ian1964 10,501 Posted February 3, 2012 Share Posted February 3, 2012 By Mark Hateley WHEN I first met Ally McCoist he was a man under pressure. I should know, it was partly my fault. My arrival at Ibrox and subsequent partnership with Maurice Johnston meant, for the first time in his Rangers career, Alistair had become the odd man out. They speculated his time at the club was all but over - that McCoist's love affair with Rangers was coming to an unhappy end. Deep down in my heart of hearts I did feel sorry for him. I didn't admit it at the time because we're football guys and, as such, we can only concern ourselves with doing our own jobs for the team. I was playing, he wasn't. Tough. To be honest, Alistair wouldn't have wanted my sympathy either. He was a big boy who understood the ground rules. His problems were with Graeme Souness for not picking him - not with me for taking his place in the team. When I arrived from Monaco, Coisty was without question the top man at Ibrox and the hero of the support. Maurice and I were trying to take his crown away. I know how much that must have hurt him. But he never once let it show. And he never once thought about throwing in the towel. Instead, he sat it out for the best part of a season and studied where he could improve his game and make himself a better player. He got fitter, lost weight and reinvented himself. He came back to be the greatest striker the club has ever had. That's why last week, in these pages, when the rumour mill was going into overdrive, I said it was nonsense to suggest he might be about to quit his position as manager. Anyone who thought otherwise simply does not know who they are dealing with. I was there to see how he coped with the hardest season of his playing career, how he came out of the other side. That's why I back him today to do the same as a manager. Trust me, his first season in the job will end up being, without question, the toughest 12 months he ever experiences in the dugout. If he can come through this to win the title the achievement would have to go down as the greatest of any Rangers manager. Ever. That's quite a statement. But I believe it to be true. The last three titles were secured against all the odds by Ally's mentor, Walter Smith. Given the circumstances around the club, what Walter accomplished was nothing short of remarkable. Yet I'm sure even the old boss would have to concede McCoist will top all that if he brings it home again this year. Rangers are just one point behind Celtic at the top. But that's not even half the story. And the loss of Nikica Jelavic on deadline day could be seen as another body blow. But he's not down and out yet. And that which doesn't kill you makes you stronger. No one knows that better than Ally McCoist. He can now look upon the rest of this season as ideal preparation for the rest of his career. If he can work this puzzle out, then he can do just about anything. I'm not saying this is the way he would want things to be, as a relatively young manager in your first job at a massive club where the expectation levels are through the roof. So, once again, McCoist is a man under pressure. Just like he was all those years ago. And now, just as then, it is time for him to sit back, weigh things up and learn how to adapt to the situation facing him. I can't say I envy him - but I don't doubt him either. Alistair has to dig deep to come up with the answers. He will have to start by gathering his players round him and asking every one of them to give him a little bit more. They have done it before. Guys like Steven Whittaker, who pitched in with 14 goals a couple of seasons ago. That's what Rangers need now, players who are prepared to go the extra mile for their manager, for the shirt and for the fans. What he needs to do now is give these players the most inspirational pep talk of their lives. He's heard a few good ones before so he should know what needs to be said. In 1991, when they said he was finished as a Rangers player, Souness quit for Liverpool, Walter got the job and Ally was handed his lifeline. This was Walter's first taste of management too and there was a real danger we were going to blow the title on his watch. But he brought that dressing room together and got us ready for one final, winner-takes-all game against Aberdeen. I remember how impressed I was with the way Walter handled the situation. In the build-up we went out for one of our infamous team lunches and by the time Saturday came around we were ready to walk through walls to win it for the gaffer and for each other. Now it's Ally's turn to do something similar. If he can somehow find a way to keep the title at Ibrox this season then, for the rest of his days in management, everything else will be plain sailing. http://blogs.dailyrecord.co.uk/markhateley/2012/02/ally-mccoist-needs-to-give-tea.html?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+TheDailyRecord%2FMarkHateley+%28The+Daily+Record+-+Mark+Hateley%29 0 Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
GovanAllan 0 Posted February 3, 2012 Share Posted February 3, 2012 Hateley talking sense shocker, will be interesting to see if Ally really has it between now and May. For his and our sake I hope so. 0 Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Danny 0 Posted February 3, 2012 Share Posted February 3, 2012 He may have it, but with only one striker, his hands are tied. Our business in the last window has wrecked any real chance of a renaissance. McCoist has to work miracles with a depleted and weak squad. It's asking a hell of a lot. 0 Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Frankie 8,200 Posted February 3, 2012 Share Posted February 3, 2012 Good article that - enjoyed it! 0 Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
der Berliner 3,351 Posted February 3, 2012 Share Posted February 3, 2012 ... sometimes you wonder, though, whether these press people actually think that e.g. McCoist is a newbie who is desperately looking/seeking/wanting advice from ... oh wait ... their former colleagues, who have about as much real experience in management and coaching as I have in cricket. As one German politican once put it: Journalists are a only peripheral figures of the wood-working industry. 0 Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
aweebluesoandso 290 Posted February 3, 2012 Share Posted February 3, 2012 Lennon is doing most of Ally's talking for him, just pin Lennon's ramblings on the team notice board. 0 Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
54andcounting 0 Posted February 3, 2012 Share Posted February 3, 2012 ........just pin Lennon's ramblings on the team notice board. .....or next to the dartboard that has Lennon's mugshot on. :smile: 0 Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Dutchy Posted February 3, 2012 Share Posted February 3, 2012 I agree 100% with Hately here. Ally has it hard, even if he doesn't win the title, as terrible as that may be, he has to be given the chance to show what he can do. Especially after the tax case is settled. 0 Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
GovanAllan 0 Posted February 3, 2012 Share Posted February 3, 2012 Lennon is doing most of Ally's talking for him, just pin Lennon's ramblings on the team notice board. Heard the wee scrote says the SPL can survive without Rangers just shows the mentality of that muppet of course the Mhanky Hordes will be lapping it up. 0 Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Dutchy Posted February 3, 2012 Share Posted February 3, 2012 It's the contiuation of the campaign. Jim Spence was saying more or less the same thing last night on BBC Radio Scotland last night. 0 Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.