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Ally McCoist sets sights on winning domestic treble of League One title, Ramsden

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Bothwellbear

Bothwellbear 1,392

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Rangers manager Ally McCoist sets sights on winning domestic treble of League One title, Ramsdens Cup and Scottish Cup

7 Feb 2014 03:01

WITH the League One title almost in the bag, McCoist wants to complete an unconventional treble for Light Blues supporters by winning the Ramsdens Cup and the Scottish Cup.

Sammy Turner/SNS Group JS31609859-3118991.jpg McCoist is dreaming of treble glory as he prepares his team for clash with the Pars

IT might not be a conventional treble to some.

But it would be a treble nonetheless if Ally McCoist’s Rangers side can somehow get their hands on three pieces of silverware this season.

Granted the League One title, the Ramsdens Cup and the Scottish Cup aren’t a trio of trophies that grace the CVs of legendary managers like Bill Struth, Jock Wallace or Walter Smith.

But McCoist would take it, in a heartbeat. And why not with a Ramsdens Cup Final spot booked against Raith Rovers and the championship surely in the bag already?

So on the verge of his team’s fifth-round Scottish Cup tie against Dunfermline at Ibrox tonight the Gers gaffer insisted a treble is achievable.

This week McCoist’s old pal Owen Coyle said the League One leaders weren’t even in his top five favourites for the Cup.

McCoist welcomed Coyle’s opinion hoping it might take a bit of pressure off his players.

But make no mistake, McCoist believes with a victory over the Pars, a favourable quarter-final draw, a semi-final at Ibrox and a huge slice of luck – Rangers are capable of going all the way.

McCoist said: “Anybody can win a cup. There is no doubt Celtic are favourites to win the Scottish Cup as they are in all domestic competitions at the moment.

“And there are strong teams in the top flight. Derek McInnes is doing a fantastic job at

Aberdeen and there are one or two other teams I reckon are still a bit stronger than us.

“Just because we have the second biggest wage bill in Scotland doesn’t mean we should automatically reach the Final. It doesn’t work like that.

“In cup competitions budgets and form get thrown out of the window.

“Coyley said we weren’t in his top five and that’ll do me. I don’t mind being sixth favourites to be honest. Coyley has seen us a couple of times and is entitled to his opinion.

“He never even said we were sixth favourites! I’m intrigued to know where he’s got us – I hope we’re in his top 16 at this stage!

“Seriously, once you start taking other people’s opinions on board you can go off track. We can’t do that.

“I’m not sure I’ll be sticking Coyley’s quotes up on the dressing-room wall. There will be a few going up before him.

“But can we win a treble? We’d need a bit of luck but we’re already in the Ramsdens Final which gives us a good chance of lifting that.

“And you’d have to say we’ve got a very good chance of winning the league.

“The Scottish Cup is the one that isn’t so clear-cut. But I’d never sit here and say we can’t or won’t win it.

“We want to win it and we’ll be doing everything we can to win it.”

Ally McCoist: I'd have put cash on Rangers missing out on hosting League Cup Final

McCoist would admit himself that Rangers’ record in cup competitions during his time

in charge simply hasn’t been good enough.

As a bottom-tier side they crashed out of the Scottish to Dundee United at Tannadice last season when they were outplayed by the top-flight team. But McCoist is adamant it’s a much-improved squad at Murray Park now – and says even Premiership clubs might not fancy visiting Ibrox on quarter-final duty if they can see off Jim Jefferies’s outfit tonight.

He said: “I’m hopeful that we’re far better prepared now than we were going to Tannadice a year ago. We’ve got nearly an entirely new squad with the additions we’ve made.

“I’d like to think that one of the important changes is our boys now have experience of success at cup level.

“Look at Cammy Bell, Jon Daly, Lee McCulloch, Ian Black, they’ve all had varying degrees of cup success.

“So I’m hoping we’re stronger now with the players we have on board.

“That should give us a better opportunity to go on a good cup run. We need to take everything on its merits and we’ll have to earn a quarter-final spot.

“But if we win on Friday night, it takes us a step closer. I don’t think we’re at the stage yet where we’re a team everybody would fear.

“Celtic will be the team most clubs would want to avoid.

“But with the semi-finals at Ibrox if we can qualify I don’t think many teams would want to face us at home. That’s the incentive for us.”

McCoist began yesterday’s pre-match press conference by staging a mock walk-out when it was suggested he may actually have to talk about football this week.

In reality he was delighted that, for once, on-field action took centre stage

before the club’s off-field troubles.

He said: “It’s great that we can talk about football – but it will never catch on.

“I’m relishing this tie, I really am. It’s against a team we’ve beaten twice this season but they’ve played well against us.

“Jim will have Dunfermline ready but we set a standard with our performance at East End Park when we won 4-0.

“It was as well as we’ve played all season and we’ll settle for nothing less on Friday night.

“This is a great opportunity for us to reach the last eight of the competition.”

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siddiqi_drinker

siddiqi_drinker 14,635

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Would love to see us challenge for the Scottish Cup as it would be a huge morale boost.

Ramsden cup - don't really care and would be happy for Ally to play at least six youngsters to give them some cup final experience --- Raith?? It would be worth the chance and I reckon we could still win.

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