THE hype machine was in overdrive. When Scotland flew out to Argentina to play in the World Cup in 1978, the expectation was that they had every chance of returning home with the trophy.
That was the mantra preached by Ally MacLeod, the manager whose confidence was as unshakeable as it was misguided.
We’re on the march with Ally’s Army became the soundtrack of a nation. Boasting a team with the likes of Kenny Dalglish, Graeme Souness and Joe Jordan, Scotland were going to be a force.
Nobody was more convinced of this than a young Alistair Murdoch McCoist, who was in the crowd at Hampden and had watched the team receive a quite remarkable send-off on an open-top bus.
Striker Ally McCoist won 61 caps for Scotland, scoring 19 goals
Ally MacLeod walks back to changing room after seeing Scotland’s 1-1 draw with Iran in 1978
Peru’s Cesar Cueto fires past Scotland goalkeeper Alan Rough in the 1978 World Cup
McCoist was only 15 years old at the time. Still making his way in the game, he would go on to win 61 caps, scoring 19 goals along the way.
The Scotland and Rangers legend has detailed his life and times with the national team in a new book. Dear Scotland: On the Road with the Tartan Army, to be released later this week.
McCoist speaks with typical candour and humour about his experiences with some true giants of the game: Sir Alex, Big Jock, Walter, Gazza.
But the journey for one of Scotland’s finest ever strikers begins on that famous summer in 1978, when Scottish optimism was immediately punctured when they lost their opening game 3-1 to Peru.
‘I was at Hampden with my old man to give them the big send-off,’ explains McCoist. ‘Make no mistake about it, I had us down to be playing in the third-place play-off at the very least!
‘If we weren’t going to win it, we would be in the semi-finals at the very least. I was only a young boy at the time. I took it as gospel that we were going there to win the thing.
‘Ally [MacLeod] convinced me. I was watching him on the telly and reading him in the paper. I was sold on the whole thing.
‘We had a great team in ‘78. But we obviously had a bit of a reality check against Peru in the opening game, which obviously really set us back.
‘Between that World Cup and the tournament in ‘82, you need to hand it to Roughie [Alan Rough, Scotland goalkeeper]. The big man let in some of the greatest goals in World Cup history!
‘Roughie is one of the nicest, funniest, most self-deprecating men you will ever meet. When I think of the big man and our World Cup adventures, however, the image that comes to mind is usually him bending over to pick up the ball, having watched some international superstar smash it past him from some ridiculous range.
‘But 78 was my first real experience of dealing with the pain and disappointment that often comes with being a Scotland fan.
‘We are a funny breed in that sense. Everyone thinks of Scottish people as being really dour and whatnot.
‘But that’s nonsense. When it comes to football, Scottish folk are some of the most optimistic people you’ll ever meet.’
Scotland would eventually be knocked out on goal difference in the group stage, despite beating Holland 3-2 in their final game and Archie Gemmill scoring *that* goal.
Watching football when he was growing up in the ‘70s, McCoist wasn’t short of superstar players whom he could look to try and emulate.
Pele and Johan Cruyff would be the two most obvious examples. But it was Gerd Muller, the Bayern Munich and West Germany goal machine, who not only caught his eye, but actually shaped McCoist’s own career.
McCoist modelled his game on legendary German striker Gerd Muller
McCoist coached Scotland along with Tommy Burns (right) and manager Walter Smith (middle)
Ally McCoist’s Scotland book, which is out on October 24
‘I started my career actually playing most of my football in midfield,’ explains McCoist. ‘But there was something about Gerd Muller which really drew me to him.
‘I think it was maybe his style, his physique, and just the relentless appetite he had for goals.
He wasn’t the biggest or the fastest, but he was an absolute machine in front of goal.
‘He outsmarted defenders with his movement. He was clever with how he found space in the box. Honestly, his finishing was just off the charts.
I can still vividly remember watching him for West Germany and Bayern Munich.
‘I got to see him play live. In 1976, when I was just 13, I headed to Hampden to see the European Cup final between Müller’s Bayern Munich and a very cool St Etienne side, resplendent in their bright green shirts.
‘It was the little striker who caught my eye the most that night, and I left the old stadium after Bayern’s 1-0 win with the wee man firmly on my mind.
