McCoist admits Rangers were ‘without doubt’ the best in Britain for spell during the 90s

Craigie

Well-Known Member
ALLY McCOIST admits Rangers were without doubt the BEST team in Britain for a time during his playing days.

The Light Blues legend joined the club in 1983 and spent over 15 years at Ibrox.

The hitman scored a whopping 355 goals in all competitions before eventually departing in 1998.

His prolific form in front of goal was rewarded with two Golden Boot awards in 1992 and 1993.

During his career the ex-Ranegrs gaffer revealed he did have the chance to move abroad to Germany with Cologne.

But he has no regrets over staying with the club he grew up supporting as a boy as they had lots of trophy success.

And he reckons there was a period in their successful run that the Ibrox outfit were top dogs in British football.

When asked by talkSPORT host Alan Brazil if he ever had the chance to play abroad, he said: "I did. I had the chance early on in my career to go to Cologne.

"You know something? I am the same as Harry [Kane] in the respect that I was playing for the club that I absolutely adored and grew up supporting as a boy.

"The difference was we were certainly domestically winning things and in good numbers if not in great numbers.

"So it is different in that respect.

"The conversation with Henry Winter as well - there is no getting away from the fact the league was nothing like as strong as the Italian, English or indeed the German.

"But there was a period in our successful team at Rangers that without doubt we were the best team in Britain.

"I was playing for the team I supported as a kid and I really did enjoy myself. I must admit."

From The Sun.
 
ALLY McCOIST admits Rangers were without doubt the BEST team in Britain for a time during his playing days.

The Light Blues legend joined the club in 1983 and spent over 15 years at Ibrox.

The hitman scored a whopping 355 goals in all competitions before eventually departing in 1998.

His prolific form in front of goal was rewarded with two Golden Boot awards in 1992 and 1993.

During his career the ex-Ranegrs gaffer revealed he did have the chance to move abroad to Germany with Cologne.

But he has no regrets over staying with the club he grew up supporting as a boy as they had lots of trophy success.

And he reckons there was a period in their successful run that the Ibrox outfit were top dogs in British football.

When asked by talkSPORT host Alan Brazil if he ever had the chance to play abroad, he said: "I did. I had the chance early on in my career to go to Cologne.

"You know something? I am the same as Harry [Kane] in the respect that I was playing for the club that I absolutely adored and grew up supporting as a boy.

"The difference was we were certainly domestically winning things and in good numbers if not in great numbers.

"So it is different in that respect.

"The conversation with Henry Winter as well - there is no getting away from the fact the league was nothing like as strong as the Italian, English or indeed the German.

"But there was a period in our successful team at Rangers that without doubt we were the best team in Britain.

"I was playing for the team I supported as a kid and I really did enjoy myself. I must admit."

From The Sun.
1988-1993 we were a match for any team in Britain
1998 -2000 the very same.
 
I don't.

Behind the smile McCoist had a steely determination to succeed at Rangers, selfish almost but by Christ what I wouldn't give for that man in our frontline this season.
I remember on one of his VHS tapes, maybe The real McCoist, he was questioned about his great form and he said something along the lines of "I aim to do better and I will do better"

That is what makes a player, not natural ability.
 
I'd argue even through Advocaat era we would've given most of the teams in England a good game.

I love Ally, I sometimes forget how bloody good he was
Agreed, I think some people underplay that. We went toe to toe and should have beaten a bayern team that absolutely horsed man united in the champions league final In every other aspect than result. I watched it back recently and it was honestly a carbon copy of our game in Germany, think they hit the post 3 times and schmeichael pulling wonder save after wonder save.
 
Journalists have it easy these days. I heard this on talksport this morning and it was a two second exchange.

These guys must feel as if anything they say ends up in the papers. No wonder some of them don't ever say anything controversial.
 
Well done to all the posters who have picked up on the usual wording from terrible news papers who want a reaction like this out of you.

ADMITS?!!?
 
Superb player who given how good he was should've had as great an International career .

Only other recent Rangers/Scots player to have the same instincts for goal was Kris Boyd.

Super could easily have been on a par with any International previously up front more so from 90's onwards given the international tournaments we were still qualifying for the ammunition was there but a combination of things ultimately robbed us of a great player who could have made a bigger dent Internationally.

