Born on this day is former Scotland international and Sunderland forward, Ally McCoist. It’s safe to say that McCoist played his best football after leaving Wearside, where he joined Rangers.
The young striker joined the lads from St Johnstone at just 18 years old. Manager Alan Durban had managed to fend off competition from a number of clubs to sign the highly-rated McCoist. He showed a lot of promise, and upon signing the striker, Durban said:
"I am just pleased that he has selected Sunderland in an affluent market and not because of the money we have offered him but the future he sees at the club. He is a very mature lad but we have not bought him for now but as a long-term investment."
However, that long-term investment did not come to fruition as McCoist was sold after just two seasons on Wearside. On his debut for Sunderland, he made an instant impact. Brought on as a substitute for Alan Brown, he set up a goal just three minutes after his introduction. A neat back-heel found its way to Mick Buckley, who found the back of the net.
McCoist was one of many players under Durban who showed so much potential which was never unlocked. Throughout his two seasons at Sunderland, he only scored nine league goals. The striker returned to Scotland to play for Rangers in 1983, where he became a club legend. McCoist helped the Glasgow side to nine consecutive league titles, becoming their leading goal scorer of all time in the process! He scored an amazing 251 goals in 418 appearances, which is more than a goal every two games.
The Rangers legend joined Kilmarnock after fifteen years in Glasgow, where he wound down his career. In 2001 McCoist announced his retirement, before moving into the television industry. He appeared regularly on A Question of Sport, but stepped out of the media when he became Walter Smith’s assistant manager in 2007. In 2011, McCoist succeeded Smith as Rangers boss, just before the club fell into serious financial trouble. However, he stuck with Rangers and led them to back-to-back promotions after their liquidation.
He left Rangers as manager in 2014, and is now a pundit for Sky and a commentator for Amazon Prime. On Wearside, McCoist will always be known as a huge missed opportunity, leaving fans wondering what could have been.
