logo
Rangers icon Ally McCoist admits ‘it's made my day' as he spots special guest close to his heart at Goodison Park

Rangers icon Ally McCoist admits ‘it's made my day' as he spots special guest close to his heart at Goodison Park

Scottish Sun18-05-2025
Click to share on X/Twitter (Opens in new window)
Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window)
EVERTON bid a special goodbye to their Goodison Park home with a 2-0 victory over Southampton today.
And TNT Sports co-commentator Ally McCoist had a special moment of his own as he spotted a familiar face in the crowd.
Sign up for the Rangers newsletter
Sign up
3
Everton enjoyed their final game at Goodison Park with a 2-0 win over Southampton
Credit: Getty
3
Ally McCoist was co-commentating on the game and was delighted to see a familiar face in the crowd
Credit: Alamy
3
Ex-Everton and Rangers star Duncan Ferguson pointed the special guest out to his old teammate
Credit: Getty
McCoist was in the commentary booth for the game, which saw Everton's men's team play their final match at Goodison after 133 years.
And he and commentator Darren Fletcher were joined in their coverage by former Toffees heroes Phil Jagielka and Duncan Ferguson behind the dugouts.
Ferguson, an ex-teammate of McCoist's at Rangers, spotted a special guest in attendance at the game and shared the moment with the Ibrox legend.
Ferguson said to McCoist: "Was it not wonderful to see Walter Smith's widow up there, looking so well?"
McCoist responded to Ferguson: "Aw Fergie, it made my day!
"It's a privilege to be here, but that particular moment made my day."
McCoist played under Smith and later joined his coaching staff at Ibrox, and enjoyed a close relationship with the much-loved former boss' family.
He has opened up in the past on the moment he found out about Smith's passing in 2021, and revealed that his thoughts immediately went to Smith's wife Ethel and sons Neil and Steven.
Writing in his book 'Dear Scotland: On The Road With The Tartan Army', McCoist reflected: "I was working at talkSPORT, doing the breakfast show, when I saw I had a missed call from Steven, Walter's son, and I knew what was coming.
"I'd been to the hospital and at the house to see him, and so knowing how unwell he was, I took myself away to make the call back.
Ally McCoist fights back tears as he reacts to passing of pal Walter Smith
'Silence. It is hard to know what to say, but knowing just how much Walter adored his wife Ethel, his kids and his grandkids, and the severe grief they were now going through, my thoughts were immediately with them.
"Neil and Steven are two chips off the old block, the best company like their father, and I am so pleased to call the whole family friends."
Keep up to date with ALL the latest news and transfers at the Scottish Sun football page
Orange background

Try Our AI Features

Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:

Comments

No comments yet...

Related Articles

Everton near £27m deal for Villarreal's France Under-21 striker Thierno Barry
Everton near £27m deal for Villarreal's France Under-21 striker Thierno Barry

