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{{short description|Scottish footballer, manager, and pundit}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=March 2012}}
{{EngvarB|date=January 2020}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=January 2020}}
{{Infobox football biography {{Infobox football biography
| name = Ally McCoist | name = Ally McCoist<br><small>{{post-nominals|country=UK|size=100|OBE}}</small>
| image = ] | image = Ally McCoist 1994.jpg
| fullname = Alistair Murdoch McCoist
| caption = McCoist in 1994 | caption = McCoist in 1994
| height = {{convert|5|ft|10|in|abbr=on}} | upright = 0.8
| birth_date = {{Birth date and age|1962|9|24|df=y}} | fullname = Alistair Murdoch McCoist<ref name=Hugman>{{Hugman|12287|access-date=15 March 2020}}</ref>
| birth_date = {{Birth date and age|1962|9|24|df=y}}<ref name=Hugman/>
| birth_place = ], ]
| position = ] | birth_place = ], Scotland
| height =
| currentclub = ] (])
| years1 = 1979–1981 | position = ]
| clubs1 = ] | currentclub =
| youthyears1 = {{0|0000}}–1978
| youthclubs1 = Fir Park Boys Club
| years1 = 1978–1981
| clubs1 = ]
| caps1 = 57 | caps1 = 57
| goals1 = 22 | goals1 = 22
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| totalgoals = 290 | totalgoals = 290
| nationalyears1 = 1980–1981 | nationalyears1 = 1980–1981
| nationalteam1 = ] | nationalteam1 = ]
| nationalcaps1 = 10 | nationalcaps1 = 10
| nationalgoals1 = 7 | nationalgoals1 = 7
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| nationalcaps3 = 61 | nationalcaps3 = 61
| nationalgoals3 = 19 | nationalgoals3 = 19
| nationalyears4 = 1990<ref name=spfl90fb>, ] via ], 18 August 2016</ref>
| manageryears1 = 2011–
| nationalteam4 = ]
| nationalcaps4 = 1
| nationalgoals4 = 0
| manageryears1 = 2011–2014
| managerclubs1 = ] | managerclubs1 = ]
}} }}
'''Alistair Murdoch''' "'''Ally'''" '''McCoist''', ({{IPAc-en|m|ə|ˈ|k|ɔɪ|s|t}}; 24 September 1962) is a ] ] ] and former player. He has been the manager of ] since May 2011. '''Alistair Murdoch McCoist''' {{post-nominals|country=UK|size=100|OBE}} ({{IPAc-en|m|ə|ˈ|k|ɔɪ|s|t}}; born 24 September 1962) is a Scottish former ] who has since worked as a ] and TV pundit.


McCoist began his playing career with Scottish club ] before moving to English side ] in 1981. He returned to Scotland two years later and signed with Rangers. At Rangers, McCoist became the club's record goalscorer, netting 355 goals. In addition to this, McCoist holds the Rangers records for number of league goals scored, number of ] goals scored and the most goals scored by a player in ] competitions with 251, 54 and 21 respectively. McCoist is also third in the all-time appearance table for Rangers, having made 581 appearances for the club. McCoist began his playing career with Scottish club ], before moving to English side ] in 1981. He returned to his homeland two years later, signing with ]. McCoist had a highly successful career with Rangers, becoming the club's record goalscorer and winning ] between 1988–89 and 1996–97. He later played for ].


He is second in the Scottish top tier league's all time leading goalscorer having netted 282 times for St. Johnstone, Rangers and Kilmarnock between 1979 and 2001. McCoist was inducted into the ] in 2007. He is also a member of the ], having gained 61 international caps. A prolific ], he is the fifth-highest all-time goalscorer in the top tier of the ], having scored 260 times for Rangers and Kilmarnock between 1983 and 2001.


Towards the end of his playing career, McCoist started his media career. Between 1996 and 2007, he was a team captain on the BBC sports quiz '']''. He began to scale back his media commitments in 2007, when he became an assistant manager to ] at Rangers. He succeeded Smith as Rangers manager in 2011, but the club then suffered from serious financial difficulties. ] in 2012 and the club was placed in the ] of Scottish league football. McCoist helped them win successive promotions to the second tier, but after a poor start to the 2014–15 season McCoist handed in his 12-months' notice in December 2014 and was placed on ]. In September 2015, McCoist and Rangers mutually agreed to terminate his contract.
McCoist was inducted into the ] in 2007. He is also a member of the ], having gained 61 international caps.


== Club career == ==Early life==
Born at ]<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.motherwelltimes.co.uk/news/maternity-staff-reunion-just-the-start-1-4084140|title=Maternity staff reunion just the start|date=28 March 2016|work=Motherwell Times|access-date=2 August 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190802144438/https://www.motherwelltimes.co.uk/news/maternity-staff-reunion-just-the-start-1-4084140|archive-date=2 August 2019|url-status=dead}}</ref> and raised in ],<ref name="Legend">{{cite book |author1=Alastair Aird |title=Ally McCoist – Rangers Legend | publisher=John Blake Publishing| year=2013| isbn=9781782198062}}</ref> McCoist attended ] and ]. His high-school team coach and chemistry teacher was former ] and ] forward ], who was acknowledged by McCoist for his guidance and influence,<ref name="Archie">{{cite news|url=http://www.heraldscotland.com/news/12682858.Where_the_boy_done_good/|title=Where the boy done good|date=22 February 1994|work=The Herald|access-date=23 May 2017}}</ref> but who died in 1978 just as his protégé's career was taking off.<ref name="Legend"/> Upon leaving school, McCoist had a short spell working as a clerical assistant in the ] (now the Department for International Development) branch office at ]. The role offered flexible working arrangements, allowing him to organise his hours around his football career.<ref>, Nicola Findlay, Daily Record, 23 November 2021</ref>
{{Expand section|date=January 2010}}


==Playing career==
=== St. Johnstone ===
=== St Johnstone ===
McCoist's first professional club was ], having signed from Fir Park Boys Club in 1978. McCoist had trained with ] as a 16-year-old but was rejected by manager ] for being "too small".<ref>{{cite news|title=Sportsound|date=5 October 2008|publisher=BBC Scotland|accessdate=7 October 2008}}</ref> After failing to score during his first two seasons in ], McCoist scored 23 goals in 43 appearances during the ] including a consolation against Rangers in a 3–1 defeat in Scottish Cup replay.<ref>{{cite news | url=http://www.independent.co.uk/sport/football/news-and-comment/simon-turnbull-stokes-and-the-mccoist-parallel-432056.html | title=Stokes and the McCoist parallel | first=Simon | last=Turnbull | work=The Independent | publisher=Independent News and Media | date=14 January 2007 | accessdate=4 October 2009 | location=London}}</ref>
McCoist's first professional club was ], having signed from Fir Park Boys Club in 1978. He had been denied a move to ] because ] thought he was not good enough. "When I was 14, 15, Sir Alex used to pick me up from school. I used to go to Hunter High in East Kilbride, and he stayed up in ], I think it was, in East Kilbride. And he used to pick me up – myself and another lad, ], who he ''did'' sign at St Mirren and went to ] with him. We'd train with the S-forms, and Sir Alex would take the training with the first team and the reserves. And then Stevie and I would wait, and Sir Alex would give us a couple of quid and we'd nip round to the ] in Love Street. We'd go back and wait for Sir Alex finishing, and then he would drop us off at the house."<ref name=open> – Open Goal, YouTube, published on 16 April 2018</ref>


McCoist made his debut for St Johnstone on 7 April 1979 in a 3–0 win over ].<ref name="saints">{{cite web|title=History – Significant Saints – Ally McCoist|url=http://www.perthstjohnstonefc.co.uk/history-legends.php#amccoist|publisher=St Johnstone FC Official Website|access-date=8 October 2014|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141012113147/http://www.perthstjohnstonefc.co.uk/history-legends.php#amccoist|archive-date=12 October 2014}}</ref> He did not score his first goal for the club until he scored Saints' final goal in a 3–0 win against ] in August 1980.<ref name="saints" /> He went on to score 23 goals in 43 appearances that season, including a consolation against ] in a 3–1 defeat in a Scottish Cup replay.<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.independent.co.uk/sport/football/news-and-comment/simon-turnbull-stokes-and-the-mccoist-parallel-432056.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110902083538/http://www.independent.co.uk/sport/football/news-and-comment/simon-turnbull-stokes-and-the-mccoist-parallel-432056.html |archive-date=2011-09-02 |url-access=limited |url-status=live | title=Stokes and the McCoist parallel |first=Simon |last=Turnbull |work=The Independent |date=14 January 2007 |access-date=4 October 2009 |location=London}}</ref><ref name=lifetimes>{{cite web|url=http://www.dailyrecord.co.uk/sport/football/ally-mccoist-life-times-rangers-4797543|title=Ally McCoist: The life and times of a Rangers legend|date= 12 December 2014|work=Daily Record|access-date=11 November 2017}}</ref>
With several English clubs interested in his signature due to his prolific form with both St Johnstone and the Scotland U-18 side including Sunderland, Wolves, Middlesbrough & Tottenham Hotspur he started the 81–82 season in terrific form netting four goals in five league cup games including the opening goal in a 2–0 win over Celtic at Muirton Park and the consolation in a 4–1 defeat in the corresponding fixture at Parkhead.


Due to his form with both St Johnstone and the Scotland under-18 side, McCoist gained the attention of several English clubs, including ], ], ] and ].
This was enough to convince Sunderland manager Alan Durban to splash £400,000 on McCoist making him Sunderland's most expensive ever signing.

He started the ] with four goals in five ] games, including the opening goal in a 2–0 win over ] at ]<ref>{{cite news|last1=Paul|first1=Ian|title=McCoist puts Celtic on road to defeat|url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=GGgVawPscysC&dat=19810813&printsec=frontpage&hl=en|access-date=8 October 2014|work=The Glasgow Herald|date=13 August 1981|page=20}}</ref> and the consolation in a 4–1 defeat in the corresponding fixture at ].<ref>{{cite news|last1=Paul|first1=Ian|title=Celtic are simply leagues ahead|url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=GGgVawPscysC&dat=19810820&printsec=frontpage&hl=en|access-date=8 October 2014|work=The Glasgow Herald|date=20 August 1981}}</ref>


=== Sunderland === === Sunderland ===
McCoist's time at Sunderland was unsuccessful: he managed only nine goals in 65 appearances for a side struggling at the foot of the English First Division. He only managed two goals during the 81/82 season, his first coming against Brian Clough's Nottingam Forest side and his second a spectacular curling effort from the edge of the box against Southampton. Sunderland manager ] signed McCoist in August 1981.<ref name=lifetimes/> The £400,000 transfer fee spent on the striker made him Sunderland's record signing.<ref name="sund" /> McCoist's time at Sunderland was unsuccessful, however: he scored nine goals in 65 appearances for a side struggling at the foot of the English First Division. He managed two goals during the ], his first coming against ] and his second a curling effort from the edge of the box against ].<ref name="sund">{{cite web|title=Ally McCoist – Sunderland FC|url=http://www.sporting-heroes.net/football/sunderland-fc/ally-mccoist-4856/short-biography_a11880/|publisher=Sporting Heroes|access-date=8 October 2014}}</ref>


Three goals in three pre-season games against Dundee, Dunfermline Athletic and former team St. Johnstone followed by a goal against European Champions Aston Villa on the opening day of the 82/83 in a 3–1 win looked to point towards big things to come. He followed this up with a goal against Brighton and Hove Albion meaning he had matched his previous seasons tally midway through September. Three goals in three pre-season games against ], ] and former team St Johnstone were followed by a goal against European champions ] on the opening day of the ] season in a 3–1 win. He followed this up with a goal against ], meaning he had matched his previous season's tally midway through September.<ref name="sund" />


October '82 proved to be the highlight of McCoist's spell with Sunderland as he netted 5 goals in as many games against Norwich City, Southampton, Manchester City, Everton and Wolves(F.A Cup). With seven goals scored by the end of October big things were expected but McCoist failed to score another goal in Sunderland shirt. Despite this he finished 3rd top scorer for Sunderland, one goal behind Nick Pickering. October 1982 proved to be the highlight of McCoist's spell with Sunderland, as he scored five goals in as many games against ], Southampton, ], ] and Wolverhampton Wanderers. With seven goals scored by the end of October, McCoist failed to score another goal in a Sunderland shirt. Despite this, he finished third-top scorer for Sunderland in 1982–83, one goal behind ].<ref name="sund" />


In early 1983, Alan Durban invited McCoist into his office and informed him that Rangers' ] had called him with an interest in signing the player. "He said, 'Do you fancy it?'" recalled McCoist. "And I said, 'Aye. I've got to be honest with you.' He said, 'I think you should go, for the simple fact that I don't think I'll be here in three or four months.' Sure enough, he got the sack relatively soon after that."<ref name=open/>
At the end of the 1982–83 season he returned to Scotland and joined Rangers for a fee of £185,000.


