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Ally McCoist
OBE
Personal information
McCoist in 1994
Full name	Alistair Murdoch McCoist
Date of birth	(1962-09-24) 24 September 1962 (age 62)
Place of birth	Bellshill, Scotland
Playing position	Striker
Youth career
0000–1978	Fir Park Boys Club
Senior career*
Years	Team	Apps^†	(Gls)^†
1978–1981	St Johnstone	57	(22)
1981–1983	Sunderland	56	(8)
1983–1998	Rangers	418	(251)
1998–2001	Kilmarnock	53	(9)
Total		584	(290)
National team
1980–1981	Scotland U19	10	(7)
1983	Scotland U21	1	(0)
1986–1998	Scotland	61	(19)
1990	SFA (SFL centenary)	1	(0)
Teams managed
2011–2014	Rangers
Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only. † Appearances (Goals).

Alistair Murdoch McCoist (born 24 September 1962) is a famous Scottish former football player. After his playing career, he became a manager and a TV expert.

McCoist started playing professionally for St Johnstone in Scotland. In 1981, he moved to the English team Sunderland. Two years later, he returned to Scotland and joined Rangers. He had a very successful time at Rangers, scoring more goals than any other player for the club. He also helped them win nine league championships in a row between 1988 and 1997. Later, he played for Kilmarnock.

In 2007, McCoist was added to the Scottish Sports Hall of Fame. He is also in the Scottish Football Hall of Fame. He played 61 games for the Scottish national team. McCoist was a great striker, scoring 260 goals in the top Scottish league for Rangers and Kilmarnock. This makes him the fifth-highest goalscorer in the league's history.

Towards the end of his playing days, McCoist started working in television. From 1996 to 2007, he was a team captain on the BBC sports show A Question of Sport. In 2007, he became an assistant manager at Rangers, working with Walter Smith. He became the main manager of Rangers in 2011. The club faced big money problems and had to start playing in the lowest division of Scottish football. McCoist helped them win promotions and move up the leagues. He left Rangers in 2014.

Early Life and School Days

Ally McCoist was born in Bellshill Maternity Hospital and grew up in East Kilbride. He went to Maxwellton Primary and Hunter High School. His high school football coach and chemistry teacher was Archie Robertson, a former player for Clyde and the Scotland team. McCoist has said that Robertson was a very important guide and influence for him.

After school, McCoist worked for a short time as an assistant in an office. This job allowed him to fit his work around his football training.

Playing Career Highlights

Starting at St Johnstone

McCoist began his professional football journey with St Johnstone in 1978. He had joined them from a youth club called Fir Park Boys Club. Interestingly, Alex Ferguson, a famous manager, had decided not to sign him for St Mirren when McCoist was younger.

McCoist played his first game for St Johnstone on 7 April 1979. He scored his first goal for the club in August 1980. That season, he scored 23 goals in 43 games. His good form caught the eye of several English clubs.

Time at Sunderland

In August 1981, Sunderland manager Alan Durban signed McCoist for £400,000. This was a record amount for Sunderland at the time. However, McCoist's time at Sunderland was not very successful. He scored nine goals in 65 games for a team that was struggling.

In October 1982, McCoist had a great month, scoring five goals in five games. But after that, he didn't score any more goals for Sunderland. In early 1983, Rangers showed interest in signing him, and McCoist decided to return to Scotland.

Becoming a Rangers Legend

At the end of the 1982–83 season, McCoist moved back to Scotland and joined Rangers for £185,000. This was a dream move for him.

During his fifteen years with Rangers, McCoist won many awards and trophies. He won the league championship ten times. This included the famous "Nine in a Row" period from 1989 to 1997. He also won the Scottish Cup once and the Scottish League Cup nine times.

McCoist was the first player to be Europe's top goalscorer two years in a row, in 1992 and 1993. In 1992, he also won Scotland's two most important Player of the Year awards.

He played his first game for Rangers in August 1983 and scored twenty goals that season. He scored three goals in the League Cup final against Celtic in March 1984.

In 1986, Graeme Souness joined Rangers as manager. McCoist said Souness changed Rangers and Scottish football. Souness signed important players like Terry Butcher and Chris Woods.

McCoist scored another three goals in the Glasgow Cup final against Celtic. In 1987, he scored 34 goals as Rangers won the league title.

