IAN DURRANT
Me and Ally have unfinished business
THE first Old Firm league game in four years is on the horizon.
Ian Durrant’s experience of the fixture stretches back to the mid-’80s, and he went from playing in them to being part of the Rangers backroom staff in the dug-out.
But this one will be different for the 49-year-old. His 11-year association with the Ibrox club as a coach and assistant manager ended in June after a reshuffle in the Academy and Development department.
There is no doubt this lifelong Bluenose has a sense of emptiness in his professional life right now, and he has been filling the void with media work and taking in different games around the country.
Durrant hopes to be back involved full-time in the near future. And that may well be with Ally McCoist and Kenny McDowall again – or as his own man.
Being a No.1 appeals to him, and he told the Sunday Post: “I’ve just lost my job and it was a big part of my life.
“I’ve now got itchy feet. I want to get back in. This is the first time in 32 years I’ve missed a pre-season and the start of a competitive campaign.
“I’ve covered just about every slot at a football club – from youth team coach, to development, to scouting opposition for Champions League games to being the assistant manager.
“The only thing I’ve not done is be a manager in my own right, and I feel I’m ready for that challenge if an opportunity is presented to me.
“I think I’ve served my apprenticeship for the past 15 years or so since I hung up my boots.
“I’d consider any offer. If a chairman or owner is of the opinion that I might be able to contribute to the success of his or her football club, then I will meet them and listen to what they have to say.
“Whether that happens to be in Scotland, England or overseas, I’m open to all suggestions and if I feel I can improve a football cub then I’ll look at it. I can’t be choosy.
“But I’d also love to work with Ally again. We’ve been through everything together. We’ve always had a strong bond but the bond is even stronger now.
“Along with Kenny McDowall, I feel we have unfinished business. I feel we have so much to offer as a team.”
McCoist and Durrant are synonymous with Rangers, and were mainstays in the nine-in-a-row success and Champions League run in season 1992-93.
McCoist took over as manager from Walter Smith and appointed Durrant as his No.2. But the financial meltdown behind the scenes and being put in the bottom tier of Scottish football made their jobs much more difficult that they ought to have been.
As the club limped from one disaster to another under Craig Whyte and Charles Green, Durrant could see it was tearing McCoist apart.
He was forced to deal with administrators and lawyers when he should have been on the training ground with his coaching staff and players.
Durrant admitted: “I felt for Ally and Kenny McDowall. I also felt for other people that worked at the football club for many years.
“It was sore to seeing people losing their jobs, sterling people after decades of fantastic service. Painters, decorators, electricians – loads of people lost their jobs. That took its toll on people in different ways.
“The bottom line was that Ally wasn’t allowed to do his job properly. He couldn’t possibly have delivered what he wanted to deliver for Rangers under those circumstances.
“I could see the strain all of the stuff was having on him. I really felt for him. I wanted it to end for him and I don’t say that lightly.
“It saddened me to feel that way because I knew how much the job meant to him and how much Rangers is in his heart.
“It was testament to him that he tried to be bubbly every morning and protect the players. But I knew he was hurting.”
Durrant remains a Rangers fan and hopes to see the club take the title away from Celtic this season. He knows the Old Firm clash on Saturday week will be a major marker.
He said: “I was born a Rangers man and that will never change. I will be back to cheer on the team in the not-too-distant future. But I have other priorities just now, like trying to get back into work.
“Rangers can push for the title and give Celtic a run for their money. But they will need to stand up to Celtic and be brave.
“Celtic have big players and I know their big players will stand up. Rangers will need to match that every step of the way.”