=== Rangers === === Rangers ===
In 1983 Rangers manager ] signed McCoist for £185,000.<ref> BBC Sport, 21 May 2001</ref> During his fifteen years with Rangers, McCoist achieved an array of honours, including ten league championship medals. This began with a title in the ] and included the whole ] period between 1989 and 1997. McCoist also won a ] winners' medal and nine ] winners' medals. He was the first player to be ] twice in a row (in 1992 and 1993), as well as being named Scotland's "Player of the Year" in 1992. McCoist is Rangers' all-time leading goalscorer (with 251 league goals; 355 in all competitions). At the end of the 1982–83 season, McCoist returned to Scotland and joined Rangers for a fee of £185,000.<ref name="sund" /><ref name="Ally McCoist & Rangers: A long association as player and manager"/><ref>{{ cite news | url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/scotland/1342480.stm | title=Life and times of Ally McCoist | publisher=BBC Sport | date=21 May 2001}}</ref> On his dream move, McCoist recalled: "I met ] and ] at the ], at the roundabout in ]. I went to a ] and phoned my wee grannie in ]. First person I phoned. I can still hear her obviously not with us now but I can still hear her voice down the phone. You could have given her a million pounds and it wouldn't have meant just as much."<ref name=open/>

During his fifteen years with Rangers, McCoist achieved an array of honours, including ten ] medals. This began with a title in the ] and included the whole ] period between 1989 and 1997. He also won a ] winner's medal and nine ] winner's medals. He was the first player to be ] twice in a row (in 1992 and 1993), and in 1992 won Scottish football's two most prestigious Player of the Year awards.

McCoist made his competitive debut for the ] side against ] on the opening day of the ], and scored twenty goals that year. Nonetheless, he got a tough time from the supporters. "When I look back, do I regret it? No, because it actually made me stronger. If I didn't handle that at all, I wouldn't have stayed at the club and I would have been away down the road. At that time, ] probably would have sold me."<ref name=open/> McCoist scored a ] in the ] victory over ] in March 1984.<ref name=lifetimes/><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.eveningtimes.co.uk/sport/15408097.NOW_YOU_KNOW__Ally_McCoist_was_Rangers__39__hat_trick_hero_when_beating_Celtic_3_2_in_1984_League_Cup_Final/|work=]|title=Now you know: Ally McCoist was Rangers' hat-trick hero when beating Celtic 3–2 in 1984 League Cup Final|date=12 July 2017 |access-date=11 November 2017}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.thecelticwiki.com/page/1984-03-25%3A+Celtic+2-3+Rangers%2C+League+Cup|publisher=The Celtic Wiki|title=Celtic 2–3 Rangers, League Cup (newspaper report scans)|date=26 March 1984|access-date=11 November 2017}}</ref> With Rangers still a team very much in the doldrums, he managed 18 goals the following season.<ref name=fsgers/>

McCoist scored 24 goals in the 1985–86 season.<ref name="Ally McCoist & Rangers: A long association as player and manager"/> He made his international debut against the ] in 1986, the same year ] arrived at Rangers to begin the Ibrox revolution. "He certainly transformed Rangers Football Club, but he also transformed Scottish football," said McCoist of Souness' time at Ibrox. "Two of his first three signings were ], the ] captain, and ], the England goalkeeper. The whole place just erupted into a new level."<ref name=open/>

McCoist scored another ] in the ] final against Celtic to bring further accolades his way,<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.thecelticwiki.com/page/1986-05-09%3A+Rangers+3-2+Celtic%2C+Glasgow+Cup+Final+-+Pictures|website=The Celtic Wiki (hosting site for scans)|title=Rangers 3–2 Celtic, Glasgow Cup Final – Pictures (newspaper reports)|access-date=27 November 2017}}</ref> and he was an ever-present in Rangers' title-winning side of ], scoring 34 goals along the way.<ref name=fsgers/>

In September 1987 McCoist was convicted of assault and fined £150 at ]. This followed an attack on a 19-year-old outside an East Kilbride nightclub in the early hours of 5 December 1986. A verdict of not proven was returned against ] and ] in relation to the incident.<ref name=fine> Daily Record, 8 April 1998</ref><ref>Footballer fined 150&nbsp;pounds for assault, ''The Guardian'', 25 September 1987</ref> McCoist and Durrant were each fined £1,500 by Rangers.<ref name=fine/>

McCoist's tally of 31 goals in 1987–88<ref name=fsgers/> could not prevent Celtic regaining the league title and, although Rangers recaptured their crown in ], McCoist played only 19 games. That title win was the first of ], but McCoist found himself in and out of the first team for the first three of those successes. During the ] season, ] and new signing ] were the preferred front pairing, and when McCoist attended the ] when the players were given free time prior to back-to-back games against Celtic, he was dropped from the match squad by Souness and forced to apologise, for breaching team discipline, in a press conference. He returned to the team for the second of the matches after Hateley was sent off in the first, but Rangers lost both without scoring and his future at the club seemed uncertain.<ref name="Legend"/>

When ] took over from Souness in April 1991, McCoist returned to the fore and came back from a ] on the final day of the season as the club won the title.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/36263204 |title=Rangers and Aberdeen's epic duel for the 1991 Scottish title – 25 years ago|date=11 May 2016|access-date=1 December 2021|work=]}}</ref><ref name=prem91>{{cite news|url=http://www.heraldscotland.com/sport/13030001.FLASHBACK__1991_______Mark_Walters_and_Scott_Booth_recall_their_part_in_Smith___s_maiden_final_day_triumph_walters_BOOTH/|title=Flashback: 1991, Mark Walters and Scott Booth recall their part in Smith's maiden final-day triumph|date=14 May 2011|access-date=1 December 2021|newspaper=]}}</ref> Despite starting the next season on the bench due to further minor injuries, McCoist won both the ] and the ] awards. During this ] campaign, he scored 34 times in the league,<ref name=fsgers/> forming an effective partnership with Hateley (Johnston had since left the club) as Rangers completed a domestic ]. Those goals won him the ] – the first time a Scot had won the award – ensuring his position with two long-range strikes in the final fixture of the season away to Aberdeen,<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4tFeGBG3mBg| archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/varchive/youtube/20211113/4tFeGBG3mBg| archive-date=2021-11-13 | url-status=live|title=Ally McCoist's Golden Boot goals against Aberdeen, season 91–92|via=YouTube|access-date=27 August 2019}}{{cbignore}}</ref> a match he later admitted he had barely been in a condition to play, having spent the previous night drinking with students in the team hotel.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/sport/football/2305859/King-Walters-blue-blood-set-to-decide-his-destiny.html |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/archive/20220111/https://www.telegraph.co.uk/sport/football/2305859/King-Walters-blue-blood-set-to-decide-his-destiny.html |archive-date=11 January 2022 |url-access=subscription |url-status=live|title='King Walter's' blue blood set to decide his destiny|work=Daily Telegraph|date=10 January 2007|access-date=27 August 2019}}{{cbignore}}</ref> He had scored the only goal of the Scottish Cup semi-final, an ] meeting in which Rangers played 85 minutes with only ten men,<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.dailyrecord.co.uk/sport/football/football-news/former-rangers-star-david-robertson-10251859|title=Former Rangers star David Robertson: I was meant to make Joe Miller's hands go up his sleeves but I went too far and broke his ribs|publisher=Daily Record|date=19 April 2017|access-date=27 August 2019}}</ref> and rounded off the season with the decisive goal in the ].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.eveningtimes.co.uk/sport/13279153.NOW_YOU_KNOW__Rangers_played_Premier_clubs_in_each_round_of_Scottish_Cup/|work=]|title=Now you know: Rangers played Premier clubs in each round of Scottish Cup|date=24 April 2014|access-date=27 August 2019}}</ref> Regarding the Golden Boot, McCoist joked: "There was some wee Romanian guy. You know what it's like: I think he needed to score nine in the last game of the season to beat me. I think he got eight. It was one of those ones. I think he scored his seventh in the 98th minute and scored his eighth in the 114th minute. You're never sure with that mob."<ref name=open/>

He repeated that scoring feat a year later, in ], with the same goal tally in the Premier Division, despite missing the last seven matches of the season after breaking his leg playing for ] against ] in April.<ref name="Rangers: The Complete Record">{{cite book |author1=Bob Ferrier |author2=Robert McElroy |title=Rangers: The Complete Record | publisher=Breedon Books| year=2005| isbn=1-85983-481-7}}</ref><ref name="Ally McCoist & Rangers: A long association as player and manager"/><ref name=lifetimes/> He also missed the ] (having scored the winner in the semi-final to put Rangers through) but still scored a career-best 49 goals from 52 appearances overall for the campaign.<ref name=fsgers/>

After a six-month absence, he returned from the injury by coming off the bench to score an overhead kick to win the ] against ].<ref name="Ally McCoist & Rangers: A long association as player and manager"/><ref name=lc93>{{cite web|url=https://rangers.co.uk/news/headlines/on-this-day-league-cup-1993/|title=On This Day: League Cup 1993|publisher=Rangers F.C.|date=24 October 2016|access-date=11 November 2017|archive-date=11 November 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171111041632/https://rangers.co.uk/news/headlines/on-this-day-league-cup-1993/|url-status=dead}}</ref>

As for McCoist's renowned strike partnership with Hateley, the Englishman said: "Alistair was the perfect partner for me. As a finisher, he was an unbelievable goal scorer. He linked with me. All the goal scorer does is he looks at the leader of the line and makes sure he's offset, fifteen yards away. It was a great partnership"<ref name=opengoal> – Open Goal, ], 29 November 2021</ref>


His appearances were limited over the next two seasons as a result of other niggling injuries (37 games and 12 goals, less than his typical output for one campaign), and also had to compete with a string of new signings between 1993 and 1995, including ] and ], for the forward positions.
McCoist made his competitive début for the ] side on the opening day of the ] against ] and scored twenty goals that year. The highlight was a hat-trick in the ] victory over ]. With Rangers still a team very much in the doldrums, McCoist managed 18 goals the following season as he began to endear himself to the club's fans.
His chirpy nature made him difficult to dislike and he soon earned the nickname "Super Ally" with 24 goals in season 1985–86. He made his international debut against Holland in 1986, the same year Graeme Souness arrived at Rangers to begin the Ibrox revolution. McCoist was an ever-present in Rangers' title-winning side of 1987, notching 33 goals along the way and another hat-trick in the League Cup final against Celtic brought further accolades his way.


After recovering his fitness, he played more regularly in the ], scoring 16 league goals and in an Old Firm Scottish Cup semi-final victory (as he had done in 1992 and would again in 1998),<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.eveningtimes.co.uk/sport/15238589.Past_meetings__Celtic_without_a_Scottish_Cup_semi_final_win_over_Rangers_since_1925/|title=Past meetings: Celtic without a Scottish Cup semi-final win over Rangers since 1925|date=21 April 2017|work=Evening Times|access-date=11 November 2017}}</ref> though he again missed the resulting final. A tenth Premier Division winner's medal (the completion of nine-in-a-row) and a ninth ] (scoring twice)<ref name=lc96>{{cite web|url=https://www.independent.co.uk/sport/football-rangers-revel-in-records-1354109.html |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/archive/20220507/https://www.independent.co.uk/sport/football-rangers-revel-in-records-1354109.html |archive-date=7 May 2022 |url-access=subscription |url-status=live|title=Football: Rangers revel in records|date= 25 November 1996|work=The Independent|access-date=11 November 2017}}{{cbignore}}</ref><ref name=lifetimes/> followed in ]. His last appearance in a Rangers jersey came in the ] in which he scored during a 2–1 defeat by ].<ref>{{Cite news |first=Calum |last=Philip |title=Scottish Cup Final: Stage of dramatic Hearts |url=https://www.independent.co.uk/sport/football-scottish-cup-final-stage-of-dramatic-hearts-1158932.html |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/archive/20220507/https://www.independent.co.uk/sport/football-scottish-cup-final-stage-of-dramatic-hearts-1158932.html |archive-date=7 May 2022 |url-access=subscription |url-status=live |work=The Independent|publisher=Independent News & Media |location=London |date=17 May 1998 |access-date=20 March 2015}}{{cbignore}}</ref>
His tally of 31 goals that season could not prevent Celtic regaining the league title and, although Rangers recaptured their crown in 1988–89, McCoist played only 19 games. That title win was the first of nine-in-a-row, but McCoist found himself in and out of the first team for the first three of those successes.


At Rangers, McCoist became the club's record goalscorer, netting 355 goals in all competitions.<ref name=lifetimes/> In addition to this, he holds the club record for number of league goals scored and the number of ] goals scored (with 251 and 54, respectively). He also held the title for the most goals scored by a player in ] competitions (21), until his total was overtaken by ].<ref name=fsgers/> McCoist is also third in the all-time appearance table for Rangers, having made 581 appearances for the club.
In September 1987 McCoist was convicted of assault and fined £150 at Hamilton ]. This followed an attack on a 19-year-old outside an ] nightclub in the early hours of 5 December 1986. A verdict of ] was returned against ] and ] in relation to the incident.<ref> Daily Mail, 24 October 2008</ref><ref name=fine> Daily Record, 8 April 1998</ref><ref>Footballer fined 150 pounds for assault, The Guardian, 25 September 1987</ref> McCoist and Durrant were each fined £1500 by Rangers.<ref name=fine/>


Reflecting on his time at Rangers in 2018, McCoist said: "My extended family was those boys that I worked with and played with and coached and managed and worked under. It was the greatest experience of my life and I was very, very privileged to play there, coach there and manage there. It was a dream come true."<ref name=open/>
When Walter Smith took over from Souness, McCoist returned to the fore and won both Players' Player of the Year and the Sportswriters' award after scoring 34 goals in season 1991–92 as Rangers completed a domestic treble. Those goals won him the European Golden Boot – the first time a Scot had won the award – and he repeated that feat a year later. That despite breaking his leg against Portugal in April and missing the last seven matches of the season.
His appearances were limited over the following two seasons as a result of niggling injuries though, in typical fashion, he came off the bench to score an overhead kick to win the 1993 League Cup final against Hibernian. He played more regularly in the 1995–96 season, scoring 16 goals before netting a spectacular long-range drive at Euro '96 against Switzerland. His last appearance in a Rangers jersey came in the 1998 Scottish Cup final when he scored in a 2–1 defeat by Hearts.


