McCoist warns Barry Ferguson to expect the unexpected

Rangers boss Ally McCoist has words of wisdom for ex-Gers captain Barry Ferguson as he embarks on new career in management.

Ally McCoist has told Barry Ferguson what lies ahead for him in management the unexpected!

The former Rangers captain looks like having a tough job on his hands if he becomes the permanent boss of Blackpool.

But the problems he encounters at Bloomfield Road are likely to be small fry compared to the complete chaos that has surrounded Ibrox.

McCoist is, however, adamant he has no regrets about turning his back on a lucrative television career to manage the club he played for.

“I think it’s magic that Barry is going for the Blackpool job because a lot of people probably thought people like him, and indeed myself, would not go down the route of coaching and management,” said McCoist.

“If he asked me what to expect, I’d say ‘the unexpected’.

“Without doubt he’ll get the unexpected but he’ll not get anything like the unexpected I got!

“There have been times when I’ve said: ‘What am I doing here?’ But I’ve never regretted it. How could you regret becoming the manager of Rangers?”

“Would it have been far easier to stay where I was rather than come back into football? Of course it would, 100%.

“But I’m the Rangers manager and that’s something I could only have dreamed about.

“Stress is a major issue with a lot of managers and coaches, but the insanity of my household keeps me sane the young kids, the old kids, kids from up the street and down the street.

“I think Barry will do fine. Barry was one of those players, like myself, who maybe had one or two chequered moments during their career. Some weren’t football orientated, some were.

“I’d think that will stand him in better stead as he’ll have an idea of perhaps one or two off-the-wall characters in his dressing-room.”

Meanwhile McCoist doesn’t agree with his captain that League One isn’t far behind the Premiership. Lee McCulloch had claimed the gap between top-flight teams and the sides he plays against each week is marginal.

But McCoist insisted: “We’re a good bit away. A very, very good bit. I hope that’s not seen as a criticism of my team because it’s far from it.

“Our record this season speaks for itself, but if we’re talking about winning the top League, then we’re miles away. Only Lee McCulloch and, to a lesser extent, Lee Wallace have competed in terms of winning things at the top level.

“We’ve boys who have done well in cups but I don’t think Cammy Bell, Nicky Law, Jon Daly or Ian Black have competed to win a top-flight division. So why should they automatically do that now?”