 McCoist in 1994 | |||
| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Alistair Murdoch McCoist[1] | ||
| Date of birth | (1962-09-24)24 September 1962 (age 63)[1] | ||
| Place of birth | Bellshill,Lanarkshire, Scotland | ||
| Position | Striker | ||
| Youth career | |||
| –1978 | Fir Park Boys Club | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 1978–1981 | St Johnstone | 57 | (22) |
| 1981–1983 | Sunderland | 56 | (8) |
| 1983–1998 | Rangers | 418 | (251) |
| 1998–2001 | Kilmarnock | 53 | (9) |
| Total | 584 | (290) | |
| International career | |||
| 1980–1981 | Scotland U19 | 10 | (7) |
| 1983 | Scotland U21 | 1 | (0) |
| 1986–1998 | Scotland | 61 | (19) |
| 1990[2] | SFA (SFL centenary) | 1 | (0) |
| Managerial career | |||
| 2011–2014 | Rangers | ||
| * Club domestic league appearances and goals | |||
Alistair Murdoch McCoist (/məˈkɔɪst/; born 24 September 1962) is a Scottish formerfootballer who has since worked as amanager and TV pundit.
McCoist began his playing career with Scottish clubSt Johnstone, before moving to English sideSunderland in 1981. He returned to his homeland two years later, signing withRangers. McCoist had a highly successful career with Rangers, becoming the club's record goalscorer and winningnine successive league championships between 1988–89 and 1996–97. He later played forKilmarnock.
McCoist was inducted into theScottish Sports Hall of Fame in 2007.[3] He is also a member of theScottish Football Hall of Fame, having gained 61 international caps.[4] A prolificstriker, he is the fifth-highest all-time goalscorer in the top tier of theScottish football league system, having scored 260 times for Rangers and Kilmarnock between 1983 and 2001.
Towards the end of his playing career, McCoist started a media career. Between 1996 and 2007, he was a team captain on the BBC sports quizA Question of Sport. He began to scale back his media commitments in 2007, when he became an assistant manager toWalter Smith at Rangers. He succeeded Smith as Rangers manager in 2011, but the club then suffered from serious financial difficulties.Rangers went into liquidation in 2012 and the club was placed in thefourth tier of Scottish league football. McCoist helped them win successive promotions to the second tier, but after a poor start to the 2014–15 season McCoist handed in his 12 months' notice in December 2014 and was placed ongardening leave. In September 2015, McCoist and Rangers mutually agreed to terminate his contract.
Born atBellshill Maternity Hospital[5] and raised inEast Kilbride,[6] McCoist attendedMaxwellton Primary andHunter High School. His high-school team coach and chemistry teacher was formerClyde andScotland forwardArchie Robertson, who was acknowledged by McCoist for his guidance and influence,[7] but who died in 1978 just as his protégé's career was taking off.[6] Upon leaving school, McCoist had a short spell working as a clerical assistant in theOverseas Development Administration (now the Foreign Commonwealth and Development Office) branch office atHairmyres. The role offered flexible working arrangements, allowing him to organise his hours around his football career.[8]
McCoist's first professional club wasSt Johnstone, having signed from Fir Park Boys Club in 1978. He had been denied a move toSt Mirren becauseAlex Ferguson thought he was not good enough. "When I was 14, 15, Sir Alex used to pick me up from school. I used to go to Hunter High in East Kilbride, and he stayed up inGreenhills, I think it was, in East Kilbride. And he used to pick me up – myself and another lad,Stevie Cowan, who hedid sign at St Mirren and went toAberdeen with him. We'd train with the S-forms, and Sir Alex would take the training with the first team and the reserves. And then Stevie and I would wait, and Sir Alex would give us a couple of quid and we'd nip round to thechippie in Love Street. We'd go back and wait for Sir Alex finishing, and then he would drop us off at the house."[9]
McCoist made his debut for St Johnstone on 7 April 1979 in a 3–0 win overRaith Rovers.[10] He did not score his first goal for the club until he scored Saints' final goal in a 3–0 win againstDumbarton in August 1980.[10] He went on to score 23 goals in 43 appearances that season, including a consolation againstRangers in a 3–1 defeat in a Scottish Cup replay.[11][12]
Due to his form with both St Johnstone and the Scotland under-18 side, McCoist gained the attention of several English clubs, includingSunderland,Wolverhampton Wanderers,Middlesbrough andTottenham Hotspur.