=== Kilmarnock === === Kilmarnock ===
McCoist finished his career at ], where he spent three seasons after leaving Rangers 1998. He retired from playing on 20 May 2001 at the age of 38, after playing 50 minutes of a league win at home to Celtic.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/football/teams/k/kilmarnock/1341494.stm |title=McCoist takes final bow |publisher=BBC Sport|date=20 May 2001 |accessdate=11 February 2010}}</ref> McCoist finished his career at ], where he spent three seasons alongside long-time Rangers teammate Ian Durrant. After recovering from another broken leg in 1999 (sustained in a match against Rangers)<ref name=lifetimes/> during the last months of his ''Killie'' spell, he was an unused substitute in the ] defeat to Celtic, then had a penalty saved by ] at ] in what proved to be his final match against his old club.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://rangers.co.uk/news/match-report/2000-01/kilmarnock-1-2-rangers/ |title=Kilmarnock 1–2 Rangers|publisher=Rangers F.C.|date=11 April 2001 |access-date=23 July 2018}}</ref> He was denied a cameo appearance from the bench at Ibrox by his manager ] a few weeks later as Kilmarnock were already losing heavily – instead he received an ovation from supporters on the field after the final whistle.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://rangers.co.uk/news/match-report/2000-01/rangers-5-1-kilmarnock/ |title=Rangers 5–1 Kilmarnock|publisher=Rangers F.C.|date=12 May 2001 |access-date=23 July 2018}}</ref>


His final game at the age of 38 was at home to Celtic on the last day of the ] campaign on 20 May 2001, a 1–0 win which enabled Kilmarnock to qualify for the following season's ].<ref>{{cite news|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/football/teams/k/kilmarnock/1341494.stm |title=McCoist takes final bow |publisher=BBC Sport |date=20 May 2001 |access-date=11 February 2010}}</ref> Coincidentally, McCoist was substituted off in that match while fellow striker ] came off the bench to make his debut; he too went on to be become the club's joint-second league goalscorer of all time, level with ] on 121 goals.<ref name=lifetimes/>
== International career ==
McCoist appeared 10 times for the Scotland national under-18 football team. He made his debut in a European U-18 Championship qualifier against Iceland netting the only goal of the game after 19 minutes. He followed this up by scoring in the return leg, a 3–1 victory which secured Scotland's qualification for the following summer's European Under-18 Championships.


===International===
He found the net again in his 3rd appearance, a 3–1 victory over Northern Ireland. His next three appearances came in the prestigious Monaco Youth Tournament, a 1–0 defeat to West Germany, a 2–0 victory over Switzerland and a 1–1 draw with France taking his tally to five goals in six appearances.
====Age-group teams====
McCoist appeared ten times for the Scotland national under-18 football team. He made his debut in a European Under-18 Championship qualifier against Iceland, netting the only goal of the game after 19 minutes. He followed this up by scoring in the return leg, a 3–1 victory which secured Scotland's qualification for the following summer's European Under-18 Championships.


He found the net again in his third appearance, a 3–1 victory over Northern Ireland. His next three appearances came in the prestigious Monaco Youth Tournament, a 1–0 defeat to West Germany, a 2–0 victory over Switzerland and a 1–1 draw with France taking his tally to five goals in six appearances.
McCoist was then selected for Scotland's semi-professional side for a four team tournament in Holland however he failed to make an appearance.


McCoist was then selected for Scotland's semi-professional side for a four-team tournament in the Netherlands; however, he failed to make an appearance.
At the European U-18 Finals Scotland found themselves in a group with Austria, Spain and defending U-18 Champions England. McCoist started all three games, as Scotland defeated both Austria and England 1–0 with McCoist netting the winner against the Auld Enemy meaning the final group game against the Spanish would decide the group. Again McCoist scored, a superb free-kick in a 1–1 draw. Unfortunately this result saw Scotland eliminated on goal difference.


At the European Under-18 finals, Scotland found themselves in a group with Austria, Spain and defending Under-18 champions England. McCoist started all three games as Scotland defeated both Austria and England 1–0, with McCoist netting the winner against the Auld Enemy, meaning the final group game against the Spanish would decide the group. McCoist scored with a free-kick in a 1–1 draw. This result saw Scotland eliminated on goal-difference.
McCoist made his ] debut on 29 April 1986, in a 0–0 friendly match against ].<ref> Scottish FA</ref>


====Full team====
McCoist started just one game at the ] in Italy after being an integral part of the qualification bid.
McCoist made his ] debut, aged 23, on 29 April 1986 in a goalless friendly match against the ].<ref> Scottish FA</ref>


He started one game at the ] in Italy (coming on as a late substitute in the other ])<ref name=lifetimes/> after being an integral part of the ].
He has captained Scotland once, against ] on 27 March 1996. McCoist went on to score the winner in a 1–0 win at ] after 55 minutes.<ref> Scottish FA</ref> He is ] fifth-highest scorer, with 19 goals.


In March 1993, he broke a leg against ] in a disastrous ] for the next World Cup (Scotland lost 5–0 and failed to progress).<ref name="Ally McCoist & Rangers: A long association as player and manager"/><ref name=lifetimes/>
=== International goals ===
:''Scores and results list Scotland's goal tally first''


He captained Scotland once, against ] on 27 March 1996. He went on to score the winner after 55 minutes in a 1–0 win at ].<ref> Scottish FA</ref><ref name=lifetimes/>
{| class="wikitable"

McCoist scored one major tournament goal: a long-range drive at ] against ], which was also his last goal for his country;<ref name="Ally McCoist & Rangers: A long association as player and manager"/><ref name=lifetimes/> he had started all three of Scotland's matches at ] but failed to score, and was not selected in the squad for the ] despite having scored 16 goals during the preceding season. "I was devastated. It broke my heart. It really did. I remember getting the news down in London that <nowiki>]<nowiki>]</nowiki> wasn't taking me and I ] my eyes out. I still think it was a massive mistake. I certainly don't think I would have played ninety minutes in all the games, but if we'd needed a goal, I was still probably our best chance. That was the biggest disappointment in my career, not going. Obviously I have spoken to Craig since, and he admits it was a mistake now. And I do appreciate him for saying that. It doesn't soften the blow that I didn't go, but it backs my own theory up that I ''should'' have gone."<ref name=open2> – YouTube, published 6 September 2018</ref>

He made his last two appearances for Scotland after moving from Rangers to Kilmarnock in summer 1998, with his final outing a 3–2 victory over ] in October of that year. McCoist is Scotland's fifth-highest scorer, with 19 goals from his 61 ].<ref name=lifetimes/>

==Managerial career==

] trophy in 2009]]
McCoist joined the Scotland coaching staff under his former manager at Rangers, Walter Smith, in 2004. He turned down the managerial position at ] in 2006 as he wanted a job nearer his Glasgow home.<ref name="McCoist factfile"> The Telegraph, 10 January 2007</ref>

===Rangers===

====Smith's assistant (2007–11)====
McCoist returned to Rangers as an assistant manager to Walter Smith in January 2007.<ref name="Rangers appointment">{{cite news|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/football/teams/r/rangers/6233237.stm|publisher=BBC Sport|title=Smith appointed boss of Rangers|date=10 January 2007}}</ref> After Rangers' victory over ] in the ], Smith revealed that McCoist had been in charge of the team for the entire cup campaign.<ref> Sky Sports, 25 May 2008</ref> "Obviously, Walter had me in mind for the manager's position when he stepped down, and for a couple of the Scottish Cup runs he let me take the team. I'd do the preparation and the training, but obviously he'd be there. I'd do the team talk, all that kind of stuff."<ref name=open/>

The duo also guided Rangers to the final of that year's ], in which they lost 2–0 to ].

On 22 February 2011 he was announced as the new Rangers manager, with effect from June 2011.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/football/teams/r/rangers/8705050.stm |title=McCoist thrilled with future role as Rangers boss |publisher=BBC Sport |date=26 May 2010}}</ref>

====2011–12 season====
Businessman ] bought out ] as Rangers' majority shareholder in May 2011. Whyte said he was proud to be the owner of Rangers and pledged to invest £25 million into transfers, over five years.<ref name=KeepTogether>{{cite news |url= http://www.dailyrecord.co.uk/football/spl/2011/05/10/new-rangers-owner-craig-whyte-wants-to-keep-together-as-much-of-current-squad-as-he-can-86908-23119918/|title=New Rangers owner Craig Whyte wants to keep together as much of current squad as he can |date=10 May 2011|publisher=Daily Record|access-date=12 May 2011}}</ref>

McCoist's first competitive game in charge of Rangers came on 23 July 2011, a 1–1 draw at home to ] on the opening day of the ].<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/0/football/14242065 |title=Rangers 1–1 Hearts |publisher=BBC Sport |date=23 July 2011 }}</ref> After the game McCoist complained to ] about a report that he argued misrepresented his view on violence after Old Firm derbies and the cost of policing the matches. The BBC stood by the report but upheld the complaint about the way the piece had been edited. On Tuesday 26 July 2011, the BBC issued an apology to McCoist and he, in turn, dropped his ban on speaking to them.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/scotland/14299133.stm|title=BBC Radio Scotland to cover Rangers v Malmo tie|date=26 July 2011|publisher=BBC Sport|access-date=26 July 2011}}</ref> In April 2011, McCoist had called for Rangers supporters who sung offensive chants to be arrested.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/football/13127427.stm |title=Gers assistant Ally McCoist wants chant fans arrested |publisher=BBC Sport |date=19 April 2011 }}</ref>

McCoist took charge of his first European game on 26 July 2011 at home to ] side ] in the first leg of a ], losing 1–0 to suffer his first defeat as Rangers manager.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/0/football/14283932 |title=Rangers 0–1 Malmo |publisher=BBC Sport |date=26 July 2011 }}</ref> His first win came on 30 July, away to St Johnstone with a 2–0 scoreline, goals coming from ] and ].<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/0/football/14321296 |title=St Johnstone 0–2 Rangers |publisher=BBC Sport |date=30 July 2011 }}</ref> McCoist's first ] campaign ended at the first hurdle after drawing 1–1 away to Malmo in the Third qualifying round second leg, losing 2–1 on aggregate and having ] and ] sent off.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/0/football/14321323 |title=Malmo 1–1 Rangers (agg 2–1) |publisher=BBC Sport |date=3 August 2011 }}</ref> Despite dropping into the ], McCoist's first European campaign as Rangers manager ended early after another defeat over two legs in the play-off round by ].<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/0/football/14569511 |title=Rangers 1–1 NK Maribor (agg 2–3) |publisher=BBC Sport |date=25 August 2011 }}</ref>

McCoist made a promising start to his first SPL campaign as manager, with Rangers topping the SPL after the first five fixtures and conceding only one goal. His first Old Firm match as manager was a 4–2 win over Celtic at Ibrox,<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/0/football/14869908 |title=Rangers 4–2 Celtic |publisher=BBC Sport |date=18 September 2011 }}</ref> but his side were shocked by First Division side ] in the League Cup a few days later.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/0/football/14910198 |title=Falkirk 3–2 Rangers |publisher=BBC Sport |date=21 September 2011 }}</ref> McCoist suffered a fourth cup competition exit of the season on 5 February 2012, in a 2–0 defeat at home to ] in the ] fifth round.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/0/football/16778861 |title=Rangers 0–2 Dundee Utd |publisher=BBC Sport |date=5 February 2012 }}</ref>

Despite being within four points of Celtic at the top of the table in February, having been fifteen points clear of their arch rivals at one stage,<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/0/football/15504383 |title=Rangers 3–1 Dundee Utd |publisher=BBC Sport |date=5 November 2011 }}</ref> Rangers' SPL title challenge was virtually ended after the club entered administration on 14 February 2012 and was docked ten points as a consequence.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/0/football/17032099 |title=Rangers' 10-point deduction confirmed by SPL |publisher=BBC Sport |date=14 February 2012 }}</ref> McCoist was able to see out the season with Rangers finishing in second place despite the points deduction.

====2012–13 season====
Following the rejection of a company voluntary arrangement by HM Revenue & Customs, the business and assets of the company running Rangers were sold to a consortium led by ]. McCoist decided to stay after talks with Green. McCoist then worked alongside Green as the club were placed in the ].<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/0/football/18813407 |title=Rangers: Charles Green accepts Division Three vote |work=BBC Sport |date=13 July 2012 }}</ref>

Rangers won the Third Division championship and promotion to the third tier.<ref>{{cite news |title=Rangers star Lee McCulloch hails third division win as his 'favourite' title |url=http://www.thecourier.co.uk/sport/football/div-3-2.196/rangers-star-lee-mcculloch-hails-third-division-win-as-his-favourite-title-1.80797 |location=Dundee |work=The Courier |date=1 April 2013 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130404004451/http://www.thecourier.co.uk/sport/football/div-3-2.196/rangers-star-lee-mcculloch-hails-third-division-win-as-his-favourite-title-1.80797 |archive-date=4 April 2013}}</ref> They exited the ] by losing to ] in a penalty shoot-out.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/0/football/19629218 |title=Ramsdens Cup: Rangers 2–2 Queen of the South (3–4 pens) |work=BBC Sport |date=18 September 2012 }}</ref> They defeated ] in the League Cup, but lost 3–0 to Inverness in the quarter-finals at Ibrox. Rangers also suffered a 3–0 defeat in the Scottish Cup, against ] at Tannadice.

