John got no luck... I pray Ally does

[ian1964 10,447]

BEING a great player doesn't mean you'll be a great manager.

 

Just ask John Greig.

 

Things never quite worked out for the Rangers giant in the dug-out the way they did when he was on the pitch.

 

Walter Smith prays that the same fate doesn't await Ally McCoist.

 

The out-going Gers boss knows well that circumstances conspired against Greig when he finished one season as a player and began the next as a gaffer.

 

Greig was just 15 minutes away from doing the treble back in 1979, before Celtic stole the championship from under his nose.

 

Financial pressures and an ageing squad never allowed Greig to fully recover in the four years that followed.

 

Luck deserted the man who was named The Greatest Ever Ranger.

 

Something that has never happened to the Ibrox club's Greatest Ever Striker.

 

Just as well. Because Smith believes his protege will need every ounce as Rangers fight suffocating money troubles.

 

He explained: "There are similar circumstances between both men.

 

"At the time John had an excellent start as Rangers manager, but the financial aspects of the club were poor as well.

 

"In his first season John was 15 minutes way from winning a treble.

 

"His problems came when he had to start changing a team that was getting a bit older.

 

"You always need a wee bit of luck to handle those circumstances and I'm not sure that John had that.

 

"The club ended up going through a nine-year period without winning the championship - not just in John's time in charge.

 

"In my own mind, that was solely because the club didn't have the necessary finance to keep them at a high level.

 

"And there is a hell of a difference between being a popular player and being a popular manager.

 

"It might help people to embrace Ally as a popular manager, but once the games start you've got to win. That's the biggest thing.

 

"Ally knows that, none of it will come as a big surprise to him.

 

"He knows he will be working in an environment where there are no excuses.

 

"What Ally needs is a bit of the famous McCoist luck and hope that the background situation at the club can be sorted out."

 

As the hangover from the Co-operative Cup win faded, manager Smith looked ahead to what lay in store for McCoist.

 

He said: "No matter what happens, Ally will always be a Rangers legend. I don't think you can take that away from him.

 

"People said to me when I was coming back, 'you might lose what you gained in your first spell as a manager'.

 

"But if you've got that kind of ego then you shouldn't be in management anyway. You should never be afraid to take the job on.

 

"I think there are a lot of comparisons to be made between Neil Lennon's situation and Ally's.

 

"Both have known what it's like to play for their club, and that's important.

 

"A lot of people come into a club without that knowledge. I was one of them.

 

"Some don't realise the overall intensity that there is at the Old Firm. So there are parallels between Ally and Lennon.

 

"Ally is ready to take the job. It's something he has always wanted to do."

 

McCoist's own journey in management might just be starting out, but Smith's is coming to an end.

 

Twenty trophies isn't a bad return for the Godfather of Scottish football.

 

There might be one more to follow before the end of the season as the title race goes to the wire.

 

One thing is for sure, Smith has already prepared himself for the fact that any silverware won this season will be his last.

 

He stressed: "No, I don't anticipate working in football. If someone came and offered me an opportunity somewhere I'd consider it.

 

"But it would need to be an exceptionally good one for me to consider that, on a footballing basis never mind finance or anything else like that.

 

"It would need to be something that I wanted to do.

 

"I'm not leaving with any great anticipation of going to another job in football.

 

"I'll never come back as manager again and I won't come back to Ibrox with another Scottish team either.

 

"So there will be things I'll miss about it but you still need to make the decision because retirement comes to everybody - unless you're Sir Alex Ferguson."

 

The club's greatest ever boss thought he'd be long gone by now.

 

With massive debts and a takeover still dragging on, Smith just hopes he hasn't left McCoist and Kenny McDowall fire-fighting in the long-term as they embark on their new adventure.

 

He admitted: "I thought last season would be my last, although I never mentioned it to anybody.

 

"Then I started to look at the circumstances and thought 'would it be better for me to handle this season, win or lose, than throw them into it'.

 

"But when I look at the circumstances now if they don't get a buyer for the club I'm probably leaving at the worst period of time.

 

"I really wanted to avoid a situation where there was a problem but Alistair knows everything that's going on at the club.

 

"So whether it's my decision to leave last year or this year, he's just delighted to be getting the opportunity to be the manager of Rangers."

 

Read more: http://www.thescottishsun.co.uk/scotsol/homepage/sport/spl/3485115/John-got-no-luck-I-pray-Ally-does.html#ixzz1HQIKtMcD