Ian Durrant on Coisty becoming Manager and on his own time as Manager

[Boab 73]

Exclusive by Graeme Bryce

November 7, 2010

Ian Durrant was caretaker manager of Rangers for one week - and feared he was going to suffer a heart attack.

But the Ibrox coach is convinced boss-in-waiting Ally McCoist will handle the pressure of taking on one of the most demanding jobs in football next season without skipping a heartbeat.

Durrant, along with Walter Smith, knows Super Ally better than anyone else in football.

There was a time when Durrant would have laughed at the prospect of Coisty following in the footsteps of legends like Bill Struth, Willie Waddell, Jock Wallace and Smith as manager of Rangers.

Not any more. In a fascinating insight into just how seriously the former joker in the pack is taking his new role, Durrant tells how McCoist has distanced himself from the players he'll be in charge of when he takes over from the retiring Smith next season.

And he assured Gers fans the club couldn't be in safer hands, despite McCoist's lack of managerial experience.

Durrant said: "Coisty is already distancing himself a bit more from the players in preparation for being manager.

"He hasn't been near the dressing rooms at Murray Park for a good six months now.

I know what Walter goes through every week

"People might think he's too nice to be a manager, but he can be a nasty b*****d when he wants. People have this perception of him but, believe me, he can mix it with the best of them."

Most Gers fans might have expected McCoist to appoint old pal Durrant as his assistant because the pair go back such a long way together.

However the former Scotland midfielder, who played alongside Coisty for Gers and Kilmarnock, says he's happy with the status quo. He said: "As far as I'm concerned nothing will change next season. We expect Kenny McDowall will move up to be Ally's assistant and I'll continue to do what I'm doing now, which is looking at our European opponents and staying involved in coaching.

"Kenny is ahead of me in the pecking order. But it's no big deal anyway. At the end of the day there's one boss. Ally's looking forward to it and so am I."

Durrant has inside knowledge of what McCoist's new job involves, having been caretaker boss himself when Paul le Guen left Ibrox in January 2007.

But he would rather forget the result of his solitary game in charge of Gers - a 3-2 Scottish Cup defeat at Dunfermline.

He said: "I was manager for a week, remember, and I nearly had a heart attack, so I know what Walter goes through every week and what Coisty will go through next season.

"If I'm being honest I could never have envisaged myself and Ally being part of the Rangers management team when we were younger, but he'll handle it.

"Ally was a late developer, but he's a quick learner. He sacrificed a lot to come back to Rangers. He was the TV golden boy on A Question of Sport and he'd started in the movies. Say what you like about his film, but to work with someone like Robert Duvall was incredible.

"So he gave up a lot and he's put a lot of hard work in because this team has to impress 50,000 people every week. There are loads of demands on him, but he's taken to it well."

Durrant claims the nature of modern football means McCoist won't have to burst a blood vessel to get his point across. He admitted: "You can't shout and bawl at players now, the game's changed. It's very rare the old yin loses his rag nowadays.

"He's more precise with his bollockings and I've had a few in my time! He chooses his words more carefully now. He'll still have a rant at half-time, but man-management is the key.

"The gaffer is good at it and so is McCoist. He has great strengths, in that he knows how to treat people. If you treat them well you get more out of them in the long run.

"In that sense, it's better that we're working with a small squad as we don't have unhappy players knocking on the door because they aren't playing."

Despite his excitement at the prospect of being part of the McCoist era at Ibrox next season, Durrant admits that ill-fated 90 minutes as a manager hasn't scared him off becoming a boss himself one day.

He said: "I'd love another go at it one day. I've done all the coaching and I wouldn't have come this far without giving it another go.

"The week I had when Le Guen left was brilliant, it was just the result that wasn't so good! But that's the bottom line - I have the worst record ever as Rangers manager, played one, lost one!

"But it's still great my CV says I've managed Rangers.

"I've actually had two games as a manager - I was also in charge of Kilmarnock when we beat Dundee 3-2, so it's not all bad."

http://www.newsoftheworld.co.uk/notw/nol_scottish/nol_scottish_sport/1129684/Ian-Durrant-reckons-Gers-legend-is-ready-and-able-to-take-over-in-the-hot-seat.html

Decent article, pride from Durrant and shows Coisty is becoming less 'pally' perhaps.

[Big Laff's Dodgy Barnett 20]

that's a good read

gives me more confidence in Coisty getting the job too.

jusst the fact at Walter going though...

[delamonty 992]

Loved this part.

"You can't shout and bawl at players now, the game's changed. It's very rare the old yin loses his rag nowadays.

"He's more precise with his bollockings and I've had a few in my time!

Remember the slap in the head from Walter? Hilarious!

[Chef 436]

good read about the golden boy fae the telly, the film bit, i dunno the name oh it but i met michael keaton and he was talking about filming and ally mcCoist and him were friends, super ally knows batman