THE Sports Journalists Association obviously got things badly wrong last year when they honoured Ally McCoist with their “Pundit of the Year” award.
The members of that august body may have thought the “tone, expertise and delivery” of the former Rangers and Scotland striker in his work with talkSPORT, BT Sport, ITV and Sky Sports set him apart from the likes of Jamie Carragher, Roy Keane, Gary Neville, Alan Shearer, Micah Richards and Ian Wright.
And they might have believed that he was a worthy recipient of the bauble due to his ability to “talk sense in an amusing way” and his propensity to be “funny, informed and a joy to listen to”.
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But it has transpired, in the wake of England’s dramatic win over the Netherlands in the Euro 2024 semi-final in Dortmund last night, that McCoist is nothing more than a “subservient p****”, a “boot licker”, a “reptile” and a “sook”.
And those are just a few of the more printable comments which have been made about him online in the hours since Gareth Southgate’s men booked their place in the final against Spain in Berlin on Sunday evening.
Who knew? To most fair-minded observers who took in the match in the Westfalenstadion from the comfort of their living rooms, it simply sounded as if the ITV co-commentator was giving his enthusiastic appraisal of what was an exceptional display by Harry Kane and his compatriots.
McCoist is paid to give an honest assessment of what he sees on the park and he does it extremely well. Is it his fault that he is a Scot who is covering a momentous England triumph? He would not last very long in national broadcasting if he allowed any personal allegiances he might have to influence his utterances. He says what he sees.
The past 12 years have been difficult ones for Rangers both on and off the park - as he well knows having been manager at Ibrox for some of that spell – but he can still find it within himself to wax lyrical about Celtic’s outstanding displays and noteworthy achievements.
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Social media outlets can be nothing short of a cesspit, an outlet for the disenfranchised to spew forth their distorted world view, at the best of times. But the aftermath of high-profile football matches always seem to bring out the very worst in the dregs of society.
People were jailed for the racist abuse they directed at the England players who missed penalties in the Euro 2020 final against Italy at Wembley three years ago. Their bile is best ignored.
Ally McCoist is not, as a few knuckle-draggers would have you believe, a quisling. Rather, he is a national treasure who has increased viewers’ enjoyment and understanding of Euro 2024 in recent weeks no end. Long may he continue to do so.