====2013–14 season====
Rangers won the ] championship and promotion to the second tier, as they became the first Rangers side in 115 years to go an entire league season unbeaten. They also progressed to the semi-finals of the Scottish Cup, but lost 3–1 to ] at Ibrox. Rangers reached the ], but lost 1–0 after extra time to ] at ]. They suffered a first-round defeat in the Scottish League Cup at ].<ref>{{cite news|title=Forfar 2 Rangers 1|url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/23474801|publisher=BBC Sport|access-date=29 November 2017}}</ref>

====2014–15 season====
Rangers fell behind ] in the ] as they lost 2–1 at home and 2–0 away to the Edinburgh club. Rangers progressed to the semi-finals of the ], but suffered a defeat in the ] against ]. McCoist submitted formal notice of his intention to resign as manager in December 2014 and began serving a 12-month notice period.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/0/football/30451727 |title=Rangers: Ally McCoist 'still committed' after handing in notice |publisher=BBC Sport |date=12 December 2014 |access-date=11 September 2015}}</ref> Later in December, McCoist left his position with Rangers and was placed on ].<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/0/football/30571507 |title=Ally McCoist: Rangers manager leaves club & on gardening leave |publisher=BBC Sport |date=21 December 2014 |access-date=11 September 2015 |first=Chris |last=McLaughlin}}</ref> This continued until September 2015, when McCoist and Rangers agreed to terminate his contract.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/0/football/34211117 |title=Rangers & Ally McCoist reach contract termination agreement |publisher=BBC Sport |date=10 September 2015 |access-date=11 September 2015}}</ref>

==Media career==
McCoist is also known for his television work. He was a team captain on the ]'s '']'' from 1996 to 2007 with his rival captains being ], ] and ], making a record 363 appearances on the show.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport2/hi/question_of_sport/qs_history/3042810.stm|title=Question of sport history|date=23 November 2008 |publisher=BBC Sport |access-date=11 December 2012}}</ref> Having been passed over for Scotland's ] squad, McCoist was recruited to the BBC's punditry team for the tournament, where he proved a popular addition.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=jyGtDwAAQBAJ&dq=ally+mccoist+1998+bbc+world+cup&pg=PT381|title=Ally McCoist - Rangers Legend|date=October 2009 |publisher=John Blake Publishing Ltd |isbn=9781843589457 |access-date=9 September 2023}}</ref>

He also co-presented a late night chat show ''McCoist and MacAulay'' for ] from 1998 to 1999 alongside comedian ]. In 2001, McCoist won Sports Presenter of the Year at the ].<ref>{{cite web |url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/entertainment/1218732.stm#picture|title=TRIC Awards – Winners |work=BBC News |date=13 March 2001 |access-date=14 September 2013}}</ref>

In 2000, McCoist also starred in the film '']'' alongside ], playing Jackie McQuillan, a fictional legendary ex-Celtic player.<ref name="Ally McCoist & Rangers: A long association as player and manager">{{ cite news | url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/0/football/30354162 | title=Ally McCoist & Rangers: A long association as player and manager | publisher=BBC Sport | date=21 December 2014 }}</ref> McCoist wore a Rangers jersey under his Celtic one to keep the material off his skin.<ref name=open/>

Between 1998 and 2005, McCoist, along with ], appeared as a commentator for the ] by ]. They were replaced by ] and ] for '']''.

McCoist has been a regular ] for ]'s football coverage. In 2010, he was a regular co-commentator for ] at the ] working alongside ] or ].<ref> Live Soccer TV, 26 May 2010</ref> McCoist worked for ITV during the ], and his partnership with main commentator ] was praised by various media sources.<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.theguardian.com/tv-and-radio/2018/jun/26/the-surprise-team-of-the-world-cup-jon-champion-and-ally-mccoist |title=The surprise team of the World Cup? Jon Champion and Ally McCoist |first=Jack |last=Seale |work=The Guardian |date=26 June 2018 |access-date=8 August 2018}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |url=https://inews.co.uk/sport/football/world-cup/ally-mccoist-jon-champion-itv-world-cup-commentators/ |first=Adam |last=Hurrey |title=Ally McCoist and Jon Champion: World Cup 2018's commentary dream team |work=I newspaper |access-date=8 August 2018}}</ref>

From the start of the 2017–18 season McCoist worked as a studio pundit for ]'s coverage of the ] and the ], appearing regularly on their coverage alongside ], ] and ]. From the 2020–21 season, ] earned exclusive rights to the SPFL, and McCoist continued to feature as a pundit on their coverage.

Since the 2019–20 season he has also been a pundit and commentator for ]'s coverage of ] matches.<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.dailyrecord.co.uk/entertainment/tv-radio/rangers-legend-ally-mccoist-signed-20944643 |first=Linda |last=Howard |title=Rangers legend Ally McCoist signed by Amazon to join punditry team covering English Premier League |work=Daily Record |access-date=17 December 2020}}</ref>

==Awards==
On 10 June 1994, McCoist was awarded the ] (MBE) for services to football.<ref>{{cite web|title=McCoist MBE scores in honours list|url=http://www.heraldscotland.com/news/12689152.McCoist_MBE_scores_in_honours_list/|website=www.heraldscotland.com|access-date=14 November 2017}}</ref> He was inducted into the ] in 2007 and is also a member of the ]. McCoist was inducted into the ] in March 1996, when he was awarded his 50th international cap.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.rsssf.org/tabless/scot-intres2001.html |title=Scotland – International Matches 1996–2001 |date=14 April 2016 |access-date=10 June 2016 |first1=Alan |last1=Brown |first2=Gabriele |website=] |last2=Tossani}}</ref> McCoist was appointed ] (OBE) in the ] for services to association football and to broadcasting.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/media/6669879843c77d8616f76033/Birthday_Honours_List_2024.pdf |title=Awards for Birthday Honours List 2024}}</ref>

==Personal life==
A lifelong Rangers fan, McCoist attended his first Old Firm fixture as a ten-year-old on 5 May 1973. It was Rangers' ] in front of 122,714 spectators at ].<ref name=open2/>

McCoist's first wife was Allison. After meeting in 1981, they married in 1990 and divorced in 2004. The marriage produced three sons: Alexander, Argyll and Mitchell. He has two more sons, Arran and Harris, with his second wife, Vivien.<ref> – ''Daily Record'', 24 May 2014</ref>

In 1996, McCoist was convicted of drink driving.<ref> – ''Herald'', 5 November 1996</ref>

During the ], McCoist was a supporter of the ] campaign against ].<ref name="football">{{cite news |url=http://www.dailyrecord.co.uk/news/scottish-news/independence-referendum-football-legends-unite-4173636 |title=Independence referendum: Football legends unite to back Better Together campaign |work=Daily Record |first=Torcuil |last=Crichton |accessdate=8 September 2014 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140906203231/http://www.dailyrecord.co.uk/news/scottish-news/independence-referendum-football-legends-unite-4173636 |archive-date=6 September 2014 }}</ref>

McCoist had an extramarital affair with the actress ], which was cited in divorce proceedings from his first wife.<ref>{{Cite news|title=Ally's affair with Patsy to cost him £2M (plus £4,000 a month)|last1=Philp|first1=Myra|date=24 January 2004|work=Daily Express|last2=Palmer|first2=Richard}}</ref> It is said the affair developed from a pre-existing friendship when McCoist was in London filming ITV's ] football highlights show.<ref>{{Cite news|title=I was a fool to love Patsy, says sad Ally|last1=Philp|first1=Myra|date=28 September 2001|work=Daily Express|last2=Myers|first2=Mel}}</ref>

In November 2024, Ally McCoist revealed he has ], a genetic disorder that causes a person's fingers to bend towards their palm.<ref>{{Cite web |date=22 November 2024 |title=Ally McCoist: Ex-Rangers star reveals incurable hand condition |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cn42rpy4n1zo |access-date=22 November 2024 |website=BBC News |language=en-GB}}</ref>

==Career statistics==
===Playing===
====Club====
{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center"
|+ Appearances and goals by club, season and competition<ref>{{cite web|title=Ally McCoist|url=http://www.soccerbase.com/players/player.sd?player_id=5014|publisher=Soccerbase|access-date=8 October 2014}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|title=Ally McCoist|url=http://www.national-football-teams.com/player/14020/Ally_Mccoist.html|publisher=National Football Teams|access-date=8 October 2014}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|title=Ally McCoist|url=http://www.thestatcat.co.uk/Player.aspx?PlayerID=545|publisher=The Stat Cat|access-date=8 October 2014}}</ref><ref name=fsgers>{{cite web|title=Rangers player McCoist, Ally|url=http://www.fitbastats.com/rangers/player.php?playerid=1305|website=FitbaStats|access-date=8 October 2014}}</ref>
|- |-
!rowspan="2"|Club
! Goal !! Date !! Venue !! Opponent !! Score !! Result !! Competition
!rowspan="2"|Season
!colspan="3"|League
!colspan="2"|National cup
!colspan="2"|League cup
!colspan="2"|Continental
!colspan="2"|Total
|- |-
!Division!!Apps!!Goals!!Apps!!Goals!!Apps!!Goals!!Apps!!Goals!!Apps!!Goals
|1 ||rowspan="2"| 9 September 1987 || rowspan="2"| ], ] || rowspan="2"|{{fb|HUN|1957}} || 1–0 ||rowspan="2"| 2–0 || rowspan="2"| ]
|- |-
|rowspan="5"|]
|2 || 2–0
|]
|rowspan="4"|]
|4||0||0||0||0||0||colspan="2"|–||4||0
|- |-
|]
|3 || 14 October 1987 || ], ] || {{fb|BEL}} || 1–0 || 2–0 || ]
|15||0||1||0||0||0||colspan="2"|–||16||0
|- |-
|]
|4 || 26 April 1989 || ], ] || {{fb|CYP}} || 2–1 || 2–1 || ]
|38||22||3||1||2||0||colspan="2"|–||43||23
|- |-
|]
|5 || 15 November 1989 || ], ] || {{fb|NOR}} || 1–0 || 1–1 || ]
|0||0||0||0||5||4||colspan="2"|–||5||4
|- |-
!colspan="2"|Total
|6 || 16 May 1990 || ], ] || {{Fb|EGY}} || 1–2 || 1–3 || ]
!57||22||4||1||7||4||0||0||68||27
|- |-
|rowspan="3"|]
|7 || 12 September 1990 || ], ] || {{fb|ROM}} || 2–1 || 2–1 || ]
|]
|rowspan="2"|]
|28||2||3||0||1||0||colspan="2"|–||32||2
|- |-
|]
|8 || 14 November 1990 || ], ] || {{fb|BUL|1971}} || 1–0 || 1–1 || ]
|28||6||1||0||4||1||colspan="2"|–||33||7
|- |-
!colspan="2"|Total
|9 || 11 September 1991 || ], ] || {{fb|SUI}} || 2–2 || 2–2 || ]
!56||8||4||0||5||1||0!!0!!65||9
|- |-
|rowspan="16"|]
|10 || 13 November 1991 || ], ] || {{fb|SMR}} || 4–0 || 4–0 || ]
|]
|rowspan="15"|]
|30||8||4||3||10||9||3||0||47||20
|- |-
|]
|11 || 19 February 1992 || ], ] || {{fb|NIR}} || 1–0 || 1–0 || ]
|25||12||3||0||6||5||4||1||38||18
|- |-
|]
|12 || 20 May 1992 || ], ] || {{fb|CAN}} || 2–1 || 3–1 || ]
|33||25||1||1||4||1||2||0||40||27
|- |-
|]
|13 || 9 September 1992 || ], ] || {{fb|SUI}} || 1–1 || 1–3 || ]
|44||34||1||0||5||2||6||2||56||38
|- |-
|]
|14 || rowspan="2"|17 February 1993 || rowspan="2"|], ] || rowspan="2"|{{fb|MLT}} || 1–0 || rowspan="2"|3–0 || rowspan="2"|]
|40||31||2||1||5||6||6||4||53||42
|- |-
|]
|15 || 2–0
|19||9||8||5||4||4||2||0||33||18
|- |-
|]
|16 || 16 August 1995 || ], ] || {{fb|GRE}} || 1–0 || 1–0 || ]
|34||14||2||0||4||4||colspan="2"|–||40||18
|- |-
|]
|17 || 15 November 1995 || ], ] || {{fb|SMR}} || 3–0 || 5–0 || ]
|26||11||2||1||4||3||4||3||36||18
|- |-
|]
|18 || 27 March 1996 || ], ] || {{fb|AUS}} || 1–0 || 1–0 || ]
|38||34||5||4||4||1||2||0||49||39
|- |-
|]
|19 || 18 June 1996 || ], ] || {{fb|SUI}} || 1–0 || 1–0 || ]
|34||34||4||5||5||8||9||2||52||49
|-
|]
|21||7||6||3||1||1||colspan="2"|–||28||11
|-
|]
|9||1||0||0||0||0||colspan="2"|–||9||1
|-
|]
|25||16||2||1||4||3||6||0||37||20
|-
|]
|25||10||3||1||3||3||6||6||37||20
|-
|]
|15||5||4||4||3||4||4||3||26||16
|-
!colspan="2"|Total
!418||251||47||29||62||54||54||21||581||355
|-
|rowspan="4"|]
|]
|rowspan="3"|]
|26||7||1||0||2||1||colspan="2"|–||29||8
|-
|]
|9||1||0||0||1||2||2||0||12||3
|-
|]
|18||1||2||0||2||2||colspan="2"|–||22||3
|-
!colspan="2"|Total
!53||9||3||0||5||5||2||0||63||14
|-
!colspan="3"|Career total
!584||290||58||30||79||64||56||21||777||405
|} |}


