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Angry McCoist walks away as the going gets tough

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Karaoke McCoistThe pressure of managing Sevco as they race towards administration and liquidation took it’s toll on Ally McCoist yesterday.

Two hours after a stock market statement which virtually sign posted the road to administration McCoist was up in front of the cameras to preview today’s match with Queen of the South.

Expecting the broadcast media to be interested in Kenny Miller’s hamstringor Steve Simonsen’s waistline wasn’t going to wash with the former Question of Sport funnyman informing the media that he’d only be talking about football today.

McCoist has played a front-line role in the Ibrox shambles for three years choosing his moments to be a football manager and using that position to deflect criticism from himself and his employers for the chaos at the clubs.

From the manager’s chair McCoist has given his backing to Craig Whyte, Charles Green, Craig Mather, Mr Graham Wallace (formerly of Manchester City) as well as talking up Mr Dave King and almost anyone else willing to pour money into the black hole.

In 2012 and 2013 he urged fans to buy season tickets but this year that cry hasn’t gone out although on July 25 he was happy to explain how the troubled days of the past were over despite rebel fans boycotting season ticket sales.

“For the first time, I feel like a football manager, that’s just a fact,” he said a month ago. “Touch wood, a lot of the issues surrounding this club are away now. There are still smaller issues, of course, but nothing like on the scale of what they were in the past.

“And, for the first time in a long time, I am confident of just being able to focus on managing and coaching this football team. Also, this summer I was over in Portugal for a couple of weeks and it was the first holiday that I’ve had (since becoming Rangers manager) where I did not need to come home early. It was brilliant.

“Our pre-season tour of North America was a great success. But when I look back now at times in pre-season when we couldn’t play games, I just find it unbelievable.

“The worst part of it was not getting our licence to play in the Third Division until 36 hours before our first game against Brechin City. When you look back on that, you just think: “No way!” It was incredible!”

Five weeks after that upbeat message McCoist refused to discuss the sudden change in the situation at Ibrox. Confirming that he will be subscribing to the new share issue, having invested heavily in penny shares alongside Green, Imran Ahmad and Brian Stockbridge in 2012, would have sent out the perfect message that the club was on the right track.

Rather than reassure supporters that all is well the Ibrox leader chose to attack the journalists asking the only relevant questions.

After being asked about the share announcement McCoist grinned and chapped his knuckles against the top of his head before snapping: “What did I just say to you? The first thing I said to you was ‘I will be commenting on football matters’. Did you think I was lying?”

As he stood up to walk away the £825,000-a-year manager warned: “Do you want me to leave? I’ve just told you, quite simply, I am going to talk to you about football matters. Now I would ask you to show me a wee bit of respect and ask some football questions. Would you do that for me please?”

In 2012 McCoist bought 1,000,000 shares at one penny each to own 3% of the club at the same time as Green, Ahmad and Stockbridge.

Speaking ahead of the public share issue offering shares to supporters for 70p McCoist explained: “I have personally invested in the club, I think the best way to put it is that I have bought shares in the club as a fan, I haven’t bought them specifically as the manager.

“I wanted to do it as a supporter and when I am long gone the shares I have invested in the club will be passed down in my family.

“It is obviously close to my heart and like a lot of Rangers supporters will do, I did it on behalf of my family, it’s not so much for myself, more for my sons than anything else. I have been incredibly boosted by the level of support shown by the fans.

“In the rebuilding process that we are all part of – and it is the early stages – I wanted to give my own vote of confidence if you like, in buying shares in the club.

“As I say it is something a lot of Rangers fans will do for their own families, hopefully, and being one of them I felt it was something I wanted to do.

“The long-term future of the club is of paramount importance and we are going to do that with the support and help of people around the club.

“We have plans and agendas for the future and it will be determined by level of support shown from supporters and indeed other people.”

Now it seems that the future of the club isn’t a topic to be discussed in public.

CLICK HERE to watch yesterday’s broadcast conference

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