Qudus SalihuRangers legend Ally McCoist was forced into a rare and humble apology live on talkSPORT after making what he described as an “embarrassing” oversight during his coverage of the club’s recent Europa League collapse against FC Porto. The incident occurred during a heated post-match analysis where McCoist, visibly distraught by the 3-1 defeat at the Estádio do Dragão, mistakenly claimed that the club’s European journey was over due to a “total lack of effort” from certain senior players.
The blunder happened when McCoist, caught in the heat of a live broadcast, failed to realize that despite the loss, Rangers theoretically still had a mathematical—albeit slim—path to the play-off round depending on other results in the single league phase. After being corrected by host Jeff Stelling and bombarded by messages from the Ibrox faithful, a sheepish McCoist admitted his error, confessing that his emotions had gotten the better of him. “I have to hold my hands up and apologize to the listeners and the club,” McCoist said. “I was so blinded by the frustration of that second-half performance that I checked out mentally. It was an embarrassing statement to make live on air when the dust hadn’t even settled.”
McCoist explained that his “heart was ruling his head” as he watched the defensive unit, led by Emmanuel Fernandez, struggle against Porto’s clinical frontline. He noted that while the mathematical hope remained, the “shameful” nature of the performance had led him to write the team off prematurely. The apology has since gone viral among the Rangers support, with many appreciating the icon’s honesty even in his moments of punditry failure. While the apology cleared the air regarding the tournament format, McCoist maintained his stance that the current squad is in a “remarkable decline,” urging manager Danny Rohl to address the lack of leadership before the domestic season slips away as well.
Rabiu Aminu
Qudus Salihu
Mustapha Sheidu