====International====
== Coaching career ==
{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center"
] trophy in 2009]]
|+ Appearances and goals by national team and year
McCoist joined the ] coaching staff under his former manager at Rangers, ] in 2004. He turned down the managerial position at {{fc|Inverness Caledonian Thistle}} in 2006 as he wanted a job nearer his ] home.<ref name="McCoist factfile"> The Telegraph, 10 January 2007</ref>

McCoist returned to Rangers as an assistant manager to Walter Smith in January 2007.<ref name="Rangers appointment">{{cite news|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/football/teams/r/rangers/6233237.stm|publisher=BBC Sport|title=Smith appointed boss of Rangers|date=10 January 2007}}</ref> After Rangers' victory over ] in the ], Smith revealed that McCoist had been in charge of the team for the entire cup campaign.<ref> Sky Sports, 25 May 2008</ref> On 22 February 2011 he was announced as the new Rangers manager beginning in June 2011 and ending in June 2012.<ref> BBC Sport, 26 May 2010</ref>

McCoist's first competitive game in charge of Rangers came on 23 July 2011, a 1–1 draw at home to ] on the opening day of the ]. After the game McCoist complained to ] about a report that he argued misrepresented his view on violence after Old Firm derbies and the cost of policing the matches.<ref> Mail Online, 26 July 2011</ref> The BBC stood by the report but upheld the complaint about the way the piece had been edited. On Tuesday 26 July 2011, the BBC issued an apology to McCoist and he, in turn, dropped his ban on speaking to them. <ref>{{cite news|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/scotland/14299133.stm|title=BBC Radio Scotland to cover Rangers v Malmo tie|date=26 July 2011|publisher=BBC Sport|accessdate=26 July 2011}}</ref> In April 2011, McCoist had called for Rangers supporters who sung offensive chants to be arrested.<ref> BBC Sport, 19 April 2011</ref>

McCoist took charge of his first European game on 26 July 2011 at home to ] side ] in the first leg of a ], losing 1–0 to suffer his first defeat as Rangers manager. His first win came on 30 July, away to ] with a 2–0 scoreline, goals coming from ] and ]. McCoist's first ] campaign ended at the first hurdle after drawing 1–1 away to Malmo in the Third qualifying round second leg, losing 2–1 on aggregate and having ] and ] sent off. Despite dropping into the ], McCoist's first European campaign as Rangers manager ended early after another defeat over two legs in the play-off round by ].

On SPL duty, after McCoist's first five league matches managing Rangers, the club were top of the SPL having conceded only one goal. His first Old Firm match as manager was a 4–2 win over Celtic at Ibrox but his side were shocked by First Division Falkirk in the League Cup with 3–2 loss a few days later. McCoist suffered a fourth cup competition exit of the season on 5 February 2012, in a 2-0 defeat at home to ] in the ] fifth round.

Despite being within four points of ] at the top of the table in February, having been fifteen points clear of their arch rivals at one stage<ref> BBC Sport, 5 November 2011</ref>, Rangers SPL title challenge was virtually ended after the club entered administration on 14 February 2012 and was deducted ten points as a consequence.<ref> BBC Sport, 14 February 2012</ref>

McCoist was able to see out the season with Rangers finishing in second place despite the points deduction. His popularity increased with the Rangers fans even more after passionately committing his future to the club in the middle of financial crisis.<ref> Daily Mail, 17 February 2012</ref>

Following the rejection of a company voluntary arrangement in the attempt to takeover Rangers by a consortium lead by Yorkshire businessman ], a deal was completed to sell the club's business, assets and history to Green under a new company structure. During this process there was heavy press speculation that McCoist was set to resign as Rangers manager after a conflict with Charles Green<ref> Daily Mail, 14 June 2012</ref>, however, he remained with the club.<ref> Daily Mail, 15 June 2012</ref> McCoist then worked alongside Green as Rangers attempted to get a league to play in for the new season, which eventually turned out to be the ].<ref> BBC Sport, 13 July 2012</ref>

McCoist took charge of Rangers' first match as a lower division club on 29 July 2012 in the first round of the ], beating ] away from home 2-1 after extra time. On 11 August 2012 McCoist managed Rangers in their first Third Division match, drawing 2-2 away to Peterhead with ] scoring a last minute equaliser. A week later on 18 August 2012 he followed this up with the club's first win in their new league, a 5-1 victory against ] at ].

McCoist suffered his fifth different cup competition exit in 14 months as Rangers manager on 18 September 2012, getting knocked out of the Scottish Challenge Cup quarter-finals at home to Second Division ] 4-3 on penalty kicks, after a 2-2 draw over ninety minutes and extra time. McCoist took charge of his side's first league defeat of the season on 6 October 2012, losing 1-0 away to bottom side ].

===Managerial statistics===
{{updated| 6 October 2012}}

{| class="wikitable" style="text-align: center"
|- |-
!National team!!Year!!Apps!!Goals
!rowspan="2"|Team
!rowspan="2"|From
!rowspan="2"|To
!colspan="5"|Record
|- |-
|rowspan="13"|]<ref>{{SFA profile|1340}}</ref>
!G!!W!!D!!L!!Win %
|1986||2||0
|- |-
|1987||6||3
|align=left|]
|-
|align=left|1 June 2011
|1988||5||0
|align=left|''present''
|-
{{WDL|59|36|11|12}}
|1989||6||2
|-
|1990||10||3
|-
|1991||4||2
|-
|1992||11||3
|-
|1993||2||2
|-
|1994||colspan="2"|—
|-
|1995||3||2
|-
|1996||7||2
|-
|1997||3||0
|-
|1998||2||0
|-
!colspan="2"|Total!!61!!19
|} |}


:''Scores and results list Scotland's goal tally first, score column indicates score after each McCoist goal''.<ref>{{cite web|title=Scotland: McCoist, Ally 1987–88|url=http://www.fitbastats.com/scotland/player_games.php?playerid=932&page=10|publisher=FitbaStats|access-date=8 October 2014}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|title=Scotland: McCoist, Ally 1988–89|url=http://www.fitbastats.com/scotland/player_games.php?playerid=932&page=9|publisher=FitbaStats|access-date=8 October 2014}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|title=Scotland: McCoist, Ally 1989–90|url=http://www.fitbastats.com/scotland/player_games.php?playerid=932&page=8|publisher=FitbaStats|access-date=8 October 2014}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|title=Scotland: McCoist, Ally 1990–91|url=http://www.fitbastats.com/scotland/player_games.php?playerid=932&page=7|publisher=FitbaStats|access-date=8 October 2014}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|title=Scotland: McCoist, Ally 1991–92|url=http://www.fitbastats.com/scotland/player_games.php?playerid=932&page=6|publisher=FitbaStats|access-date=8 October 2014}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|title=Scotland: McCoist, Ally 1992–93|url=http://www.fitbastats.com/scotland/player_games.php?playerid=932&page=5|publisher=FitbaStats|access-date=8 October 2014}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|title=Scotland: McCoist, Ally 1995–96|url=http://www.fitbastats.com/scotland/player_games.php?playerid=932&page=4|publisher=FitbaStats|access-date=8 October 2014}}</ref>
==Career statistics==

{{Football player statistics 1|YY}}
{| class="wikitable sortable"
{{Football player statistics 2|SCO|YY}}
|+ List of international goals scored by Ally McCoist
|- |-
!scope="col"|No.
|]||rowspan="4"|]||rowspan="4"|]||4||0||||||||||||||'''4'''||'''0'''
!scope="col" data-sort-type="date"|Date
!scope="col"|Venue
!scope="col"|Cap
!scope="col"|Opponent
!scope="col"|Score
!scope="col"|Result
!scope="col"|Competition
|- |-
|align="center"|1
|]||15||0||1||0||||||||||'''16'''||'''0'''
|rowspan="2"|9 September 1987||rowspan="2"|], ], Scotland||rowspan="2" style="text-align:center"|7||rowspan="2"|{{fb|Hungary}}||align="center"|1–0||rowspan="2" style="text-align:center"|2–0||rowspan="2"|]
|- |-
|align="center"|2
|]||38||22||3||1||2||0||||||'''43'''||'''23'''
|align="center"|2–0
|- |-
|align="center"|3
|]||||||||||5||4||||||'''5'''||'''4'''
|14 October 1987||Hampden Park, Glasgow, Scotland||align="center"|8||{{fb|Belgium}}||align="center"|1–0||align="center"|2–0||]
{{Football player statistics 2|ENG|YY}}
|- |-
|align="center"|4
|]||rowspan="2"|]||rowspan="2"|]||28||2||3||0||1||0||||||'''32'''||'''2'''
|26 April 1989||Hampden Park, Glasgow, Scotland||align="center"|15||{{fb|Cyprus|1960}}||align="center"|2–1||align="center"|2–1||]
|- |-
|align="center"|5
|]||28||6||1||0||4||1||||||'''33'''||'''7'''
|15 November 1989||Hampden Park, Glasgow, Scotland||align="center"|19||{{fb|Norway}}||align="center"|1–0||align="center"|1–1||1990 FIFA World Cup qualification
{{Football player statistics 2|SCO|YY}}
|- |-
|align="center"|6
|]||rowspan="15"|]||rowspan="15"|]||30||8||4||3||10||9||3||0||'''47'''||'''20'''
|16 May 1990||], ], Scotland||align="center"|21||{{fb|Egypt}}||align="center"|1–2||align="center"|1–3||Friendly
|- |-
|align="center"|7
|]||25||12||3||0||6||5||4||1||'''38'''||'''18'''
|12 September 1990||Hampden Park, Glasgow, Scotland||align="center"|27||{{fb|Romania}}||align="center"|2–1||align="center"|2–1||]
|- |-
|align="center"|8
|]||33||25||1||1||4||1||2||0||'''40'''||'''27'''
|14 November 1990||], ], Bulgaria||align="center"|29||{{fb|Bulgaria|1971}}||align="center"|1–0||align="center"|1–1||UEFA Euro 1992 qualifying
|- |-
|align="center"|9
|]||44||34||1||0||5||2||6||2||'''56'''||'''38'''
|11 September 1991||], ], Switzerland||align="center"|32||{{fb|Switzerland}}||align="center"|2–2||align="center"|2–2||UEFA Euro 1992 qualifying
|- |-
|align="center"|10
|]||40||31||2||1||5||6||6||4||'''53'''||'''42'''
|13 November 1991||Hampden Park, Glasgow, Scotland||align="center"|33||{{fb|San Marino|1862}}||align="center"|4–0||align="center"|4–0||UEFA Euro 1992 qualifying
|- |-
|align="center"|11
|]||19||9||8||5||4||4||2||0||'''33'''||'''18'''
|19 February 1992||Hampden Park, Glasgow, Scotland||align="center"|34||{{fb|Northern Ireland}}||align="center"|1–0||align="center"|1–0||Friendly
|- |-
|align="center"|12
|]||34||14||2||0||4||4||colspan="2"|-||'''40'''||'''18'''
|20 May 1992||], ], Canada||align="center"|37||{{fb|Canada}}||align="center"|2–1||align="center"|3–1||Friendly
|- |-
|align="center"|13
|]||26||11||2||1||4||3||4||3||'''36'''||'''18'''
|9 September 1992||Wankdorf Stadion, Bern, Switzerland||align="center"|42||{{fb|Switzerland}}||align="center"|1–1||align="center"|1–3||]
|- |-
|align="center"|14
|]||38||34||5||4||4||1||2||0||'''49'''||'''39'''
|rowspan="2"|17 February 1993||rowspan="2"|], Glasgow, Scotland||rowspan="2" style="text-align:center"|45||rowspan="2"|{{fb|Malta}}||align="center"|1–0||rowspan="2" style="text-align:center"|3–0||rowspan="2"|1994 FIFA World Cup qualification
|- |-
|align="center"|15
|]||34||34||4||5||5||8||9||2||'''52'''||'''49'''
|align="center"|2–0
|- |-
|align="center"|16
|]||21||7||6||3||1||1||colspan="2"|-||'''28'''||'''11'''
|16 August 1995||Hampden Park, Glasgow, Scotland||align="center"|47||{{fb|Greece}}||align="center"|1–0||align="center"|1–0||]
|- |-
|align="center"|17
|]||9||1||colspan="2"|-||colspan="2"|-||colspan="2"|-||'''9'''||'''1'''
|15 November 1995||Hampden Park, Glasgow, Scotland||align="center"|49||{{fb|San Marino|1862}}||align="center"|3–0||align="center"|5–0||UEFA Euro 1996 qualifying
|- |-
|align="center"|18
|]||25||16||2||1||4||3||6||0||'''37'''||'''20'''
|27 March 1996||Hampden Park, Glasgow, Scotland||align="center"|50||{{fb|Australia}}||align="center"|1–0||align="center"|1–0||Friendly
|- |-
|align="center"|19
|]||25||10||3||1||3||3||6||6||'''37'''||'''20'''
|18 June 1996||], ], England||align="center"|54||{{fb|Switzerland}}||align="center"|1–0||align="center"|1–0||]
|}

