lift their first trophy in 36 years. The Edinburgh side go into the Scottish Cup Final against Rangers at Celtic Park as underdogs, but that doesn't bother Jefferies, who led Hearts to third place in the table to scoop the management award, ahead of Celtic's Wim Jansen and his Ibrox counterpart Smith. Jefferies said: "This award is an indication that everyone appreciates the progress Hearts have made and that is very satisfying indeed. But I would swap it for the Scottish Cup. Individual honours are a result of collective performances and the players have had a great season. They have responded to the type of management I have brought to Tynecastle.'' Jefferies is desperate to put the record straight against Rangers after losing 5-1 to the Ibrox giants in the 1996 Scottish Cup Final, and 4-3 in the Coca-Cola Cup Final the following season. He said: What happened two years ago has no bearing on this year's match. Only a few players remain from that team. Walter Smith knows we're a better side today than we were in that match and in the Coca-Cola Cup. You should not judge us on our run-in, when we dropped out of the championship race, but earlier on in the season. In the last few games we have rediscovered that kind of form. It will be Smith's last match in charge of Rangers and, considering his record in the 90s, it would be ironic if he ended his stint without winning a trophy this season. And he is determined his players shrug off the disappointment of losing the title on the final day to Old Firm rivals Celtic. He said: The players must forget what happened last weekend and completely focus their mind on the job. There is a massive determination at Ibrox to win this Cup. It's the last one for a number of players and they all want to give the fans something to cheer. As long as I have been involved at Ibrox we have managed to win something. This season we want to finish on a higher note than the Championship proved for us last week. If it had been the other way around, if we had been winning in the title race then lost it, we would have had a harder job to pick ourselves up. But Celtic were always the favourites, which in a sense makes it a little easier for us. ''In Cup football, it all depends on the day. Anything which has gone on previously is put firmly in the background. Our league form has been inconsistent, but I don't think any of that matters now. We have been fortunate to win against Hearts on the majority of occasions this season, but we have had to play very hard to beat them and that will be the same again.'' Hearts captain Gary Locke will miss the final with a knee injury - the third final he has missed through injury. Former Ranger Dave McPherson looks likely to continue in his absence, and is vying with Steve Fulton to take the captain's armband. Rangers will be without suspended midfielder Jorg Albertz and hamstring victim Jonas Thern. Stuart McCall, who was on the bench last week, could be recalled to the starting line-up.

QUIET MAN SET FOR LAST HURRAH   WALTER SMITH will take charge of Rangers for the last time on Saturday in the Scottish Cup Final, bringing an end to an extraordinary era for an ordinary man. The Ibrox boss is a true people's champion, especially in the blue corner of Glasgow. Brought up in Carmyle, in the east end of the city, his grandfather took him to Ibrox as a boy, lifting him over the turnstiles. Little did he think he would be manager and a director of Rangers when they dominated Scottish football in the 90s. Smith, 49, took over from Graeme Souness when he joined Liverpool in 1991 - and he and the club went on to chalk up a record-equalling nine successive titles. Not that you will hear Smith shouting his achievements from the rooftops. That is not - and never has been - his style. His personality has much to do with his humble background, both at home and in the work place. Smith combined his trade as an electrician by playing for Dundee United, Dumbarton and Dundee United again. His assistant manager at Ibrox, Archie Knox, once joked: ''Walter probably lacked only one thing as a player - ability.'' But he was always a keen student of the game and learned much from United boss Jim McLean, one of the most respected managers in Scotland, and it was under McLean's influence that Smith began to develop his coaching skills. Souness arrived at Ibrox with only scant knowledge of the Scottish scene and claimed Smith as his assistant in April 1986. The partnership was an instant success, with Rangers winning the championship for the first time in nine years at their first attempt. Celtic succeeded them, but Rangers then won it twice more in succession before Souness defected to Liverpool. Smith, far from being unnerved at the prospect of managing the club in his own right, quickly began to improve on their achievements. Smith is a lover of popular music, including heavy metal, and Rangers have called the tune up until this season under his direction in Scotland. His one regret is that they have never dominated Europe. But domestically, until this season at least, Rangers have been top dogs. And that is why it would be fitting if Smith goes out as a winner on Saturday.

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