‘I was always out in the park, practising, trying to swivel like him. Well, I wasn’t going to try to impersonate the Dutch star Johan Cruyff, was I?
‘Had I tried to copy the Cruyff turn, made famous that summer, I think I might have broken an ankle. No, it was Müller for me.
‘Something just clicked with me when I watched Muller. I felt like that style was something I could try and emulate. That’s when I started playing more as a striker.’
Incredibly, McCoist remains the last player to score a winning goal for Scotland in a major tournament. That came in a 1-0 win over Switzerland at Villa Park in Euro ‘96.
But, once again, it wasn’t enough. Scotland were eliminated on account of goals scored, with the Netherlands progressing along with England despite being thrashed 4-1 by the hosts at Wembley.
It was in that tournament where McCoist went up against his then Rangers team-mate Paul Gascoigne.
It’s fair to say that Walter Smith and Archie Knox often had their hands full trying to keep a lid on the antics of McCoist and Gazza.
‘I was fortunate to play under some of the greatest managers Scotland has ever produced,’ says McCoist. ‘You take wee snippets from all of them, but obviously Walter stands as the biggest influence on me.
‘He became like a second father to me and also the greatest of friends as well. Some of my best memories in football were with Walter and Archie Knox.
‘I’ve often heard it said that they were a good double act, like good cop and bad cop. I’m not so sure about that.
They were both very adept at being the bad cop when they wanted to be, but maybe not so much the good cop!
‘It was probably Archie who would put me in my place if my behaviour strayed, which it often did. But I love him. I must have driven him and Walter insane at times, but what a laugh we had along the way.
‘With Euro ‘96, it was a fantastic tournament to be part of given it was only just down the road in England.
‘We were quietly confident. When we drew 0-0 with Holland in the first game, that confidence grew. With England up next, we were telling the staff at our hotel that we were going to beat them.
‘There was a wee bit of noise around the England team at that time.
They had drawn 1-1 with Switzerland in their opening game and my old mate Gascoigne was still on as many front pages as back pages.
McCoist described Paul Gascoigne’s goal against Scotland at Euro 96 as ‘genius’
McCoist scored the winning goal in Scotland’s 1-0 win over Switzerland at Villa Park
McCoist celebrates his goal against the Swiss, the last game Scotland have won at a finals
‘The English press were still unhappy with his infamous “dentist chair” incident and the photos that emerged from that, although he still maintains to this day he only went in for a filling…
‘But that was the game where it got away from us. Gascoigne’s goal was genius, pure genius. There’s no two ways about it.
‘I scored in the final game when we beat Switzerland 1-0. Word started filtering through that England were banging in goal after goal in their game against Holland.
‘It was the strangest feeling to hear the Tartan Army cheering all these goals for England because, at that point, we were going through. But Holland got the late goal from Patrick Kluivert and, with that, we were out. What an absolute sucker punch that was. We were out on goals scored. Brutal.’
On the release of his new book, McCoist added: ‘I think I’ve still got a wee bit to do before I get round to doing a full-blooded autobiography.
‘I thoroughly enjoy what I’m doing at the moment with my work on the radio and TV. I’m able to travel around the world to watch the best of what this game’s got to offer.
‘It’s a privilege to be able to do that and I would still like to think I’ve got a couple of major tournaments in me before I would get round to doing a full autobiography.
‘So the thinking behind this book was to try and offer maybe a wee bit more of a light-hearted take on things.
‘Don’t get me wrong, there’s a few more serious issues in there as well, like when I talk about Walter and things like that.
‘But, primarily, the book is really just about being light-hearted and trying to give people a wee laugh about some things.
‘I was privileged to experience a lot in my career, both for club and country, so hopefully some of that can come across.
‘Any time I’m out and about, people will always ask me: “What was Walter like?” “What was Gazza like?” “What was Laudrup like?” “What was Sir Alex like?” “What was Davie Cooper like?”
‘They want an idea of what people were like behind the scenes, so hopefully the book gives them an idea what some of these guys were like.
‘Put it this way, the book isn’t going to be in the same section of the library as Dostoyevsky and the likes! It’s a wee bit more light-hearted and hopefully humorous than that.’
Dear Scotland: On the Road with the Tartan Army by Ally McCoist publishes October 24 (Hodder & Stoughton, £22).
