Ally McCoist Recounts the Challenges Faced by Young Scottish Internationals in the 1980s: A Tale of Alan Hansen, Jock Stein, and a Pint of Lager from Kenny Dalglish.

‘I can still feel the fear running through my body’

"Alan Hansen was having a coffee and I said, ‘I’ll have the same’. Just as Jock Stein walked in, Kenny Dalglish put a pint of lager down in front of me.

“I can still feel the fear running right through my body – for a minute and a half, I can remember the feeling of, ‘That man is going to kill me, this is my first and last Scotland trip’. But Big Jock was in on the gag. They were all in on it and had this whole thing planned!”

Sadly for McCoist, and Scotland, Stein would die later that year at the conclusion of a 1986 World Cup qualifying game vs Wales. Davie Cooper scored late to earn a draw and a qualification play-off vs Australia (which they would go on to win).

But Stein, who was aged 62, had been under immense pressure and had stopped taking his medication for heart disease so as to not have the side effects impact on the match preparation. He died shortly after the game had finished in the Ninian Park medical room.

“One thing I remember about Jock was the respect and aura he carried with him,” says McCoist, who later won the European Golden Shoe with Rangers in 1992 and 1993. “He was physically imposing, but not aggressive. I was very lucky to work with some of the best.”

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