The Guardian

timean hour ago

  • The Guardian

Everton near £27m deal for Villarreal's France Under-21 striker Thierno Barry

Everton are closing in on the signing of the Villarreal striker Thierno Barry for a fee of around €32m (£27m). The France Under-21 international has a €40m release clause in his contract with the Spanish club but Everton have been negotiating for several weeks to lower the asking price. A breakthrough has been made this week and, while the deal is not yet complete, the 22-year-old appears poised to become David Moyes's second summer signing, following the £12.6m deal to sign Carlos Alcaraz permanently. Barry, who was part of the France squad at the recent European Under-21 Championship, scored 11 goals in La Liga last season as Villarreal qualified for the Champions League. A new striker is a priority for Moyes as he oversees a major overhaul of the Everton squad this summer. The club missed out on Liam Delap, declined to take up an option to sign Armando Broja on a permanent basis from Chelsea and have seen Dominic Calvert-Lewin depart as a free agent. Meanwhile, Jarrad Branthwaite has credited Everton's new ambition under Moyes as a key factor in his decision to sign a five-year contract with the club. The 23-year-old has been Everton's young player of the year for the past two seasons. Everton had previously resisted interest from Manchester United in the Carlisle-born defender, who would have been in England's European Under-21 Championship squad but for a hamstring injury. Chelsea have also been linked with Branthwaite, but he said it was 'an easy decision' to commit his future to Everton. He cited Moyes and the club's new direction under the ownership of The Friedkin Group as key influences. 'I've been at Everton for five-and-a-half years now and I've seen the change the club's had over the past six months. It's very exciting for us as a team, as players, to have that going on in the background and to be starting the new season at the new stadium. The ambition was a huge thing. 'The way the manager wants us to go as a team and what he wants us to do for next season and where he wants us to challenge for has had a big impact on the decision. I think you saw towards the end of last season as a team what we can do. The manager has been really good, not only for me but for the group. You saw the change in results, the change in mood since he came in. He drives the demands every day to be better.' Moyes said: 'He is still only 23 and his best years are hopefully still ahead of him. We believe he can have a huge role to play in an exciting new era at the football club.' Meanwhile, Jarell Quansah has completed his move from Liverpool to Bayer Leverkusen in a deal worth up to £35m. The 22-year-old enjoyed an impressive European Under-21 Championship campaign as part of a triumphant England side, but found opportunities limited at club level last season. The homegrown central defender started four league games, 13 in all competitions, as Virgil van Dijk and Ibrahima Konaté established a title-winning partnership. Liverpool will receive a guaranteed £30m for Quansah plus £5m in add-ons. The deal is the third between the clubs this summer, following the Premier League champions' acquisition of Jeremie Frimpong and record-signing Florian Wirtz. Despite selling the young defender, who made his debut in 2023 and signed a new long-term contract at Anfield in October, Liverpool consider Quansah a player of rich potential and have negotiated a pre-agreed buy-back clause. 'Everybody at LFC would like to thank Jarell for his contributions and wish him the very best for the future,' the club said. Sign up to Football Daily Kick off your evenings with the Guardian's take on the world of football after newsletter promotion 'I was able to get a good impression of the team and the club when Liverpool played Leverkusen in the Champions League last season,' Quansah told Leverkusen's website. 'Brilliant team – for the first hour, they played like almost no other side at Anfield. 'The ambitious targets here were clearly explained to me during the negotiations. It's a great role and challenge for me to be part of the current Leverkusen rebuild.' Liverpool could strengthen their central defensive options with a move for the Crystal Palace captain, Marc Guéhi, but Palace will need to reduce their £65m asking price for a defender who has a year remaining on his contract. Quansah's departure from Liverpool comes on the same day it was confirmed that the former Arsenal and Barcelona midfielder Giovanni van Bronckhorst has joined the club as an assistant coach, subject to receiving a visa. Van Bronckhorst, who has coached Feyenoord, Guangzhou, Rangers and most recently Besiktas, replaces Arne Slot's former assistant and the now Ajax head coach John Heitinga. Liverpool have also confirmed the return of Xavi Valero as their new head of first-team goalkeeper coaching. Valero worked for the club during Rafael Benítez's reign and has spent the past seven years at West Ham. He replaces Fabian Otte, who is leaving after one season, while the Brazilian World Cup winner Cláudio Taffarel is also stepping down as a Liverpool goalkeeping coach after four years.

Romelu Lukaku makes worrying Man Utd transfer admission after Jose Mourinho call
Romelu Lukaku makes worrying Man Utd transfer admission after Jose Mourinho call