===Managerial record===
{{updated|24 December 2014}}
{| class="wikitable" style="text-align: center"
|+ Managerial record by team and tenure
|- |-
! rowspan="2" |Team
|]||15||5||4||4||3||4||4||3||'''26'''||'''16'''
! rowspan="2" |Nat
! rowspan="2" |From
! rowspan="2"|To
! colspan="5" |Record
!rowspan=2|{{abbr|Ref.|Reference}}
|- |-
!{{Tooltip|G|Games managed}}
|]||rowspan="3"|]||rowspan="3"|]||26||7||1||0||2||1||colspan="2"|-||'''29'''||'''8'''
!{{Tooltip|W|Games won}}
!{{Tooltip|D|Games drawn}}
!{{Tooltip|L|Games lost}}
!{{Tooltip|Win %|Winning percentage}}
|- |-
|align="left"|]
|]||9||1||colspan="2"|-||1||2||2||0||'''12'''||'''3'''
|align="center"|{{flagicon|SCO}}
|align="center"|1 June 2011
|align="center"|21 December 2014
{{WDL|167|121|22|24}}
|<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.soccerbase.com/managers/manager.sd?manager_id=2376 |title=Managers: Ally McCoist|website=Soccerbase |publisher=Centurycomm |access-date=7 August 2019}}</ref>
|- |-
| colspan=4 | '''Career Total'''
|]||18||1||2||0||2||2||||||'''22'''||'''3'''
{{WDLtot|167|121|22|24}}
{{Football player statistics 3|2|SCO}}528||282||54||30||74||63||56||21||'''712'''||'''396'''
!—
{{Football player statistics 4|ENG}}56||8||4||0||5||1||||||'''65'''||'''9'''
|}
{{Football player statistics 5}}'''584'''||'''290'''||'''58'''||'''30'''||'''79'''||'''64'''||'''56'''||'''21'''||'''777'''||'''405'''
{{Football player statistics end}}


== Honours == ==Honours==
<ref name="Hayes 2007 58">{{cite book |last=Hayes |first=Dean |date=2007 |title=Rangers 100 Heroes of the modern game |publisher=Mercat Press |page= |isbn=978-1-84183-125-1 |url=https://archive.org/details/rangers100heroes0000haye/page/87 }}</ref>
*]
**]
***10: ], ], ], ], ], ], ], ], ], ]
**]
***1: ]
**]'''
***9: ], ], ], ], ], ], ], ], ]
*Personal
**] winner ], ]


===Player===
==Career outside football==
;Rangers
McCoist is also known for his television work. He was a team captain on the ]'s '']'' from 1996 to 2007. On his farewell episode he failed to recognise "Mystery Guest" ] whom he left the show to work under at Rangers, he is hoping to return to the programme in the not to distant future. He was also a regular ] for ]'s football coverage. McCoist, along with ], are ex-commentators for the ] by ]. They were replaced by ] and ] for ] but returned with Motson for ].
* ] (10): ], ], ], ], ], ], ], ], ], ]
* ]: ]<ref name=lifetimes/><ref>, Evening Times, 4 December 2014</ref><ref group=Note name=Note01/>
* ] (9): ], ], ],<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.thecelticwiki.com/m/page/1986-10-26%3A+Celtic+1-2+Rangers%2C+League+Cup+Final|newspaper=The Glasgow Herald (scan hosted at 'The Celtic Wiki') |date=27 October 1987 |title=Bad advert for football mars a classic cup final |first=Jim |last=Reynolds |access-date=11 November 2017}}</ref> ],<ref>{{cite news|url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=GGgVawPscysC&dat=19871026&printsec=frontpage&hl=en|newspaper=The Glasgow Herald |date=26 October 1987 |page=9 |title=Spot-on Rangers earn the cheers |first=Jim |last=Reynolds |access-date=11 November 2017}}</ref> ],<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.eveningtimes.co.uk/sport/15279128.NOW_YOU_KNOW__Ally_McCoist_double_helped_Rangers_defeat_Aberdeen_3_2_in_1988_League_Cup_Final/|work=]|title=Now you know: Ally McCoist double helped Rangers defeat Aberdeen 3–2 in 1988 League Cup Final|date=10 May 2017 |access-date=11 November 2017}}</ref> ],<ref>{{cite news|title=1990/91 – Rangers 2–1 Celtic (aet)|date=14 March 2009 |url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/football/scot_cups/7943599.stm|publisher=BBC Sport|access-date=11 November 2017}}</ref> ],<ref>{{Cite news |first=David |last=McKinney |title=Football: Smith's slip gives Rangers the prize |url=https://www.independent.co.uk/sport/football-smiths-slip-gives-rangers-the-prize-1559752.html |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/archive/20220507/https://www.independent.co.uk/sport/football-smiths-slip-gives-rangers-the-prize-1559752.html |archive-date=7 May 2022 |url-access=subscription |url-status=live |work=The Independent |location=London |date=26 October 1992 |access-date=11 November 2017 }}{{cbignore}}</ref> ],<ref name=lc93/> ]<ref name=lc96/>
'''Individual'''
* ] (2): ], ]
* ]: ]
* ]: ] (21st place)<ref>{{cite web |last=José Luis |first=Pierrend |date=26 March 2005 |title=European Footballer of the Year ("Ballon d'Or") 1987 |website=] |url=https://www.rsssf.org/miscellaneous/europa-poy87.html |access-date=24 October 2016 }}</ref>
* ]: ]
* ]: ]
* ]: 1992<ref>{{Cite news | date = 3 January 1993 | title = Golden boy | url = https://www.britishnewspaperarchive.co.uk/viewer/bl/0005278/19930103/185/0013 |url-access=subscription | access-date = 3 January 2024 | newspaper = ] | via = British Newspaper Archive }}</ref>
* '']'' Golden Shot: 1991–92, ]<ref>{{cite news |date=2 April 1992 |title=A CORKER |newspaper=] |url=https://www.britishnewspaperarchive.co.uk/viewer/bl/0003741/19920402/041/0041 |url-access=subscription |access-date=7 May 2022 |via=]}}<br />{{cite news |date=15 March 1993 |title=PARTNER |newspaper=Daily Record |url=https://www.britishnewspaperarchive.co.uk/viewer/bl/0003741/19930327/063/0063 |url-access=subscription |access-date=8 May 2022 |via=British Newspaper Archive}}</ref>
* ]: 1996


====Notes====
In May 2006, he was part of the historic first ], led by ], which saw its debut game in Eindhoven in the first EFPA match-up against a Dutch selection of all-time greats.
{{reflist|group=Note|refs=
<ref name=Note01>appeared in matches during the Scottish Cups of ] and ] which Rangers won, but did not play in either final due to injury</ref>}}


===Manager===
In 2010, he stood alongside English football commentator ] as co-commentator for matches such as ] in the ] for television cable sports network ].<ref> Live Soccer TV, 26 May 2010</ref>
;Rangers
* ]: ] (third tier)
* ]: ] (fourth tier)
'''Individual'''
* ]: ]
* ]: ]
* ] (2): ]


== See also ==
He starred in the film '']'' alongside ], playing Jackie McQuillan, a fictional legendary ex-Celtic player. He also co-presented a late night chat show '']'' for ] alongside comedian ].
*] (500+)

*] (200+)
==Awards==
*]
He was inducted into the ] in 2007. He is also a member of the ], having gained 61 international caps.


==References== == References ==
{{Reflist|2}} {{reflist}}


== External links == == External links ==
*
* {{SFA Profile|id=1340}}
* Rangers FC *
*
* Kilmarnock FC
* {{SFA player}}
* {{Scottish Sports Hall of Fame|ally-mccoist-mbe}}


{{Navboxes {{Navboxes
|title=Navigation boxes and awards |title=Awards
|bg=gold
|fg=navy
|list1= |list1=
{{Scotland squad 1990 FIFA World Cup}}
{{Scotland squad UEFA Euro 1992}}
{{Scotland squad UEFA Euro 1996}}
{{European Golden Shoe}} {{European Golden Shoe}}
{{SFWA Footballer of the Year}} {{SFWA Footballer of the Year}}
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{{SPFA Players' Player of the Year}} {{SPFA Players' Player of the Year}}
{{Scottish First Division top scorers}} {{Scottish First Division top scorers}}
{{Scottish Championship top scorers}}
{{Question of Sport}}
{{Rangers F.C. managers}} {{Rangers F.C. Hall of Fame}}
{{Scottish Football Hall of Fame}}
}} }}
{{Navboxes
{{Rangers F.C. squad}}
|title=Scotland squads

| bg = #0C1C8C
{{Persondata
| fg = #FFFFFF
| NAME = McCoist, Ally
|list1=
| ALTERNATIVE NAMES =
{{Scotland squad 1990 FIFA World Cup}}
| SHORT DESCRIPTION = Footballer; football manager
{{Scotland squad UEFA Euro 1992}}
| DATE OF BIRTH = 24 September 1962
{{Scotland squad UEFA Euro 1996}}
| PLACE OF BIRTH = ], Scotland
| DATE OF DEATH =
| PLACE OF DEATH =
}} }}
{{Rangers F.C. managers}}
{{Authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:McCoist, Ally}} {{DEFAULTSORT:McCoist, Ally}}
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Latest revision as of 13:16, 16 December 2024

Scottish footballer, manager, and pundit

Ally McCoist
OBE
McCoist in 1994
Personal information
Full name Alistair Murdoch McCoist
Date of birth (1962-09-24) 24 September 1962 (age 62)
Place of birth Bellshill, Scotland
Position(s) Striker
Youth career
0000–1978 Fir Park Boys Club
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
1978–1981 St Johnstone 57 (22)
1981–1983 Sunderland 56 (8)
1983–1998 Rangers 418 (251)
1998–2001 Kilmarnock 53 (9)
Total 584 (290)
International career
1980–1981 Scotland U19 10 (7)
1983 Scotland U21 1 (0)
1986–1998 Scotland 61 (19)
1990 SFA (SFL centenary) 1 (0)
Managerial career
2011–2014 Rangers
*Club domestic league appearances and goals

Alistair Murdoch McCoist OBE (/məˈkɔɪst/; born 24 September 1962) is a Scottish former footballer who has since worked as a manager and TV pundit.

McCoist began his playing career with Scottish club St Johnstone, before moving to English side Sunderland in 1981. He returned to his homeland two years later, signing with Rangers. McCoist had a highly successful career with Rangers, becoming the club's record goalscorer and winning nine successive league championships between 1988–89 and 1996–97. He later played for Kilmarnock.

McCoist was inducted into the Scottish Sports Hall of Fame in 2007. He is also a member of the Scottish Football Hall of Fame, having gained 61 international caps. A prolific striker, he is the fifth-highest all-time goalscorer in the top tier of the Scottish football league system, having scored 260 times for Rangers and Kilmarnock between 1983 and 2001.

Towards the end of his playing career, McCoist started his media career. Between 1996 and 2007, he was a team captain on the BBC sports quiz A Question of Sport. He began to scale back his media commitments in 2007, when he became an assistant manager to Walter Smith at Rangers. He succeeded Smith as Rangers manager in 2011, but the club then suffered from serious financial difficulties. Rangers went into liquidation in 2012 and the club was placed in the fourth tier of Scottish league football. McCoist helped them win successive promotions to the second tier, but after a poor start to the 2014–15 season McCoist handed in his 12-months' notice in December 2014 and was placed on gardening leave. In September 2015, McCoist and Rangers mutually agreed to terminate his contract.

Early life

Born at Bellshill Maternity Hospital and raised in East Kilbride, McCoist attended Maxwellton Primary and Hunter High School. His high-school team coach and chemistry teacher was former Clyde and Scotland forward Archie Robertson, who was acknowledged by McCoist for his guidance and influence, but who died in 1978 just as his protégé's career was taking off. Upon leaving school, McCoist had a short spell working as a clerical assistant in the Overseas Development Agency (now the Department for International Development) branch office at Hairmyres. The role offered flexible working arrangements, allowing him to organise his hours around his football career.

Playing career

St Johnstone

McCoist's first professional club was St Johnstone, having signed from Fir Park Boys Club in 1978. He had been denied a move to St Mirren because Alex Ferguson thought he was not good enough. "When I was 14, 15, Sir Alex used to pick me up from school. I used to go to Hunter High in East Kilbride, and he stayed up in Greenhills, I think it was, in East Kilbride. And he used to pick me up – myself and another lad, Stevie Cowan, who he did sign at St Mirren and went to Aberdeen with him. We'd train with the S-forms, and Sir Alex would take the training with the first team and the reserves. And then Stevie and I would wait, and Sir Alex would give us a couple of quid and we'd nip round to the chippie in Love Street. We'd go back and wait for Sir Alex finishing, and then he would drop us off at the house."

McCoist made his debut for St Johnstone on 7 April 1979 in a 3–0 win over Raith Rovers. He did not score his first goal for the club until he scored Saints' final goal in a 3–0 win against Dumbarton in August 1980. He went on to score 23 goals in 43 appearances that season, including a consolation against Rangers in a 3–1 defeat in a Scottish Cup replay.

Due to his form with both St Johnstone and the Scotland under-18 side, McCoist gained the attention of several English clubs, including Sunderland, Wolverhampton Wanderers, Middlesbrough and Tottenham Hotspur.

He started the 1981–82 season with four goals in five League Cup games, including the opening goal in a 2–0 win over Celtic at Muirton Park and the consolation in a 4–1 defeat in the corresponding fixture at Parkhead.

Sunderland

Sunderland manager Alan Durban signed McCoist in August 1981. The £400,000 transfer fee spent on the striker made him Sunderland's record signing. McCoist's time at Sunderland was unsuccessful, however: he scored nine goals in 65 appearances for a side struggling at the foot of the English First Division. He managed two goals during the 1981–82 season, his first coming against Nottingham Forest and his second a curling effort from the edge of the box against Southampton.

