If you have seen recent images of Ally McCoist flapping a bit of air-guitar about you'll be aware, "you cannae beat a bit of AC/DC", if you ask the Glasgow legend. For a long period of time this season, you couldn't beat his former club Rangers either, but then the R's lost the plot, dropped four sensational points at the hands of Ross County and Dundee, while Celtic said "thank you" and put themselves back in the driver seat. But the "disaster" was there to the spotted if you knew where to look.
"The signs were there, and I'll tell you why; they lost to Motherwell at home (first game in March) and their performance was very poor. But they got away with that because Celtic lost at Hearts in the same round so that was kind of glossed over.
"I could tell that all wasn't well in their camp, but to be honest, I couldn't see a collapse of that size coming. With the draw against Celtic they've only taken five points out of a possible 15," McCoist tells Tribalfootball.com with a sigh while still being optimistic on behalf of Rangers ahead of the Championship round of fixtures.
"I really don't think it's finished. The one thing that will have to happen, I think, is that Rangers will have to go to Celtic and win. But looking at the other teams, a side like Kilmarnock are doing really, really well and both Rangers and Celtic have dropped points already against them.
"Derek McInnes has done a fantastic job there, and obviously there is Hearts as well, so, I think there will be one or two twists and turns", says Ally McCoist who witnessed no less than two legendary 3-3 cup-semifinals over the weekend, but which was the better?
"Both of them were incredible drama. I thought Aberdeen did really, really well. Not a lot of people gave them much hope because their results against Celtic haven't been good but they probably could and should have won the game. When it goes to penalties, anything can happen and Celtic just found a way.
"Aberdeen deserve enormous credit, it was a fantastic game of football but in terms of the drama, Man. United against Coventry was just unbelievable. Nobody on the planet were giving Coventry any chance with 20 minutes to go. Nobody could have seen that collapse coming from Manchester United."
It was Matt O'Reilly who put Celtic 3-2 up in extra-time with his 14th goal of the season and McCoist believes the Celtic supporters should enjoy watching the young Dane while they can.
"He's having an absolutely terrific season. He is a very, very good player. There was talk of him leaving in January but Brendan Rodgers quite rightly said 'he's not going anywhere'. But I would be surprised if he's there at the start of next season," McCoist admits as rumuors of O'Riley switching the Premiership for the La Liga gain ground. But is Atletico Madrid perhaps a step too far?
"I genuinely think he is capable of going to a place like Atletico Madrid and play there. He is one of these players that always look as if he has time on hand. He's very clever in that respect. Callum McGregor does it very well too, but Matt O'Reilly has a lovely composure," says McCoist who also believes the Dane would fit right into the Premier League as well.
"Any midfielder that gets forward and scores goals always create interest. They're worth their weight in gold and it wouldn't surprise me at all if one of the teams in the Premier League came in for him."
While Matt O'Riley might be heading south of the border, Jack Butland headed north of the border to get more playing time ahead of this season. The former England international has been an ever present for Rangers this season and received a lot of praise along the way. Fully deserved praise, according to McCoist.
"Rangers' form hasn't been great in the last five to eight games, but the one consistent factor throughout the entire season has been the form of Jack Butland. I look at England goalkeepers and Pickford is obviously number one.
"He's made one or two errors, like they all do, and not enough to alter Gareth Southgate's belief that he's the number one goalkeeper. But Nick Pope is been injured, Aaron Ramsdale can't get in the team. If they take three goalkeepers, I would be taking Jack Butland," McCoist states assuredly, before reminiscing about seeing AC/DC at the top of their game.
"I saw them in '78 when Bon Scott was the lead singer. The energy level was absolutely incredible and Bon Scott was phenomenal. I remember Angus Young in the Glasgow Apollo, coming up and down the aisle on the shoulders of the bouncer. The place was absolutely rocking."
As the man said; "you cannae beat a bit of AC/DC".
- Ally McCoist was talking to Tribalfootball on behalf of talkSPORT BET