In the 1990–91 season, McCoist sometimes found himself out of the starting team. However, when Walter Smith became manager in April 1991, McCoist became a key player again. He scored 34 league goals in the 1991–92 season, working well with Mark Hateley. This helped Rangers win both the league and the Scottish Cup. His goals also earned him the European Golden Boot.

He won the Golden Boot again the next year, in 1992–93, scoring 34 goals in the league. He scored a career-best 49 goals in all competitions that season.

After an injury, he returned to score a winning goal in the 1993 Scottish League Cup final. His teammate Mark Hateley described McCoist as "the perfect partner" and an "unbelievable goal scorer."

McCoist continued to play for Rangers, winning his tenth league medal in 1997. His last game for Rangers was in the 1998 Scottish Cup final, where he scored a goal.

At Rangers, McCoist scored a club record 355 goals in all games. He also holds the club records for most league goals (251) and most League Cup goals (54). He is third in the all-time appearance list for Rangers, playing 581 games.

Finishing at Kilmarnock

McCoist ended his playing career at Kilmarnock, where he played for three seasons. He was an unused substitute in the 2001 Scottish League Cup final against Celtic. His final game was on 20 May 2001, a 1–0 win against Celtic, which helped Kilmarnock qualify for the UEFA Cup.

International Career for Scotland

Youth Teams

McCoist played ten times for the Scotland national under-18 football team. He scored the winning goal in his first game against Iceland. He also scored against Northern Ireland and France in youth tournaments.

He played in the European Under-18 Championships, scoring the winning goal against England.

Senior National Team

McCoist made his debut for the Scotland senior team on 29 April 1986. He was 23 years old.

He played in the 1990 World Cup in Italy. In March 1993, he broke his leg playing for Scotland against Portugal. Scotland lost that game 5–0 and did not qualify for the next World Cup.

He was captain for Scotland once, in a 1–0 win against Australia in 1996, where he scored the winning goal.

McCoist scored one goal in a major tournament: a long-range shot at UEFA Euro 1996 against Switzerland. This was his last goal for his country. He was very disappointed not to be chosen for the 1998 World Cup squad, even though he had scored many goals that season.

He played his last two games for Scotland in 1998. McCoist is Scotland's fifth-highest goalscorer, with 19 goals in 61 games.

Managerial Career

McCoist celebrating with the SPL trophy in 2009

In 2004, McCoist joined the Scotland coaching staff, working with his former manager, Walter Smith. He turned down a manager job at another club in 2006 because he wanted to stay closer to his home in Glasgow.

Assistant Manager at Rangers (2007–2011)

McCoist returned to Rangers as an assistant manager to Walter Smith in January 2007. Smith later said that McCoist was in charge of the team for their Scottish Cup games in 2008, which they won.

They also led Rangers to the final of the UEFA Cup in 2008, but they lost 2–0. On 22 February 2011, it was announced that McCoist would become the new Rangers manager in June 2011.

Rangers Manager (2011–2014)

In May 2011, a new owner, Craig Whyte, bought Rangers. McCoist's first game as manager was a 1–1 draw in July 2011. His first win came a few days later, a 2–0 victory against St Johnstone.

Rangers had a good start to the league season under McCoist. His first Old Firm match as manager was a 4–2 win over Celtic. However, the club faced serious financial problems. In February 2012, Rangers went into a special financial process and had ten points taken away from them in the league. Despite this, McCoist helped Rangers finish second in the league.

In 2012, the company running Rangers was closed down. A new group led by Charles Green bought the club's assets. McCoist decided to stay on as manager, even though the club was placed in the Scottish Third Division, the lowest tier of Scottish football.

McCoist led Rangers to win the Third Division championship in 2013, earning promotion. They also won the Scottish League One championship in 2014, moving up to the second tier. This Rangers team became the first in 115 years to go an entire league season unbeaten.

In December 2014, McCoist decided to resign as manager. He officially left his position later that month.

Media Career and Other Work

McCoist is also well-known for his work on television. He was a team captain on the BBC's A Question of Sport from 1996 to 2007, appearing in a record 363 episodes. After not being picked for the 1998 World Cup, he became a football expert for the BBC, and people really liked him.

He also co-hosted a late-night talk show called McCoist and MacAulay for BBC Scotland from 1998 to 1999. In 2001, McCoist won the Sports Presenter of the Year award.