He started the1981–82 season with four goals in fiveLeague Cup games, including the opening goal in a 2–0 win overCeltic atMuirton Park[13] and the consolation in a 4–1 defeat in the corresponding fixture atParkhead.[14]
Sunderland managerAlan Durban signed McCoist in August 1981.[12] The £400,000 transfer fee spent on the striker made him Sunderland's record signing.[15] McCoist's time at Sunderland was unsuccessful, however: he scored nine goals in 65 appearances for a side struggling at the foot of the English First Division. He managed two goals during the1981–82 season, his first coming againstNottingham Forest and his second a curling effort from the edge of the box againstSouthampton.[15]
Three goals in three pre-season games againstDundee,Dunfermline Athletic and former team St Johnstone were followed by a goal against European championsAston Villa on the opening day of the1982–83 season in a 3–1 win. He followed this up with a goal againstBrighton & Hove Albion, meaning he had matched his previous season's tally midway through September.[15]
October 1982 proved to be the highlight of McCoist's spell with Sunderland, as he scored five goals in as many games againstNorwich City, Southampton,Manchester City,Everton and Wolverhampton Wanderers. With seven goals scored by the end of October, McCoist failed to score another goal in a Sunderland shirt. Despite this, he finished third-top scorer for Sunderland in 1982–83, one goal behindNick Pickering.[15]
In early 1983, Alan Durban invited McCoist into his office and informed him that Rangers'John Greig had called him with an interest in signing the player. "He said, 'Do you fancy it?'" recalled McCoist. "And I said, 'Aye. I've got to be honest with you.' He said, 'I think you should go, for the simple fact that I don't think I'll be here in three or four months.' Sure enough, he got the sack relatively soon after that."[9]
At the end of the 1982–83 season, McCoist returned to Scotland and joined Rangers for a fee of £185,000.[15][16][17] On his dream move, McCoist recalled: "I metJohn Greig andTommy McLean at theCrest Hotel, at the roundabout inCarlisle. I went to apayphone and phoned my wee grannie inThornliebank. First person I phoned. I can still hear her – obviously not with us now – but I can still hear her voice down the phone. You could have given her a million pounds and it wouldn't have meant just as much."[9]
During his fifteen years with Rangers, McCoist achieved an array of honours, including tenleague championship medals. This began with a title in the1986–87 season and included the whole"Nine in a Row" period between 1989 and 1997. He also won aScottish Cup winner's medal and nineScottish League Cup winner's medals. He was the first player to be Europe's top goalscorer twice in a row (in 1992 and 1993), and in 1992 won Scottish football's two most prestigious Player of the Year awards.
McCoist made his competitive debut for theIbrox side againstSt Mirren on the opening day of the1983–84 season, and scored twenty goals that year. Nonetheless, he got a tough time from the supporters. "When I look back, do I regret it? No, because it actually made me stronger. If I didn't handle that at all, I wouldn't have stayed at the club and I would have been away down the road. At that time,Jock Wallace probably would have sold me."[9] McCoist scored ahat-trick in theLeague Cup final victory overCeltic in March 1984.[12][18][19] With Rangers still a team very much in the doldrums, he managed 18 goals the following season.[20]
McCoist scored 24 goals in the 1985–86 season.[16] He made his international debut against theNetherlands in 1986, the same yearGraeme Souness arrived at Rangers to begin the Ibrox revolution. "He certainly transformed Rangers Football Club, but he also transformed Scottish football," said McCoist of Souness' time at Ibrox. "Two of his first three signings wereTerry Butcher, theEngland captain, andChris Woods, the England goalkeeper. The whole place just erupted into a new level."[9]
McCoist scored anotherhat-trick in theGlasgow Cup final against Celtic to bring further accolades his way,[21] and he was an ever-present in Rangers' title-winning side of1987, scoring 34 goals along the way.[20]
McCoist's tally of 31 goals in 1987–88[20] could not prevent Celtic regaining the league title and, although Rangers recaptured their crown in1988–89, McCoist played only 19 games. That title win was the first ofnine-in-a-row, but McCoist found himself in and out of the first team for the first three of those successes. During the1990–91 season,Mo Johnston and new signingMark Hateley were the preferred front pairing, and when McCoist attended theCheltenham Festival when the players were given free time prior to back-to-back games against Celtic, he was dropped from the match squad by Souness and forced to apologise, for breaching team discipline, in a press conference. He returned to the team for the second of the matches after Hateley was sent off in the first, but Rangers lost both without scoring and his future at the club seemed uncertain.[6]
WhenWalter Smith took over from Souness in April 1991, McCoist returned to the fore and came back from ahernia on the final day of the season as the club won the title.[22][23] Despite starting the next season on the bench due to further minor injuries, McCoist won both thePlayers' Player of the Year and theSportswriters' awards. During this1991–92 campaign, he scored 34 times in the league,[20] forming an effective partnership with Hateley (Johnston had since left the club) as Rangers completed a domesticdouble. Those goals made him the top European goalscorer of the season[3][4] (he received a golden boot trophy from sponsorsAdidas, though it is not counted in the officialEuropean Golden Shoe listings due to the award being suspended by organisers at the time), ensuring his position with two long-range strikes in the final fixture of the season away to Aberdeen,[24] a match he later admitted he had barely been in a condition to play, having spent the previous night drinking with students in the team hotel.[25] He had scored the only goal of the Scottish Cup semi-final, anOld Firm meeting in which Rangers played 85 minutes with only ten men,[26] and rounded off the season with the decisive goal in the1992 Scottish Cup final.[27] Regarding the Golden Boot, McCoist joked: "There was some wee Romanian guy. You know what it's like: I think he needed to score nine in the last game of the season to beat me. I think he got eight. It was one of those ones. I think he scored his seventh in the 98th minute and scored his eighth in the 114th minute. You're never sure with that mob."[9]
