"and so he faces the final curtain" E Times article " fans will miss the big picture

[SteveC 150]

http://www.eveningtimes.co.uk/rangers/rangerscomment/mccoist-set-to-face-the-music-but-rangers-fans-will-have-little-to-192156n.114751404?

 

 

McCoist set to face the music but Rangers fans will have little to sing about

AND now the end is near ...

 

Christopher Jack

 

Sports Journalist

Wednesday 17/12/2014

 

 

and so he faces the final curtain..

 

Ally McCoist likened his appointment as Rangers manager to taking over the mic from Frank Sinatra.

 

Today, he will face the music.

 

McCoist has taken the blows and did it his way at Ibrox, but his time in the spotlight is

 

coming to an end, and he will soon exit the stage.

 

Whether it comes in the

 

aftermath of his meeting with Derek Llambias and Sandy Easdale today, at the end of the season or in 12 months' time, the day when McCoist is no longer Rangers manger is approaching.

 

Like all matters at Ibrox in recent years, money is at the heart of the matter and the crux of the discussions.

 

 

McCoist is due several hundred thousand pounds if the board wish to dispense with his services before the end of his notice period, but with an £8million black hole in their

 

finances, they seemingly have no way to pay the 52-year-old off.

 

He will leave with a cheque, but there is unlikely to be a thank you for his efforts.

 

Whatever figure is settled on, McCoist will be due every penny for what he has done for Rangers, the fights he has had to fight, the controversies and characters he has had to deal with and overcome.

 

However a deal is struck, whether it is in cash now or later or even shares, it will be a fraction of the multi-million burn that has seen Rangers blow their chance of financial stability and a platform, on and off the field, to go on and establish themselves at the top of Scottish football once again.

 

It is only a matter of time before the most remarkable managerial reign in Rangers' illustrious history comes to an end - but it will solve few problems.

 

McCoist's abilities as a coach and tactician have been called into question for some time.

 

The argument for not having him as manager can be fairly easily made and stacked up and many fans will be pleased there will be new methods on the training pitch at Murray Park and instructions from the Ibrox dugout. Against a different backdrop, he probably wouldn't have lasted as long.

 

But McCoist's ethos and approach to the game, the failings of his side and embarrassing results, are not Rangers' biggest problems.

 

Defeats to Hearts, Alloa and Queen of the South have piled the pressure on his shoulders but football, even with the Premiership in sight, is of secondary importance once more.

 

The heart and soul of Rangers is up for grabs. The proud, distinguished club, Scotland's most successful, is a shadow of its former self and another cornerstone is about to be removed when McCoist departs.

 

There is a different feel around Rangers these days as supporters, battle-scarred and weary, turn their back on the club in their thousands. Familiar faces have gone, standards have fallen and bonds have been broken.

 

Where past generations could put their faith in Bill Struth, Willie Waddell or Walter Smith, the fans of today have a far different proposition.

 

Some of those who have made their way up the marble staircase in recent years and do so today are not of the same calibre. They don't appear to hold the same values or share the love of, and commitment to, the club.

 

Fans may not want McCoist the football man, but they need McCoist the Ranger. His rallying cry of 'we don't do walking away' during the dark days of February 2012, became the motto of Rangers' fight for survival and his most famous soundbite.

 

McCoist may leave the club, but it won't signal the end of his service as he goes back to simply being a fan, and surely a concerned one at that.

 

His departure will be welcomed by those whose only

focus is football, but some fans will once again miss the big picture.

 

Having fought so hard to save the club, his club, during its fight for survival, and been instrumental in the battle to retain their titles, McCoist has seen the face of Rangers change significantly in the last couple of years.

 

Colleagues have been punted out the back door in a bid to save thousands of pounds while millions are haemorrhaged through bad business decisions and 'onerous' contracts.

 

Friends have lost their jobs just weeks before Christmas, and left the club without the golden handshakes awarded to so many who have given nowhere near the same level of service.

 

It should serve as a warning of what has been and what is coming that McCoist feels he is now better off out of Ibrox. There may be better people available to manage the team, but there is nobody better than him to manage the club.

 

McCoist will become the third Light Blue legend to say enough is enough at Rangers.

 

John Greig continues to stay away from the club, as does Smith, and McCoist has now decided he doesn't like what he sees behind the famous red brick facade.

 

Smith removed himself from a 'highly dysfunctional environment' when he stepped down as chairman in August 2013, yet there has been little progress made since then to resolve the myriad of issues facing the club.

 

The faces in the boardroom may have changed but the problems remain, the questions stay unanswered and the fears are very much justified.

 

McCoist's decision to step down should set alarm bells ringing once again. The savage cuts, the headlines, the in-fighting and politics have taken their toll.

 

In truth, he is probably better off out of the place. But Rangers will not be in a better place with him out of there.