However he was the ultimate man for Rangers the best player I grew up watching from my teens into adulthood break every record set & proud as punch as he was doing it along with his teammates .

The list of Rangers forwards is an often fascinating subject in what they did & brought to a game even to have had the fortune to see Big DJ. In Gers shirt albeit his second spell another player who would have been a joy to watch in his pomp .

I'd put Super up there with any CF of his time even Dalgliesh albeit not as complete an all rounder but not far off it.
 
I can always remember the joy on my Dad's face when we won at Elland Road.

"That'll show they English Bastards" :D

The English media just thought Leeds had just to turn up and hammer us. They built it up as The Battle of Britain - and we wiped the floor with them.

Remember that well as a kid! Great days and memories! Hopefully on their way back soon!
 
Thought I read somewhere Harry Kane was an Arsenal fan as a lad?

He was...

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Spoke to a Man United in Portugal in 1994 and he agreed we were the biggest club in Britain.
 
86-93 we were a match for anyone in Britain. Liverpool late 80s and Arsenal early 90s would've been our competition.
Even later, in my opinion.
I remember a major discussion with a group of friends around 96/97 when we couldn’t pick a select team of players in the UK that’d beat us.
We could only agree on about four or five players that’d enhance our team.
 
Absolutely. McCoist was no mug. He gets this "poacher" tab but was far more than that. And hard as nails.

Think it was the Durrant and Derek Ferguson interview on Open Goal (which is excellent if anyone hasn’t listened to it despite the usual pish from Ferry) where they allude to exactly that. Saying how McCoist had an edge and not all laughs and jokes
 
Think it was the Durrant and Derek Ferguson interview on Open Goal (which is excellent if anyone hasn’t listened to it despite the usual pish from Ferry) where they allude to exactly that. Saying how McCoist had an edge and not all laughs and jokes

What I would give for a striker like him at Ibrox today.

An older gentlemen was talking to me about our current strikers (around 2010) and he was less than happy about their mobility. He said a quote that always sticks with me "they should watch video tapes of McCoist, he ran aboot like a f/ckin buul".
 
Its sickening seeing how far we have fallen from those days. Murray had us as a giant, well run club with great reputation in the uk an europe reputation and he flushed it away.
 
From the arrival of Souness till the EPL established itself we were the biggest. In the mid 90s we were signing Laudrup and Gazza and was the big Dunc transfer not the biggest British transfer fee?
 
Yes absolutely

funnily enough the peak coincided with his leg break, never the same after it

EPL was the start of the english ascension
 
Superb player who given how good he was should've had as great an International career .

Only other recent Rangers/Scots player to have the same instincts for goal was Kris Boyd.

Super could easily have been on a par with any International previously up front more so from 90's onwards given the international tournaments we were still qualifying for the ammunition was there but a combination of things ultimately robbed us of a great player who could have made a bigger dent Internationally.

However he was the ultimate man for Rangers the best player I grew up watching from my teens into adulthood break every record set & proud as punch as he was doing it along with his teammates .

The list of Rangers forwards is an often fascinating subject in what they did & brought to a game even to have had the fortune to see Big DJ. In Gers shirt albeit his second spell another player who would have been a joy to watch in his pomp .

I'd put Super up there with any CF of his time even Dalgliesh albeit not as complete an all rounder but not far off it.

Even though I was very young at the time I reckon he was poorly managed at the big tournaments for me.

Italia 90 - only started against Brazil(?) for some reason.

Euro 92 - he did struggle despite being the golden boot.

Euro 96 - Craig Brown didn't start him against Netherlands or England - should have taken the penalty when he did come on against England. Started against Switzerland in the final game and could easily have had a hat-trick. Two massive chances he would score regularly for us before hitting that screamer. Their defenders really struggled with him.

France 98 - left out as he was thought as "past it" but I reckon he could have done something. Even stranger when he was then called back for a couple of games in the Euro 2000 qualifiers.
 