Three goals in three pre-season games against Dundee, Dunfermline Athletic and former team St Johnstone were followed by a goal against European champions Aston Villa on the opening day of the 1982–83 season in a 3–1 win. He followed this up with a goal against Brighton & Hove Albion, meaning he had matched his previous season's tally midway through September.

October 1982 proved to be the highlight of McCoist's spell with Sunderland, as he scored five goals in as many games against Norwich City, Southampton, Manchester City, Everton and Wolverhampton Wanderers. With seven goals scored by the end of October, McCoist failed to score another goal in a Sunderland shirt. Despite this, he finished third-top scorer for Sunderland in 1982–83, one goal behind Nick Pickering.

In early 1983, Alan Durban invited McCoist into his office and informed him that Rangers' John Greig had called him with an interest in signing the player. "He said, 'Do you fancy it?'" recalled McCoist. "And I said, 'Aye. I've got to be honest with you.' He said, 'I think you should go, for the simple fact that I don't think I'll be here in three or four months.' Sure enough, he got the sack relatively soon after that."

Rangers

At the end of the 1982–83 season, McCoist returned to Scotland and joined Rangers for a fee of £185,000. On his dream move, McCoist recalled: "I met John Greig and Tommy McLean at the Crest Hotel, at the roundabout in Carlisle. I went to a payphone and phoned my wee grannie in Thornliebank. First person I phoned. I can still hear her – obviously not with us now – but I can still hear her voice down the phone. You could have given her a million pounds and it wouldn't have meant just as much."

During his fifteen years with Rangers, McCoist achieved an array of honours, including ten league championship medals. This began with a title in the 1986–87 season and included the whole "Nine in a Row" period between 1989 and 1997. He also won a Scottish Cup winner's medal and nine Scottish League Cup winner's medals. He was the first player to be Europe's top goalscorer twice in a row (in 1992 and 1993), and in 1992 won Scottish football's two most prestigious Player of the Year awards.

McCoist made his competitive debut for the Ibrox side against St Mirren on the opening day of the 1983–84 season, and scored twenty goals that year. Nonetheless, he got a tough time from the supporters. "When I look back, do I regret it? No, because it actually made me stronger. If I didn't handle that at all, I wouldn't have stayed at the club and I would have been away down the road. At that time, Jock Wallace probably would have sold me." McCoist scored a hat-trick in the League Cup final victory over Celtic in March 1984. With Rangers still a team very much in the doldrums, he managed 18 goals the following season.

McCoist scored 24 goals in the 1985–86 season. He made his international debut against the Netherlands in 1986, the same year Graeme Souness arrived at Rangers to begin the Ibrox revolution. "He certainly transformed Rangers Football Club, but he also transformed Scottish football," said McCoist of Souness' time at Ibrox. "Two of his first three signings were Terry Butcher, the England captain, and Chris Woods, the England goalkeeper. The whole place just erupted into a new level."

McCoist scored another hat-trick in the Glasgow Cup final against Celtic to bring further accolades his way, and he was an ever-present in Rangers' title-winning side of 1987, scoring 34 goals along the way.

In September 1987 McCoist was convicted of assault and fined £150 at Hamilton Sheriff Court. This followed an attack on a 19-year-old outside an East Kilbride nightclub in the early hours of 5 December 1986. A verdict of not proven was returned against Ted McMinn and Iain Durrant in relation to the incident. McCoist and Durrant were each fined £1,500 by Rangers.

McCoist's tally of 31 goals in 1987–88 could not prevent Celtic regaining the league title and, although Rangers recaptured their crown in 1988–89, McCoist played only 19 games. That title win was the first of nine-in-a-row, but McCoist found himself in and out of the first team for the first three of those successes. During the 1990–91 season, Mo Johnston and new signing Mark Hateley were the preferred front pairing, and when McCoist attended the Cheltenham Festival when the players were given free time prior to back-to-back games against Celtic, he was dropped from the match squad by Souness and forced to apologise, for breaching team discipline, in a press conference. He returned to the team for the second of the matches after Hateley was sent off in the first, but Rangers lost both without scoring and his future at the club seemed uncertain.

When Walter Smith took over from Souness in April 1991, McCoist returned to the fore and came back from a hernia on the final day of the season as the club won the title. Despite starting the next season on the bench due to further minor injuries, McCoist won both the Players' Player of the Year and the Sportswriters' awards. During this 1991–92 campaign, he scored 34 times in the league, forming an effective partnership with Hateley (Johnston had since left the club) as Rangers completed a domestic double. Those goals won him the European Golden Boot – the first time a Scot had won the award – ensuring his position with two long-range strikes in the final fixture of the season away to Aberdeen, a match he later admitted he had barely been in a condition to play, having spent the previous night drinking with students in the team hotel. He had scored the only goal of the Scottish Cup semi-final, an Old Firm meeting in which Rangers played 85 minutes with only ten men, and rounded off the season with the decisive goal in the 1992 Scottish Cup final. Regarding the Golden Boot, McCoist joked: "There was some wee Romanian guy. You know what it's like: I think he needed to score nine in the last game of the season to beat me. I think he got eight. It was one of those ones. I think he scored his seventh in the 98th minute and scored his eighth in the 114th minute. You're never sure with that mob."

He repeated that scoring feat a year later, in 1992–93, with the same goal tally in the Premier Division, despite missing the last seven matches of the season after breaking his leg playing for Scotland against Portugal in April. He also missed the 1993 Scottish Cup final (having scored the winner in the semi-final to put Rangers through) but still scored a career-best 49 goals from 52 appearances overall for the campaign.

After a six-month absence, he returned from the injury by coming off the bench to score an overhead kick to win the 1993 Scottish League Cup final against Hibernian.

As for McCoist's renowned strike partnership with Hateley, the Englishman said: "Alistair was the perfect partner for me. As a finisher, he was an unbelievable goal scorer. He linked with me. All the goal scorer does is he looks at the leader of the line and makes sure he's offset, fifteen yards away. It was a great partnership"

His appearances were limited over the next two seasons as a result of other niggling injuries (37 games and 12 goals, less than his typical output for one campaign), and also had to compete with a string of new signings between 1993 and 1995, including Gordon Durie and Brian Laudrup, for the forward positions.

After recovering his fitness, he played more regularly in the 1995–96 season, scoring 16 league goals and in an Old Firm Scottish Cup semi-final victory (as he had done in 1992 and would again in 1998), though he again missed the resulting final. A tenth Premier Division winner's medal (the completion of nine-in-a-row) and a ninth League Cup win (scoring twice) followed in 1996–97. His last appearance in a Rangers jersey came in the 1998 Scottish Cup final in which he scored during a 2–1 defeat by Heart of Midlothian.

At Rangers, McCoist became the club's record goalscorer, netting 355 goals in all competitions. In addition to this, he holds the club record for number of league goals scored and the number of Scottish League Cup goals scored (with 251 and 54, respectively). He also held the title for the most goals scored by a player in European competitions (21), until his total was overtaken by Alfredo Morelos. McCoist is also third in the all-time appearance table for Rangers, having made 581 appearances for the club.

Reflecting on his time at Rangers in 2018, McCoist said: "My extended family was those boys that I worked with and played with and coached and managed and worked under. It was the greatest experience of my life and I was very, very privileged to play there, coach there and manage there. It was a dream come true."

Kilmarnock

McCoist finished his career at Kilmarnock, where he spent three seasons alongside long-time Rangers teammate Ian Durrant. After recovering from another broken leg in 1999 (sustained in a match against Rangers) during the last months of his Killie spell, he was an unused substitute in the 2001 Scottish League Cup final defeat to Celtic, then had a penalty saved by Stefan Klos at Rugby Park in what proved to be his final match against his old club. He was denied a cameo appearance from the bench at Ibrox by his manager Bobby Williamson a few weeks later as Kilmarnock were already losing heavily – instead he received an ovation from supporters on the field after the final whistle.

His final game at the age of 38 was at home to Celtic on the last day of the SPL campaign on 20 May 2001, a 1–0 win which enabled Kilmarnock to qualify for the following season's UEFA Cup. Coincidentally, McCoist was substituted off in that match while fellow striker Kris Boyd came off the bench to make his debut; he too went on to be become the club's joint-second league goalscorer of all time, level with Eddie Morrison on 121 goals.

International

Age-group teams

McCoist appeared ten times for the Scotland national under-18 football team. He made his debut in a European Under-18 Championship qualifier against Iceland, netting the only goal of the game after 19 minutes. He followed this up by scoring in the return leg, a 3–1 victory which secured Scotland's qualification for the following summer's European Under-18 Championships.

He found the net again in his third appearance, a 3–1 victory over Northern Ireland. His next three appearances came in the prestigious Monaco Youth Tournament, a 1–0 defeat to West Germany, a 2–0 victory over Switzerland and a 1–1 draw with France taking his tally to five goals in six appearances.

McCoist was then selected for Scotland's semi-professional side for a four-team tournament in the Netherlands; however, he failed to make an appearance.

At the European Under-18 finals, Scotland found themselves in a group with Austria, Spain and defending Under-18 champions England. McCoist started all three games as Scotland defeated both Austria and England 1–0, with McCoist netting the winner against the Auld Enemy, meaning the final group game against the Spanish would decide the group. McCoist scored with a free-kick in a 1–1 draw. This result saw Scotland eliminated on goal-difference.

Full team

McCoist made his Scotland debut, aged 23, on 29 April 1986 in a goalless friendly match against the Netherlands.

He started one game at the 1990 World Cup in Italy (coming on as a late substitute in the other group games) after being an integral part of the qualification bid.

In March 1993, he broke a leg against Portugal in a disastrous qualifying match for the next World Cup (Scotland lost 5–0 and failed to progress).

He captained Scotland once, against Australia on 27 March 1996. He went on to score the winner after 55 minutes in a 1–0 win at Hampden Park.

McCoist scored one major tournament goal: a long-range drive at UEFA Euro 1996 against Switzerland, which was also his last goal for his country; he had started all three of Scotland's matches at UEFA Euro 1992 but failed to score, and was not selected in the squad for the 1998 World Cup despite having scored 16 goals during the preceding season. "I was devastated. It broke my heart. It really did. I remember getting the news down in London that wasn't taking me and I greeted my eyes out. I still think it was a massive mistake. I certainly don't think I would have played ninety minutes in all the games, but if we'd needed a goal, I was still probably our best chance. That was the biggest disappointment in my career, not going. Obviously I have spoken to Craig since, and he admits it was a mistake now. And I do appreciate him for saying that. It doesn't soften the blow that I didn't go, but it backs my own theory up that I should have gone."

He made his last two appearances for Scotland after moving from Rangers to Kilmarnock in summer 1998, with his final outing a 3–2 victory over Estonia in October of that year. McCoist is Scotland's fifth-highest scorer, with 19 goals from his 61 caps.

Managerial career

McCoist celebrating with the SPL trophy in 2009

McCoist joined the Scotland coaching staff under his former manager at Rangers, Walter Smith, in 2004. He turned down the managerial position at Inverness Caledonian Thistle in 2006 as he wanted a job nearer his Glasgow home.

Rangers

Smith's assistant (2007–11)

McCoist returned to Rangers as an assistant manager to Walter Smith in January 2007. After Rangers' victory over Queen of the South in the 2008 Scottish Cup final, Smith revealed that McCoist had been in charge of the team for the entire cup campaign. "Obviously, Walter had me in mind for the manager's position when he stepped down, and for a couple of the Scottish Cup runs he let me take the team. I'd do the preparation and the training, but obviously he'd be there. I'd do the team talk, all that kind of stuff."

The duo also guided Rangers to the final of that year's UEFA Cup, in which they lost 2–0 to Zenit Saint Petersburg.

On 22 February 2011 he was announced as the new Rangers manager, with effect from June 2011.

2011–12 season

Businessman Craig Whyte bought out Sir David Murray as Rangers' majority shareholder in May 2011. Whyte said he was proud to be the owner of Rangers and pledged to invest £25 million into transfers, over five years.

McCoist's first competitive game in charge of Rangers came on 23 July 2011, a 1–1 draw at home to Hearts on the opening day of the 2011–12 SPL. After the game McCoist complained to BBC Scotland about a report that he argued misrepresented his view on violence after Old Firm derbies and the cost of policing the matches. The BBC stood by the report but upheld the complaint about the way the piece had been edited. On Tuesday 26 July 2011, the BBC issued an apology to McCoist and he, in turn, dropped his ban on speaking to them. In April 2011, McCoist had called for Rangers supporters who sung offensive chants to be arrested.

McCoist took charge of his first European game on 26 July 2011 at home to Swedish side Malmö FF in the first leg of a UEFA Champions League third round qualifier, losing 1–0 to suffer his first defeat as Rangers manager. His first win came on 30 July, away to St Johnstone with a 2–0 scoreline, goals coming from Nikica Jelavić and Steven Naismith. McCoist's first Champions League campaign ended at the first hurdle after drawing 1–1 away to Malmo in the Third qualifying round second leg, losing 2–1 on aggregate and having Madjid Bougherra and Steven Whittaker sent off. Despite dropping into the Europa League, McCoist's first European campaign as Rangers manager ended early after another defeat over two legs in the play-off round by NK Maribor.