Daily Mirror

timean hour ago

  • Daily Mirror

Romelu Lukaku makes worrying Man Utd transfer admission after Jose Mourinho call

Romelu Lukaku spent two seasons with Manchester United following a big-money move from Everton and it appears the striker wasn't particularly sold on Old Trafford after all Romelu Lukaku has claimed that he never wanted a move to Manchester United but was swayed by his agent. The Belgian striker signed for the Red Devils in 2017 in a £75m deal. His switch came after a prolific spell with Everton having scored 87 goals in 166 appearances for the Toffees. And things started well for Lukaku at Old Trafford having scored 27 goals across his debut campaign. ‌ But things soon went awry having fallen out of favour during his second season, while he found the net just 15 times. Lukaku was eventually sold to Italian giants Inter Milan. ‌ The forward has now admitted that he was never clamouring for a move to United and instead wanted to return to former club Chelsea, only for then agent Mino Raiola and Jose Mourinho to convince him otherwise. Speaking to Koolcast Sport via Het Nieuwsblad, the now Napoli forward said: 'I had already told everyone: I'm going to Chelsea. But suddenly Mourinho called me to say that Manchester United had made an offer. 'I came back from vacation and suddenly there was an agreement with Everton. I said to Mino: 'I don't want this', and then I decided now I'm doing everything myself.' After his exit from United, Lukaku managed to rediscover his goalscoring form, scoring 64 goals over two seasons before he eventually got his much-desired move to Chelsea. He was allowed to leave after just one season though, rejoining Inter on loan before a spell with Roma. Lukaku is now with another Italian side in the form of Napoli and helped the side to the Serie A title last term. Ironically, he could have ended up in Italy even earlier before he completed a permanent move to Everton, something that made him question his trust in agents. ‌ 'It actually started in 2014. I signed with Everton at the time, but I could also go to Juventus, Wolfsburg and Atlético. That didn't happen,' Lukaku added. 'I ended up at Everton, no problem, but when I saw certain figures in my contract, I thought: something's not right here. I started digging and then everything came out. A year later, De Bruyne moved to Manchester City and also started discovering everything. And then everything came out in the media.' Lukaku remains under contract with Napoli until 2027 and is set to be reunited with Kevin De Bruyne in Naples next season. Asked about the role he played, he said: 'I spoke to him a few times and explained to him how things work at Napoli. I'm very happy that he's joining us. Kevin is exactly what we need to take the next step. We don't just want to defend the title – we want to improve.' Join our new MAN UTD WhatsApp community and receive your daily dose of Manchester United content from Mirror Football. We also treat our community members to special offers, promotions, and adverts from us and our partners. If you don't like our community, you can check out any time you like. If you're curious, you can read our Privacy Notice.

Nathan Eovaldi, Rangers shut down Orioles
Nathan Eovaldi, Rangers shut down Orioles

Reuters

time2 hours ago

  • Reuters

Nathan Eovaldi, Rangers shut down Orioles

July 3 - Marcus Semien ripped a three-run homer and Corey Seager added a solo shot as the Texas Rangers pounded out a 6-0 win over the Baltimore Orioles on Wednesday in the decisive game of a three-game series in Arlington, Texas. Texas rode the right arms of aces Jacob deGrom and Nathan Eovaldi to win the final two contests of the set, with Eovaldi (5-3) backing up deGrom's six sharp innings on Tuesday by pitching five scoreless innings on Wednesday. Eovaldi, making his second start after missing a month because of right triceps fatigue, allowed just two hits and a walk and struck out five while lowering his ERA to 1.75 through 14 outings. Orioles starter Tomoyuki Sugano (6-5) continued his recent struggles, yielding six runs on 10 hits and a walk while striking out five in 4 2/3 innings. Sugano has surrendered 13 runs on 19 hits over 9 2/3 innings in his past two starts, and he has a 8.87 ERA in his past five outings. The Rangers outhit Baltimore 11-5, with Josh Smith collecting three hits and Alejandro Osuna and Jonah Heim adding two each. Jacob Webb and Dane Dunning followed Eovaldi to the mound, with Dunning allowing two hits and a walk over the final three innings to earn his second save. No player had more than one hit for the Orioles. Gunnar Henderson, Colton Cowser and Ryan O'Hearn each had a double. The Rangers took the lead in the third inning when Semien homered to left-center field. The blast drove home Billy McKinney and Smith, who had walked and singled, respectively. Texas added on in the fourth when Ezequiel Duran's two-out single drove in Osuna and Heim, both who had singled. Seager homered leading off the fifth to push the lead to 6-0. Henderson doubled to open the ninth inning and went to third on a groundout before Dunning struck out Gary Sanchez and Cowser flied out to left to end the game. --Field Level Media

DOWNLOAD THE APP

Get Started Now: Download the App

Ready to dive into a world of global content with local flavor? Download Daily8 app today from your preferred app store and start exploring.
app-storeplay-store