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Decent interview from Ally


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http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/article-2706262/Ally-McCoist-For-time-I-feel-like-manager-thats-just-fact.html#ixzz38WVVWhEW

When Ally McCoist inherited the Rangers job from Walter Smith in the summer of 2011, he famously joked it was as daunting a prospect as being handed the microphone by Frank Sinatra.

If the Ol' Blue Eyes' song I've Got You Under My Skin summed up perfectly McCoist's love affair with Rangers, every setback that has followed since Craig Whyte got his hands on the club would have left the 51-year-old lamenting Ain't That a Kick in the Head.

This past fortnight, however, in the home of the Beach Boys on the picturesque Californian coast, McCoist has finally started picking up some Good Vibrations about the direction in which the Ibrox giants are now heading.

And despite the sour note of a shock opening-game defeat to the part-timers of Ventura County Fusion, the feelgood factor has continued for the Rangers manager throughout the North American tour with wins over Sacramento Republic, Victoria Highlanders and Ottawa Fury.

As he jetted home on Friday, McCoist declared himself happy with his team's pre-season, as well as the calibre of his new summer recruits - Kris Boyd, Kenny Miller, Darren McGregor and Marius Zaliukas. And there could be one or two more arrivals in the pipeline, including an attacking midfielder, if chief executive Graham Wallace gives the green light.

The stresses and strains of previous pre-seasons - most notably post-liquidation in 2012 - now seem light years away for McCoist who, to continue the musical connotations, echoed a hit by his favourite singer Bruce Springsteen yesterday when he declared himself reborn in the USA - and Canada.

'For the first time, I feel like a football manager. That's just a fact,' he said with a smile.

'Touch wood, a lot of the issues surrounding this club are away now. There are still smaller issues, of course, but nothing like on the scale of what they were in the past.

'And, for the first time in a long time, I am confident of just being able to focus on managing and coaching this football team.

'Also, this summer I was over in Portugal for a couple of weeks and it was the first holiday that I've had (since becoming Rangers manager) where I did not need to come home early. It was brilliant.

'Our pre-season tour of North America was a great success. But when I look back now at times in pre-season when we couldn't play games, I just find it unbelievable.

'The worst part of it was not getting our licence to play in the Third Division until 36 hours before our first game against Brechin City.

'When you look back on that, you just think: "No way!" It was incredible!'

Rangers are now entering what they hope is the final leg of their journey back to the top tier. But while the summit is in sight, McCoist is still looking at the bigger picture.

'Obviously, we would all get a lot of satisfaction from getting to the top flight, but that would not be the job finished,' he said.

'The job is to get Rangers back into European football again and challenging in the top flight.

'I still feel we would need investment for that. It's not rocket science.

'You can argue about the value of the players we lost back in 2012, whether it was £20million, £30m or £40m. But the cold, hard fact is you cannot just lose those players, replace them with free transfers and expect them to do the same things.'

McCoist also had a fresh dig at those who have been critical of the lack of youths being brought into the Rangers first team during his tenure. There have also been criticisms of his signing policy in recruiting old hands like Boyd and Miller.

The Rangers manager's counter-argument, however, is that these signings should be the making - not the breaking - of his talented but inexperienced kids.

'People talk about me not playing enough youngsters, he added. But it's not possible because: a) some of the youngsters would have been eaten alive in the Third Division and League One; and b) the bottom line is the youngsters have not been good enough or they would have been doing it.

'People say to me: "You have signed Kris Boyd and Kenny Miller, what message does that send to young players?"

'Well, I'll tell you what message it sends out. It sends out a message that that is the level you need to perform at. It's that simple.

No one is just going to give you a game at Rangers. So watch those guys, reach that level and you'll get a game.

'But Lewis Macleod has been great for me and it's been like having a new player, now he's over his illness. And Fraser Aird played 20-odd full games last season.'

McCoist also issued a riposte for those who have condemned his team's style of play during their climb up the leagues.

'The criticism doesn't bother me,' he said. 'The one thing we will agree on is that, if Walter Smith can get pelters as the manager of Rangers, then everyone will get pelters as manager of Rangers.

'The facts are these: sometimes it was not pretty in the first season, but the boys won the Third Division by 24 points. 'Last season, they won League One by 39 points and finished unbeaten.

'But the only people who will give the boys credit for that is the management team. That's just the territory but it's fine.

'The same people I have spoken about recently who left a bad taste in my mouth over that Big Tax Case are the ones who will give you no praise.

'But I have been involved in Scottish football for long enough to know that's how it goes. It doesn't bother me in the slightest.

'We don't need credit from elsewhere. For me, the most important thing is that we are ready to face Hibs and Hearts -and, after our tour of North America, we will be.'

Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/article-2706262/Ally-McCoist-For-time-I-feel-like-manager-thats-just-fact.html#ixzz38WbfF0fr

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'The facts are these: sometimes it was not pretty in the first season, but the boys won the Third Division by 24 points. 'Last season, they won League One by 39 points and finished unbeaten.

'But the only people who will give the boys credit for that is the management team. That's just the territory but it's fine."

So true and so sad at the same time. As Rangers fans we are a very odd bunch.

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Fair enough, if the youngsters aren't good enough is he looking into why that's the case..

His buddy, Jim Sinclair, should be first person sacked at club.

He has mentioned a few times about the youth set-up needing improved but what can he do if the money men aren't willing to change it? Same as he's spoke about scouts but in the space of 18-24months there's fuck all.

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He has mentioned a few times about the youth set-up needing improved but what can he do if the money men aren't willing to change it? Same as he's spoke about scouts but in the space of 18-24months there's fuck all.

Jim Sinclair earns more than every SPL manager bar Delia..

Spare me the 'no money' argument..

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Well said Ally. True blue legend. Cant disagree with a word said, in fact couldn't agree more.

'You can argue about the value of the players we lost back in 2012, whether it was £20million, £30m or £40m. But the cold, hard fact is you cannot just lose those players, replace them with free transfers and expect them to do the same things.'

'The facts are these: sometimes it was not pretty in the first season, but the boys won the Third Division by 24 points. 'Last season, they won League One by 39 points and finished unbeaten.

'People talk about me not playing enough youngsters, he added. But it's not possible because: a) some of the youngsters would have been eaten alive in the Third Division and League One; and b) the bottom line is the youngsters have not been good enough or they would have been doing it.

'People say to me: "You have signed Kris Boyd and Kenny Miller, what message does that send to young players?"

'Well, I'll tell you what message it sends out. It sends out a message that that is the level you need to perform at. It's that simple.

No one is just going to give you a game at Rangers. So watch those guys, reach that level and you'll get a game.

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It was a good interview but Ally should address the quality of the football on show . It has got to be better , regarding the youngsters most top teams look for 1.5 players on average to come thro each season. I would say we are slightly behind on that with McLeod and Aird being first team players. Gallagher is a possibility we would need him and 2 others to come thro this season to be on track

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Good that he's starting to feel like he can focus on his job alone. And I would agree on a few things like investment is required and that the likes of Boyd and Miller are the kind of level our players need to reach and maybe even surpass.

I don't agree however that fans just criticise for the hell of it, to even suggest this is IMO ludicrous. EVERY football manager is criticised but it doesn't mean its always for the hell of it using Walter as an example is a deflection as to why the criticism is there.

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Fair enough, if the youngsters aren't good enough is he looking into why that's the case..

His buddy, Jim Sinclair, should be first person sacked at club.

A parasite of a man, as for mr McCoist, no matter how much he try's to justify his management style and policies, he wasted two years of rebuilding.

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