In 2000, McCoist acted in the film A Shot at Glory with Robert Duvall. He played a legendary former Celtic player named Jackie McQuillan.

From 1998 to 2005, McCoist was a commentator for the FIFA video games by EA Sports.

He has been a regular football expert for ITV Sport. He also worked as a co-commentator for ESPN at the 2010 World Cup. His commentary with Jon Champion during the 2018 World Cup was highly praised.

Since 2017, McCoist has been a studio expert for BT Sport's coverage of Scottish football. When Sky Sports took over the rights in 2020, McCoist continued to appear on their shows. He has also been a commentator for Amazon Prime Video's coverage of English Premier League matches since 2019.

Awards and Recognition

On 10 June 1994, McCoist was given the Member of the Order of the British Empire (MBE) award for his contributions to football. He was inducted into the Scottish Sports Hall of Fame in 2007. He is also a member of the Scottish Football Hall of Fame.

In March 1996, McCoist was added to the Scotland national football team roll of honour after playing his 50th international game. In 2024, he was appointed an Officer of the Order of the British Empire (OBE) for his services to football and broadcasting.

Personal Life

Ally McCoist has been a lifelong fan of Rangers Football Club. He first watched them play in 1973 when he was ten years old.

He has five sons: Alexander, Argyll, Mitchell, Arran, and Harris. His son Argyll is also a semi-professional footballer.

In November 2024, McCoist shared that he has Dupuytren's contracture. This is a genetic condition that causes a person's fingers to bend towards their palm.

Career Statistics

Playing

Club

Appearances and goals by club, season and competition
Club	Season	League			National cup		League cup		Continental		Total
Club	Season	Division	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals
St Johnstone	1978–79	Scottish First Division	4	0	0	0	0	0	–		4	0
	1979–80		15	0	1	0	0	0	–		16	0
	1980–81		38	22	3	1	2	0	–		43	23
	1981–82		0	0	0	0	5	4	–		5	4
	Total		57	22	4	1	7	4	0	0	68	27
Sunderland	1981–82	First Division	28	2	3	0	1	0	–		32	2
	1982–83	First Division	28	6	1	0	4	1	–		33	7
	Total		56	8	4	0	5	1	0	0	65	9
Rangers	1983–84	Scottish Premier Division	30	8	4	3	10	9	3	0	47	20
	1984–85		25	12	3	0	6	5	4	1	38	18
	1985–86		33	25	1	1	4	1	2	0	40	27
	1986–87		44	34	1	0	5	2	6	2	56	38
	1987–88		40	31	2	1	5	6	6	4	53	42
	1988–89		19	9	8	5	4	4	2	0	33	18
	1989–90		34	14	2	0	4	4	–		40	18
	1990–91		26	11	2	1	4	3	4	3	36	18
	1991–92		38	34	5	4	4	1	2	0	49	39
	1992–93		34	34	4	5	5	8	9	2	52	49
	1993–94		21	7	6	3	1	1	–		28	11
	1994–95		9	1	0	0	0	0	–		9	1
	1995–96		25	16	2	1	4	3	6	0	37	20
	1996–97		25	10	3	1	3	3	6	6	37	20
	1997–98		15	5	4	4	3	4	4	3	26	16
	Total		418	251	47	29	62	54	54	21	581	355
Kilmarnock	1998–99	Scottish Premier League	26	7	1	0	2	1	–		29	8
	1999–2000		9	1	0	0	1	2	2	0	12	3
	2000–01		18	1	2	0	2	2	–		22	3
	Total		53	9	3	0	5	5	2	0	63	14
Career total			584	290	58	30	79	64	56	21	777	405

International

Appearances and goals by national team and year
National team	Year	Apps	Goals
Scotland	1986	2	0
	1987	6	3
	1988	5	0
	1989	6	2
	1990	10	3
	1991	4	2
	1992	11	3
	1993	2	2
	1994	—
	1995	3	2
	1996	7	2
	1997	3	0
	1998	2	0
Total		61	19

Scores and results list Scotland's goal tally first, score column indicates score after each McCoist goal.

