The former
Scotland striker on his time in charge of Rangers, Steven Gerrard’s title push and finding his voice as a pundit
Ally McCoist is in full flow. Tales of expeditions on the other side of the Atlantic have accelerated from catching salmon in Alaska “on rivers with bears 40 yards away from us” to being strapped into a boat in Guatemala while hauling in 450lb marlin. “An hour and 20 minutes. Amazing.” Next, pursuit of the golden dorado in Patagonia. McCoist depicts fingerless guides, screaming: “Don’t go near them!” as piranha leap. “It was magnificent.”
So is McCoist’s storytelling. His warmth and entertainment factor should be news to nobody; be it fishing,
Football or anything in between. He is the definition of a media natural. Perhaps the necessity to watch more football on television is pertinent but recent, broader recognition of the 58-year-old’s talents is notable. Punditry and co-commentary, especially in conjunction with Jon Champion, has afforded McCoist fresh prestige. “Someone said to me I am now appealing to a football market in
England,” McCoist says. “That’s rather than the grannies, the over 65s who loved Question of Sport. Of which my mother was one, by the way.”