We chronically underachieved in Europe with Advocaat. From about 97-00 we were one of the best in Britain if not Europe IMO.
For me, Advocaat was initially unlucky.
I don’t think his second team had time to gel together then we lost Mols.
We lost crucial players to injury as well which wasn’t solely his fault but I’d take a lot of convincing that he couldn’t have managed van Bronckhurst better.
He was also a wee bit unlucky with injuries.
At one point, we had Numan, Vidmar, Gio, Albertz and McCann for the left side of the team.
All were out at the same time.
Then he lost his way.
His use of Tugay in Monaco was inspired.
McInnes against PSV ditto.
It seemed like he felt he had to do something different.
An out of the blue selection or tactic.
His buying became suspect as well.
Konterman was never fit for the Scottish game and, I’m going to get pelters here, Ricksen was never good enough.
It‘s not as if there weren’t options.
Valharren was better for the scum than Konterman for us.
Advocaat definitely had him as a potential signing.
His purchase of Flo was scandalous at the money.
Never worth that, he could’ve got three quality players for that outlay.
He failed to match O’Neill’s Australian Rules approach.
Once, I can forgive but not a second season.
 
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"Admits"? Strange way of wording it.

End of the 80s and start of the 90s there was no doubt about it. We proved it in 92.
Just the way he speaks ......he is talking us up ... surely we dont need to have a dig at him for it.

I mean I sometimes say" to be honest" an interviewer pointed out that could mean that when I didnt say that phrase maybe I wasnt being honest.

I thought that was a daft comment she made as it was just a figure of speech for me, and thats all it is with Ally.

Cmon folks lets support Super Ally instead of finding fault.
 
Just the way he speaks ......he is talking us up ... surely we dont need to have a dig at him for it.

I mean I sometimes say" to be honest" an interviewer pointed out that could mean that when I didnt say that phrase maybe I wasnt being honest.

I thought that was a daft comment she made as it was just a figure of speech for me, and thats all it is with Ally.

Cmon folks lets support Super Ally instead of finding fault.

The poster you quoted is having a go at the person that wrote the headline, not Super Ally.
 
We chronically underachieved in Europe with Advocaat. From about 97-00 we were one of the best in Britain if not Europe IMO.

In 98/99, when the side had still to gel, we were eliminated by a fantastic side in Parma who went onto win the competition.

We had progressed so much by the August of the following season we eliminated that same wonderful side. And there's not one Rangers fan would have changed watching Rangers v Bayern and PSV for the dross they had watched from Rangers teams from 93/94 onwards.

Mols injury changed everything.

Next season, we blundered big time in a one off v Monaco. Individual blunders and howlers cost us dear that night. By then it was a runaway train from there on both domestically and in Europe.

Chronic underachieving was from September 93 till Advocaat took over.
 
All replies underline just how good our teams have been, should've been ! through those different managers

At times superb others mince one thing though we were as good if not better than a lot of those teams who went onto better things.

Sure theres a quote from Alex Ferguson somewhere in what model he wanted for Man Utd being a Template from The Rangers team of 92/93.

We were unlucky to have come up against teams of Ajax & Juventus in CL participation that's when teams were 50/50 not the bloated "entitled"model we have today.

Amazing how that same self entitlement boils down in this now backwater with that lot thinking they are on a par with the brats of today never mind back in the day we were participating in a League Format we formulated as a G8 club what does that star stand for again ?:oops:;);)

When your flying the flag for Scotland & Britain as we did & do it won't belong till we are back those were proud days your chest puffed out supporting The Rangers just knowing where it was at was enough & they Fucking Hated us for it.

If only they knew the History .
 
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92-93 without doubt. Real pity about that deflection off Nisbet against Sparta Prague too in 91-92 as would have liked to have seen that team have a go in the Champions League too.
 
I’m looking at the “admits” on the angle of a certain amount of self-depreciation.

Self praise is not a recommendation is the saying, but if someone else makes the claim and you can see their point is valid - you could use the word “admit” in that context.

Compare and contrast with the blatant self promotion elsewhere.

On the actual point, we would have went toe to toe with anyone in the UK during both that period and during Advocaat’s reign. Fantastic teams when you look back at them in hindsight.
 
Would love to have seen the 99/00 team come up against any English team that season.

With a fit Mols I reckon we beat any English team with the possible exception of Man Utd. We’d still certainly have given them a game.
 
92-93 without doubt. Real pity about that deflection off Nisbet against Sparta Prague too in 91-92 as would have liked to have seen that team have a go in the Champions League too.

By the autumn of 91, a Nigel Spackman aberration against the filth at Ibrox apart, we were starting to motor. That momentum, team spirit and belief carried over into what we witnessed in 1992/93.

You may well have a point there.
 
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