List of international goals scored by Ally McCoist
No.	Date	Venue	Cap	Opponent	Score	Result	Competition
1	9 September 1987	Hampden Park, Glasgow, Scotland	7	Hungary	1–0	2–0	Friendly
2	9 September 1987	Hampden Park, Glasgow, Scotland	7	Hungary	2–0	2–0	Friendly
3	14 October 1987	Hampden Park, Glasgow, Scotland	8	Belgium	1–0	2–0	UEFA Euro 1988 qualifying
4	26 April 1989	Hampden Park, Glasgow, Scotland	15	Cyprus	2–1	2–1	1990 FIFA World Cup qualification
5	15 November 1989	Hampden Park, Glasgow, Scotland	19	Norway	1–0	1–1	1990 FIFA World Cup qualification
6	16 May 1990	Pittodrie Stadium, Aberdeen, Scotland	21	Egypt	1–2	1–3	Friendly
7	12 September 1990	Hampden Park, Glasgow, Scotland	27	Romania	2–1	2–1	UEFA Euro 1992 qualifying
8	14 November 1990	Vasil Levski National Stadium, Sofia, Bulgaria	29	Bulgaria	1–0	1–1	UEFA Euro 1992 qualifying
9	11 September 1991	Wankdorf Stadion, Bern, Switzerland	32	Switzerland	2–2	2–2	UEFA Euro 1992 qualifying
10	13 November 1991	Hampden Park, Glasgow, Scotland	33	San Marino	4–0	4–0	UEFA Euro 1992 qualifying
11	19 February 1992	Hampden Park, Glasgow, Scotland	34	Northern Ireland	1–0	1–0	Friendly
12	20 May 1992	Varsity Stadium, Toronto, Ontario, Canada	37	Canada	2–1	3–1	Friendly
13	9 September 1992	Wankdorf Stadion, Bern, Switzerland	42	Switzerland	1–1	1–3	1994 FIFA World Cup qualification
14	17 February 1993	Ibrox Stadium, Glasgow, Scotland	45	Malta	1–0	3–0	1994 FIFA World Cup qualification
15	17 February 1993	Ibrox Stadium, Glasgow, Scotland	45	Malta	2–0	3–0	1994 FIFA World Cup qualification
16	16 August 1995	Hampden Park, Glasgow, Scotland	47	Greece	1–0	1–0	UEFA Euro 1996 qualifying
17	15 November 1995	Hampden Park, Glasgow, Scotland	49	San Marino	3–0	5–0	UEFA Euro 1996 qualifying
18	27 March 1996	Hampden Park, Glasgow, Scotland	50	Australia	1–0	1–0	Friendly
19	18 June 1996	Villa Park, Birmingham, England	54	Switzerland	1–0	1–0	UEFA Euro 1996

Managerial record

Managerial record by team and tenure
Team	Nat	From	To	Record					Ref.
Team	Nat	From	To	G	W	D	L	Win %	Ref.
Rangers		1 June 2011	21 December 2014	&&&&&&&&&&&&0167.&&&&&0167	&&&&&&&&&&&&0121.&&&&&0121	&&&&&&&&&&&&&022.&&&&&022	&&&&&&&&&&&&&024.&&&&&024	&&&&&&&&&&&&&072.46000072.46
Career Total				&&&&&&&&&&&&0167.&&&&&0167	&&&&&&&&&&&&0121.&&&&&0121	&&&&&&&&&&&&&022.&&&&&022	&&&&&&&&&&&&&024.&&&&&024	&&&&&&&&&&&&&072.46000072.46	—

Honours

Player

Rangers

Scottish Premier Division (10): 1986–87, 1988–89, 1989–90, 1990–91, 1991–92, 1992–93, 1993–94, 1994–95, 1995–96, 1996–97
Scottish Cup: 1991–92
Scottish League Cup (9): 1983–84, 1984–85, 1986–87, 1987–88, 1988–89, 1990–91, 1992–93, 1993–94, 1996–97

Individual

European Golden Shoe (2): 1991–92, 1992–93
European Cup top scorer: 1987–88
Ballon d'Or: 1987 (21st place)
SFWA Footballer of the Year: 1991–92
SPFA Players' Player of the Year: 1991–92
BBC Scotland Sports Personality of the Year: 1992
Daily Record Golden Shot: 1991–92, 1992–93
Scotland national football team roll of honour: 1996

Manager

Rangers

Scottish League One: 2013–14 (third tier)
Scottish Third Division: 2012–13 (fourth tier)