 

With McCoist gone, who do the fans turn to and put their faith in? Who can they be sure is acting in the best interests of Rangers?

 

Would they trust Easdale, chairman of the football board, to hand-pick the right man to lead the club back to the Premiership and oversee that journey?

 

Or would they rather Mike Ashley, the man who has bulldozed his way to control and has the club's merchandise channels tied down in his favour, continue to call the shots from afar?

 

Whoever has the final say, the outcome for McCoist will be the same and the future for Rangers will be uncertain.

 

There will surely be few fans who will be glad to see the back of McCoist, the man they remember as a nine-in-a-row hero, their record goalscorer, Super Ally.

 

He has been let down by a

 

series of chairmen and chief executives, seen promises made and broken.

 

He has been let down by too many of his players, with performances abject and faith not repaid on the pitch.

 

He deserves better than the hat-trick being completed with the fans letting him down and deserting him at the end, too.

[Super Cooper 0]

Yeah, there is definitely something far bigger than just Ally McCoist and the managers position at stake here. Our clubs very existence and future.

[Anchorman 0]

"With McCoist gone, who do the fans turn to and put their faith in? Who can they be sure is acting in the best interests of Rangers?

 

You see, I don't buy that line. McCoist has been powerless. He couldn't even stop his own PA being shown the door. He has been putting bad teams out on the park and playing ugly football for some time. He has had no powers whatsoever to assert any other kind of influence that I can think of.

[MoodyBlue 0]

No matter what we all think about Ally, if it is today that there is a departing of the ways, I will have a lump in my throat and possibly a watery eye.

 

I am not a fan of him as a manager - but he, along with Cooper, was may Rangers footballing hero. I have a brick in the Ally McCoist panel at the stadium.

 

So, if/when he finally leaves it will actually be quite a sad and reflective moment. I don't think it has hit us all yet - and when it does I feel many bears may feel the same as me, even though most of us agree that from a managerial perspective, it just hasn't worked out and probably was never going to.

 

As a club, where we go next is absolutely crucial. Because this certainly isn't the club I fell in love with all those years ago.

 

Sad times, sad fucking times.

Edited December 17, 2014 by MoodyBlue

[Frankie 8,562]

I think Chris makes a lot of decent points but agree with Anchorman in that McCoist is essentially powerless and will be far removed from the information/decision-making process.

Edited December 17, 2014 by Frankie

[SteveC 150]

No matter what we all think about Ally, if it is today that there is a departing of the ways, I will have a lump in my throat and possibly a watery eye.

 

I am not a fan of him as a manager - but he, along with Cooper, was may Rangers footballing hero. I have a brick in the Ally McCoist panel at the stadium.

 

So, if/when he finally leaves it will actually be quite a sad and reflective moment. I don't think it has hit us all yet - and when it does I feel many bears may feel the same as me, even though most of us agree that from a managerial perspective, it just hasn't worked out and probably was never going to.

 

As a club, where we go next is absolutely crucial. Because this certainly isn't the club I fell in love with all those years ago.

 

Sad times, sad fucking times.

 

It'll feel like the end. Jardine gone forever, Greig staying away, Ally leaving. All that's left are contemptible examples of modern 'capitalism' (i.e. naked greed and exploitation). And yet I'd feel bad if he stayed too.

 

Every single situation is a lose-lose for us.

Edited December 17, 2014 by SteveC

[Rangersitis 0]

I think Chris makes a lot of decent points but agree with Anchor man in that McCoist is essentially powerless and will be far removed from the information/decision-making process.

 

Isn't that why his decision to cause havoc now is even more disturbing? Whatever mistakes he has made, both on and off the park, he now feels that any influence he carried before, is now gone. Added to the elbow for three well-respected 'lifers' it shows to me that Ashley wants to rid the place of anyone who has feelings for the Rangers that he wants to destroy.

[Frankie 8,562]

Isn't that why his decision to cause havoc now is even more disturbing? Whatever mistakes he has made, both on and off the park, he now feels that any influence he carried before, is now gone. Added to the elbow for three well-respected 'lifers' it shows to me that Ashley wants to rid the place of anyone who has feelings for the Rangers that he wants to destroy.

 

Until McCoist speaks out, we'll never know.

[Anchorman 0]

Isn't that why his decision to cause havoc now is even more disturbing? Whatever mistakes he has made, both on and off the park, he now feels that any influence he carried before, is now gone. Added to the elbow for three well-respected 'lifers' it shows to me that Ashley wants to rid the place of anyone who has feelings for the Rangers that he wants to destroy.

 

What influence did he have before Ashley came?

[Rangersitis 0]

What influence did he have before Ashley came?

 

Quite a bit, for instance he was able to sign one horrendous player after another on contracts which were both too generous and unsustainable. Hell, he was even allowed to stay in his position as manager despite some horrendous results and performances.