In the early years of his career Ally McCoist played for St Johnstone and Sunderland before moving to Rangers in 1983, starting what would be a record-breaking stint at the Glasgow club.
He became the club's record goalscorer and won nine successive league championships between the 1988–89 and 1996–97 seasons.
McCoist continued to claim goals when he played for three seasons alongside long-time Rangers teammate and friend Ian Durrant for Kilmarnock – ending his playing career as the fifth highest goalscorer in the top tier of Scottish football with 260 successful strikes. The striker also played for his country, winning 61 international caps and scoring 19 goals for Scotland.
A successful media career began even before he retired from playing when he became a team captain in the popular BBC sports quiz A Question of Sport in 1996 – a position he would fill for more than a decade.
His management career started when he became Walter Smith’s Rangers depute in 2007, eventually stepping up to become manager in 2011. This was at the time of the well-publicised financial issues which saw the club liquidated and relegated to the fourth tier of Scottish football. McCoist remained at the club to win successive promotions to the second tier but ultimately resigned in December 2014 after a poor start to the season.
McCoist is now am in-demand football pundit, commentator and personality, most recently hitting the headlines after helping a nurse win £82,000 on BBC game show The Wheel.
Here’s what ‘Super Ally’ has had to say on a variety of topics over the years.
5. Ally McCoist on...punditry being his ideal job
"I've got mates who don't enjoy their work, but I would be sitting here talking about sport anyway." Photo: Ian MacNicol
6. Ally McCoist on...being popular with Celtic fans
"One of the reasons Old Firm supporters could relate to me was I was one of them, playing for the team I wanted to play for. If we scored at Celtic Park, the only people I wanted to celebrate in front of was Rangers supporters." Photo: George Wood
7. Ally McCoist on...the death of Walter Smith
"I could sit here and tell you about Walter Smith until the cows come home, about how good a manager, how good a coach and a football man he was. But what I will say he was the best husband, father, friend, everything you would expect from a man. I can't tell you how devastated I am." Photo: Jeff J Mitchell
8. Ally McCoist on...succeeding Walter Smith as Rangers manager
"It's a wee bit like taking the microphone from Frank Sinatra." Photo: Jeff J Mitchell