In partnership with TalkSPORTBET, Football FanCast had a quick chat with former Rangers star and manager Ally McCoist to catch up on everything Rangers, from his favourite teammates to new manager candidates. Catch the full interview and transcript below.
"Ferguson and McCall were my two most underrated teammates"
Asked if any of his former Ibrox teammates went under the radar surrounded by stars like Brian Laudrup and Paul Gascoigne, McCoist heaped praise on two former Scotland midfielders: “Probably two underrated ones would be Stuart McCall and Ian Ferguson. Stuart was a brilliant midfielder, as was Ian.
“The first thing that struck you about Stuart was his energy and his willingness to run about and work hard, and I think in many ways that masked his ability in some people’s opinions, because he was a far better football player perhaps than the way he played.
“What caught your eye when he played was his work rate and his closing down, getting the ball back, but far cleverer with the ball and a better player than a lot of people imagined.
“And Ian Ferguson was the exact same. Those two guys could’ve played in any team at any level. Fergie came from St. Mirren as a younger man and Graeme (Souness) and Walter (Smith) turned him into a very mature, level-headed midfield player who was aggressive and he had one of the hardest shots out of any player I played with.
“The one thing about Fergie that helped was that he was a Rangers boy growing up so he absolutely loved every minute of putting on that blue jersey.”
"I'd have loved to have played with and managed Nicolas Raskin"
Looking at today’s Rangers squad, the legendary striker had no hesitation when asked which current Gers stars he’d have liked to have lined up alongside: “(Nicolas) Raskin, I’ve gotta say his attitude to play and his desire and the way he works. Obviously, he just got into his international side and came off the bench and played for Belgium. I just think he’s one of those boys that has a steady improvement in him.
“I think he’s actually a player I would have liked to have played and managed at the same time. (Vaclav) Cerny’s another one. I enjoy watching Cerny, that left foot of his. He can come inside, go outside. Cerny’s one I wouldn’t mind playing with as well.”
"I was the only person the new owners could talk to"
With 49ers Enterprises now closing in on a deal to take over at Ibrox, McCoist recalled his experience with a changing of the guard, as the Gers entered administration during his time in the dugout: “It’s a funny one, because you’re not really involved in it as such. The position I was in I was sitting down and getting interviewed by one or two potential buyers but that’s all you can do. You don’t have an influence on it at all. All you’re trying to do is effectively sell the football club to people.
“Nowadays it’s completely different because there’s other people to do that. The guys coming in from San Francisco will be doing their due diligence and their background work and they won’t really be asking anybody in the football management side of things.
“It was different when I was there because there was nobody. There was no board of directors, there was no chairman, no chief executive. I was effectively the only person at the club that you could talk to, so thankfully that’s not the case now and the potential buyers will be going through their due diligence and with a bit of luck it can get done and dusted in the foreseeable future.”
"Big changes are needed at Rangers"
It goes without saying that the big task on the new owners’ hands now will be to bridge the gap to Celtic, which McCoist believes starts with hiring a sporting director: “They’re going to have to do it prudently. The first thing they have to do is clearly appoint somebody that they’re going to trust with potential finances. I would rather see them take their time if I’m to be brutally honest. I’d rather see hopefully new owners come in with a business plan, because it’s not gonna be an overnight fix. There’s no chance.
“The disappointing thing for me has been the dramatic decline since they were a penalty kick away from winning the Europa League. It’s just went south very very quickly for whatever reasons. But I don’t think it’s gonna be an overnight fix.
McCoist: One change new Rangers owners must make amid £25m war-chest claim
The Rangers legend has delivered his verdict.
ByTom Cunningham
“A little bit like they’ve done at Leeds. They’ve not come in and went crazy at Leeds – it looks as though hopefully they will get promotion back to the top flight. But they’ve (49ers) not come in and made sweeping changes.
“Although changes are needed at Rangers, and some big ones, I don’t see them making them all at once. I see them coming in, taking their time, having a business plan, appointing someone and moving the club forward gradually.
“I think that’s a far better idea than just going out and spending money willy-nilly on four or five players. I think there has to be a business plan, you’ve gotta build and take it from there – a steady improvement all of the time.”
"Sean Dyche would be an interesting one"
If a new sporting director is objective number one, then finding a new permanent manager isn’t far behind, and the former Gers boss named some eye-catching options: “Kevin Muscat, who played at Rangers, and won the league in Australia and Japan, was spoken about before Philippe Clement. I would imagine he will come back into the craze as well and get spoken about.
“I mentioned Russell Martin at Southampton, he will be desperate to get back into football and management. Also, there’s other guys. Sean Dyche would be an interesting one for me. His teams have always been very very competitive but particularly his Everton side, it’s always a struggle and a fight. I’d like to see him in a team that are expected to win every week. I think he would enjoy that as much as anything, I really do.
Everton (2023-2025)
83
1.23
Burnley (2012-2022)
425
1.34
Watford (2011-2012)
49
1.37
“So, it’s a well-sought after job and there will be no shortage of people going for it. Mourinho was obviously there recently and he is somebody who certainly a lot of Rangers fans would take to and appreciate but I just think the most important thing is they’ve gotta get it right.”