McCoist made a promising start to his first SPL campaign as manager, with Rangers topping the SPL after the first five fixtures and conceding only one goal. His first Old Firm match as manager was a 4–2 win over Celtic at Ibrox, but his side were shocked by First Division side Falkirk in the League Cup a few days later. McCoist suffered a fourth cup competition exit of the season on 5 February 2012, in a 2–0 defeat at home to Dundee United in the Scottish Cup fifth round.

Despite being within four points of Celtic at the top of the table in February, having been fifteen points clear of their arch rivals at one stage, Rangers' SPL title challenge was virtually ended after the club entered administration on 14 February 2012 and was docked ten points as a consequence. McCoist was able to see out the season with Rangers finishing in second place despite the points deduction.

2012–13 season

Following the rejection of a company voluntary arrangement by HM Revenue & Customs, the business and assets of the company running Rangers were sold to a consortium led by Charles Green. McCoist decided to stay after talks with Green. McCoist then worked alongside Green as the club were placed in the Scottish Third Division.

Rangers won the Third Division championship and promotion to the third tier. They exited the Scottish Challenge Cup by losing to Queen of the South in a penalty shoot-out. They defeated Motherwell in the League Cup, but lost 3–0 to Inverness in the quarter-finals at Ibrox. Rangers also suffered a 3–0 defeat in the Scottish Cup, against Dundee United at Tannadice.

2013–14 season

Rangers won the Scottish League One championship and promotion to the second tier, as they became the first Rangers side in 115 years to go an entire league season unbeaten. They also progressed to the semi-finals of the Scottish Cup, but lost 3–1 to Dundee United at Ibrox. Rangers reached the 2014 Scottish Challenge Cup final, but lost 1–0 after extra time to Raith Rovers at Easter Road. They suffered a first-round defeat in the Scottish League Cup at Forfar Athletic.

2014–15 season

Rangers fell behind Hearts in the 2014–15 Scottish Championship as they lost 2–1 at home and 2–0 away to the Edinburgh club. Rangers progressed to the semi-finals of the 2014–15 Scottish League Cup, but suffered a defeat in the 2014–15 Scottish Challenge Cup against Alloa Athletic. McCoist submitted formal notice of his intention to resign as manager in December 2014 and began serving a 12-month notice period. Later in December, McCoist left his position with Rangers and was placed on gardening leave. This continued until September 2015, when McCoist and Rangers agreed to terminate his contract.

Media career

McCoist is also known for his television work. He was a team captain on the BBC's A Question of Sport from 1996 to 2007 with his rival captains being John Parrott, Frankie Dettori and Matt Dawson, making a record 363 appearances on the show. Having been passed over for Scotland's 1998 World Cup squad, McCoist was recruited to the BBC's punditry team for the tournament, where he proved a popular addition.

He also co-presented a late night chat show McCoist and MacAulay for BBC Scotland from 1998 to 1999 alongside comedian Fred MacAulay. In 2001, McCoist won Sports Presenter of the Year at the TRIC Awards.

In 2000, McCoist also starred in the film A Shot at Glory alongside Robert Duvall, playing Jackie McQuillan, a fictional legendary ex-Celtic player. McCoist wore a Rangers jersey under his Celtic one to keep the material off his skin.

Between 1998 and 2005, McCoist, along with John Motson, appeared as a commentator for the FIFA video games series by EA Sports. They were replaced by Clive Tyldesley and Andy Gray for FIFA 06.

McCoist has been a regular pundit for ITV Sport's football coverage. In 2010, he was a regular co-commentator for ESPN at the 2010 World Cup working alongside Martin Tyler or Derek Rae. McCoist worked for ITV during the 2018 World Cup, and his partnership with main commentator Jon Champion was praised by various media sources.

From the start of the 2017–18 season McCoist worked as a studio pundit for BT Sport's coverage of the SPFL and the Scottish League Cup, appearing regularly on their coverage alongside Darrell Currie, Chris Sutton and Stephen Craigan. From the 2020–21 season, Sky Sports earned exclusive rights to the SPFL, and McCoist continued to feature as a pundit on their coverage.

Since the 2019–20 season he has also been a pundit and commentator for Amazon Prime Video's coverage of English Premier League matches.

Awards

On 10 June 1994, McCoist was awarded the Member of the Order of the British Empire (MBE) for services to football. He was inducted into the Scottish Sports Hall of Fame in 2007 and is also a member of the Scottish Football Hall of Fame. McCoist was inducted into the Scotland national football team roll of honour in March 1996, when he was awarded his 50th international cap. McCoist was appointed Officer of the Order of the British Empire (OBE) in the 2024 Birthday Honours for services to association football and to broadcasting.

Personal life

A lifelong Rangers fan, McCoist attended his first Old Firm fixture as a ten-year-old on 5 May 1973. It was Rangers' 3–2 Scottish Cup final victory in front of 122,714 spectators at Hampden Park.

McCoist's first wife was Allison. After meeting in 1981, they married in 1990 and divorced in 2004. The marriage produced three sons: Alexander, Argyll and Mitchell. He has two more sons, Arran and Harris, with his second wife, Vivien.

In 1996, McCoist was convicted of drink driving.

During the 2014 Scottish independence referendum, McCoist was a supporter of the Better Together campaign against Scottish independence.

McCoist had an extramarital affair with the actress Patsy Kensit, which was cited in divorce proceedings from his first wife. It is said the affair developed from a pre-existing friendship when McCoist was in London filming ITV's The Premiership football highlights show.

In November 2024, Ally McCoist revealed he has Dupuytren's contracture, a genetic disorder that causes a person's fingers to bend towards their palm.

Career statistics

Playing

Club

Appearances and goals by club, season and competition
Club Season League National cup League cup Continental Total
Division Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals
St Johnstone 1978–79 Scottish First Division 4 0 0 0 0 0 4 0
1979–80 15 0 1 0 0 0 16 0
1980–81 38 22 3 1 2 0 43 23
1981–82 0 0 0 0 5 4 5 4
Total 57 22 4 1 7 4 0 0 68 27
Sunderland 1981–82 First Division 28 2 3 0 1 0 32 2
1982–83 28 6 1 0 4 1 33 7
Total 56 8 4 0 5 1 0 0 65 9
Rangers 1983–84 Scottish Premier Division 30 8 4 3 10 9 3 0 47 20
1984–85 25 12 3 0 6 5 4 1 38 18
1985–86 33 25 1 1 4 1 2 0 40 27
1986–87 44 34 1 0 5 2 6 2 56 38
1987–88 40 31 2 1 5 6 6 4 53 42
1988–89 19 9 8 5 4 4 2 0 33 18
1989–90 34 14 2 0 4 4 40 18
1990–91 26 11 2 1 4 3 4 3 36 18
1991–92 38 34 5 4 4 1 2 0 49 39
1992–93 34 34 4 5 5 8 9 2 52 49
1993–94 21 7 6 3 1 1 28 11
1994–95 9 1 0 0 0 0 9 1
1995–96 25 16 2 1 4 3 6 0 37 20
1996–97 25 10 3 1 3 3 6 6 37 20
1997–98 15 5 4 4 3 4 4 3 26 16
Total 418 251 47 29 62 54 54 21 581 355
Kilmarnock 1998–99 Scottish Premier League 26 7 1 0 2 1 29 8
1999–2000 9 1 0 0 1 2 2 0 12 3
2000–01 18 1 2 0 2 2 22 3
Total 53 9 3 0 5 5 2 0 63 14
Career total 584 290 58 30 79 64 56 21 777 405

International

Appearances and goals by national team and year
National team Year Apps Goals
Scotland 1986 2 0
1987 6 3
1988 5 0
1989 6 2
1990 10 3
1991 4 2
1992 11 3
1993 2 2
1994
1995 3 2
1996 7 2
1997 3 0
1998 2 0
Total 61 19
Scores and results list Scotland's goal tally first, score column indicates score after each McCoist goal.
List of international goals scored by Ally McCoist
No. Date Venue Cap Opponent Score Result Competition
1 9 September 1987 Hampden Park, Glasgow, Scotland 7  Hungary 1–0 2–0 Friendly
2 2–0
3 14 October 1987 Hampden Park, Glasgow, Scotland 8  Belgium 1–0 2–0 UEFA Euro 1988 qualifying
4 26 April 1989 Hampden Park, Glasgow, Scotland 15  Cyprus 2–1 2–1 1990 FIFA World Cup qualification
5 15 November 1989 Hampden Park, Glasgow, Scotland 19  Norway 1–0 1–1 1990 FIFA World Cup qualification
6 16 May 1990 Pittodrie Stadium, Aberdeen, Scotland 21  Egypt 1–2 1–3 Friendly
7 12 September 1990 Hampden Park, Glasgow, Scotland 27  Romania 2–1 2–1 UEFA Euro 1992 qualifying
8 14 November 1990 Vasil Levski National Stadium, Sofia, Bulgaria 29  Bulgaria 1–0 1–1 UEFA Euro 1992 qualifying
9 11 September 1991 Wankdorf Stadion, Bern, Switzerland 32   Switzerland 2–2 2–2 UEFA Euro 1992 qualifying
10 13 November 1991 Hampden Park, Glasgow, Scotland 33  San Marino 4–0 4–0 UEFA Euro 1992 qualifying
11 19 February 1992 Hampden Park, Glasgow, Scotland 34  Northern Ireland 1–0 1–0 Friendly
12 20 May 1992 Varsity Stadium, Toronto, Ontario, Canada 37  Canada 2–1 3–1 Friendly
13 9 September 1992 Wankdorf Stadion, Bern, Switzerland 42   Switzerland 1–1 1–3 1994 FIFA World Cup qualification
14 17 February 1993 Ibrox Stadium, Glasgow, Scotland 45  Malta 1–0 3–0 1994 FIFA World Cup qualification
15 2–0
16 16 August 1995 Hampden Park, Glasgow, Scotland 47  Greece 1–0 1–0 UEFA Euro 1996 qualifying
17 15 November 1995 Hampden Park, Glasgow, Scotland 49  San Marino 3–0 5–0 UEFA Euro 1996 qualifying
18 27 March 1996 Hampden Park, Glasgow, Scotland 50  Australia 1–0 1–0 Friendly
19 18 June 1996 Villa Park, Birmingham, England 54   Switzerland 1–0 1–0 UEFA Euro 1996

Managerial record

As of 24 December 2014
Managerial record by team and tenure
Team Nat From To Record Ref.
G W D L Win %
Rangers Scotland 1 June 2011 21 December 2014 167 121 22 24 072.46
Career Total 167 121 22 24 072.46

Honours

Player

Rangers

Individual

Notes

  1. appeared in matches during the Scottish Cups of 1992–93 and 1995–96 which Rangers won, but did not play in either final due to injury

Manager

Rangers

Individual

See also

References

  1. ^ "Ally McCoist". Barry Hugman's Footballers. Retrieved 15 March 2020.
  2. On this day, back in 1990, a Scottish League XI beat Scotland 1-0 at Hampden Park in the SFL Centenary match with the goal coming from then Aberdeen Football Club star Hans Gillhaus, Scottish Professional Football League via Facebook, 18 August 2016
  3. "Maternity staff reunion just the start". Motherwell Times. 28 March 2016. Archived from the original on 2 August 2019. Retrieved 2 August 2019.
  4. ^ Alastair Aird (2013). Ally McCoist – Rangers Legend. John Blake Publishing. ISBN 9781782198062.
  5. "Where the boy done good". The Herald. 22 February 1994. Retrieved 23 May 2017.
  6. EK's Ally McCoist recalls first job in foreign aid office on its 40th anniversary in home town, Nicola Findlay, Daily Record, 23 November 2021
  7. ^ "Si Ferry Meets... Ally McCoist" – Open Goal, YouTube, published on 16 April 2018
  8. ^ "History – Significant Saints – Ally McCoist". St Johnstone FC Official Website. Archived from the original on 12 October 2014. Retrieved 8 October 2014.
  9. Turnbull, Simon (14 January 2007). "Stokes and the McCoist parallel". The Independent. London. Archived from the original on 2 September 2011. Retrieved 4 October 2009.
  10. ^ "Ally McCoist: The life and times of a Rangers legend". Daily Record. 12 December 2014. Retrieved 11 November 2017.
  11. Paul, Ian (13 August 1981). "McCoist puts Celtic on road to defeat". The Glasgow Herald. p. 20. Retrieved 8 October 2014.
  12. Paul, Ian (20 August 1981). "Celtic are simply leagues ahead". The Glasgow Herald. Retrieved 8 October 2014.
  13. ^ "Ally McCoist – Sunderland FC". Sporting Heroes. Retrieved 8 October 2014.
  14. ^ "Ally McCoist & Rangers: A long association as player and manager". BBC Sport. 21 December 2014.
  15. "Life and times of Ally McCoist". BBC Sport. 21 May 2001.
  16. "Now you know: Ally McCoist was Rangers' hat-trick hero when beating Celtic 3–2 in 1984 League Cup Final". Evening Times. 12 July 2017. Retrieved 11 November 2017.
  17. "Celtic 2–3 Rangers, League Cup (newspaper report scans)". The Celtic Wiki. 26 March 1984. Retrieved 11 November 2017.
  18. ^ "Rangers player McCoist, Ally". FitbaStats. Retrieved 8 October 2014.
  19. "Rangers 3–2 Celtic, Glasgow Cup Final – Pictures (newspaper reports)". The Celtic Wiki (hosting site for scans). Retrieved 27 November 2017.
  20. ^ Souness broke off our big title party to fine me pounds 1500; SAYS IAN DURRANT Daily Record, 8 April 1998
  21. Footballer fined 150 pounds for assault, The Guardian, 25 September 1987
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External links

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(c) = caretaker manager
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