Ally McCoist has admitted that he was beaten to the QPR job by Ian Holloway.
Former Rangers manager Ally McCoist
Ally McCoist has told the Sunday Post that he applied to become Queens Park Rangers manager, but the job went to Ian Holloway instead.
The R’s sacked Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink earlier this month after a difficult run of form, and chairman Tony Fernandes made something of a surprise choice.
Fernandes decided to bring Holloway back as their new manager, more than ten years after he left the club following nearly five years as their manager.
A QPR hero having made more than 150 appearances for the club during his playing days, Holloway is back – but it’s clear that other managers wanted the job following Hasselbaink’s departure.
Ally McCoist has revealed to the Sunday Post that he put his name into the hat for the QPR job, and he also expressed interest in a job but was told to ‘not go near it with a barge pole’.
Ally McCoist
McCoist spoke about his career and his desire to return to management, joking that nothing can be as bad as his time in charge of Rangers.
McCoist was in charge for just one year before Rangers were liquidated and had to start in the fourth tier of Scottish football, and he managed to win successive promotions to get the club back to the second tier within two years.
McCoist declared his intention to resign in December 2014, and began serving a 12-month notice period, was put on gardening leave and eventually had his contract terminated in a turbulent time for the club – and after that stress, McCoist wants to consider his next move carefully, but ultimately believes nothing can be that bad.
Ally McCoist
“I threw my name in for the QPR job last week which went to Ian Holloway,” said McCoist. “A few other jobs have come up, but just after I expressed an interest in one, people got in touch to tell me not to go near it with a barge pole. So I’m not going to take anything for the sake of it. There’s no point in me moving my family down the road to be back up in three months.”
“If something comes up, brilliant, I’d love to do it. It’s what I want to do. But I’m in a fortunate position in that I can do some punditry and I have other business interests which I’m keen to work on. I’m looking at England, but there are one or two things going on in the United States which I’d seriously consider as well.”
“I have to think about my young family, but if something came up that suits them, I’d go for it. Why is it worth the hassle? It’s just a love for the game. After Rangers, it can’t be that bad again!” he added.
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