Ally McCoist has revealed the unseen wind-up of Derek McInnes on the day of his Rangers debut, a prank that did not stop the current boss from reaching the pinnacle of his managerial career at Ibrox.
The date was December 9, 1995, and McInnes was setting off from his home in Renfrewshire for his first appearance in Walter Smith's star-studded line-up. McInnes, who had been signed from Morton for £300,000, offered to drive to the team hotel, assuming it would help him make a good first impression.
However, McCoist's trademark tardiness sparked a race against time to make the pre-match meal and avoid a blast from Smith's right-hand man Archie Knox.
The Blame Game
McCoist told Record Sport: "I was doing my usual, farting about in the house trying to get my shoes on because I was running late, while Del is outside tooting the horn, going crazy."
He added: "So we eventually get to the hotel after the maddest of dashes and walk into the pre-match dinner hall. Archie's there, glaring at the two of us. I just nodded in the general direction of Derek, and I went, 'Archie, that b*****d was late picking me up! Absolutely diabolical, Archie!'
"Of course, Archie's in on the gag. He knew fine well it wasn't Del's fault. In fact, he'd have known the wee man was actually there half an hour early! But you should have seen Del's face, his jaw nearly hit the floor after I dropped him in it."
McInnes at the Pinnacle
The late show did not hold back McInnes's Gers career or his move into management. McCoist can think of no one else he would rather have at the wheel at Ibrox, especially after a sticky start to the season that included a double European exit and the spillage of five Premiership points in his first two games.
Rangers will emerge from the international break at Fir Park on Saturday 12 games unbeaten, four points off top spot but with a game in hand. They face Hibs on December 13 when the Premier Sports Cup will be up for grabs.
McCoist said: "I look at Del now, and for me he's at the pinnacle of his managerial career. If Del doesn't go anywhere after coaching Rangers, I don't think it would break his heart. He'll die a happy man knowing that he's had the chance to manage the club he loves.
"And that's why I'm thrilled for him, as are all the boys who shared a dressing room with him, Durranty, Bomber, wee Charlie Miller, Stuarty McCall. We're absolutely delighted he's back at Ibrox and pleased to see the way it's going after a sticky start."
McCoist noted that nobody is getting carried away, but he is confident about the way things are going. He pointed to the return of players like Rommens and Bouanani, and the form of James Penrice, as reasons for positivity.
Hard Work Pays Off
McCoist recalled how McInnes used to sit with the younger lads in the dressing room and endure being terrorised by the older players. He said: "It didn't surprise us at all to see them break into the team and it certainly hasn't surprised me to see Derek going on to have a great career as a manager as well.
"He was always totally committed in everything he did. The one thing about Derek, he knew that for him to have any success, whether it was on the pitch or off it, he had to work for it."
McCoist added that McInnes had superstars around him, so to compete with the likes of Gascoigne and Laudrup, he had to work his socks off. That work paid off with an excellent career, including trophies under Dick Advocaat and Walter Smith.
McCoist also shared a memory of Archie Knox taking the players to a wee place on Paisley Road West for a roll of bacon as a treat, a cuisine that confused Italian imports like Marco Negri and Lorenzo Amoruso. He noted that the diet side of the game changed when Graeme Souness arrived from Italy, bringing with him a more professional approach to nutrition.
McCoist is now supporting Marks and Spencer's Eat Well, Play Well Grassroots Campaign, which aims to help clubs introduce healthier approaches on a weekly basis. A survey of more than 200 grassroots coaches found that just one in seven feel confident advising players and their parents on nutrition, and a third would welcome training on healthy eating.
McCoist said: "I was down meeting some kids in Largs last week with the team from Marksies and the kids were brilliant. We were just trying to get across to them the importance of healthy eating.
"It's a great scheme M&S have put on and the key to it for parents and the clubs is that it doesn't have to be expensive and it doesn't have to be time-consuming."