He repeated that scoring feat a year later in1992–93,[3][4] with the same goal tally in the Premier Division, despite missing the last seven matches of the season after breaking his leg playing forScotland againstPortugal in April.[28][16][12] He also missed the1993 Scottish Cup final (having scored the winner in the semi-final to put Rangers through) but still scored a career-best 49 goals from 52 appearances overall for the campaign.[20] After a six-month absence, he returned from the injury by coming off the bench to score an overhead kick to win the1993 Scottish League Cup final againstHibernian.[16][29]
As for McCoist's renowned strike partnership with Hateley, the Englishman said: "Alistair was the perfect partner for me. As a finisher, he was an unbelievable goal scorer. He linked with me. All the goal scorer does is he looks at the leader of the line and makes sure he's offset, fifteen yards away. It was a great partnership"[30]
His appearances were limited over the next two seasons as a result of other niggling injuries (37 games and 12 goals, less than his typical output for one campaign), and also had to compete with a string of new signings between 1993 and 1995, includingGordon Durie andBrian Laudrup, for the forward positions.
After recovering his fitness, he played more regularly in the1995–96 season, scoring 16 league goals and in an Old Firm Scottish Cup semi-final victory (as he had done in 1992 and would again in 1998),[31] though he again missed the resulting final. A tenth Premier Division winner's medal (the completion of nine-in-a-row) and a ninthLeague Cup win (scoring twice)[32][12] followed in1996–97. His last appearance in a Rangers jersey came in the1998 Scottish Cup final in which he scored during a 2–1 defeat byHeart of Midlothian.[33]
At Rangers, McCoist became the club's record goalscorer, netting 355 goals in all competitions.[12] In addition to this, he holds the club record for number of league goals scored and the number ofScottish League Cup goals scored (with 251 and 54, respectively). He also held the title for the most goals scored by a player inEuropean competitions (21), until his total was overtaken byAlfredo Morelos.[20] McCoist is also third in the all-time appearance table for Rangers, having made 581 appearances for the club.
Reflecting on his time at Rangers in 2018, McCoist said: "My extended family was those boys that I worked with and played with and coached and managed and worked under. It was the greatest experience of my life and I was very, very privileged to play there, coach there and manage there. It was a dream come true."[9]
McCoist finished his career atKilmarnock, where he spent three seasons alongside long-time Rangers teammate Ian Durrant. After recovering from another broken leg in 1999 (sustained in a match against Rangers)[12] during the last months of hisKillie spell, he was an unused substitute in the2001 Scottish League Cup final defeat to Celtic, then had a penalty saved byStefan Klos atRugby Park in what proved to be his final match against his old club.[34] He was denied a cameo appearance from the bench at Ibrox by his managerBobby Williamson a few weeks later as Kilmarnock were already losing heavily – instead he received an ovation from supporters on the field after the final whistle.[35]
His final game at the age of 38 was at home to Celtic on the last day of theSPL campaign on 20 May 2001, a 1–0 win which enabled Kilmarnock to qualify for the following season'sUEFA Cup.[36] Coincidentally, McCoist was substituted off in that match while fellow strikerKris Boyd came off the bench to make his debut; he too went on to be become the club's joint-second league goalscorer of all time, level withEddie Morrison on 121 goals.[12]
McCoist appeared ten times for the Scotland national under-18 football team. He made his debut in a European Under-18 Championship qualifier against Iceland, netting the only goal of the game after 19 minutes. He followed this up by scoring in the return leg, a 3–1 victory which secured Scotland's qualification for the following summer's European Under-18 Championships.
He found the net again in his third appearance, a 3–1 victory over Northern Ireland. His next three appearances came in the prestigious Monaco Youth Tournament, a 1–0 defeat to West Germany, a 2–0 victory over Switzerland and a 1–1 draw with France taking his tally to five goals in six appearances.
McCoist was then selected for Scotland's semi-professional side for a four-team tournament in the Netherlands; however, he failed to make an appearance.
At the European Under-18 finals, Scotland found themselves in a group with Austria, Spain and defending Under-18 champions England. McCoist started all three games as Scotland defeated both Austria and England 1–0, with McCoist netting the winner against the Auld Enemy, meaning the final group game against the Spanish would decide the group. McCoist scored with a free-kick in a 1–1 draw. This result saw Scotland eliminated on goal-difference.
McCoist made hisScotland debut, aged 23, on 29 April 1986 in a goalless friendly match against theNetherlands.[37]
He started one game at the1990 World Cup in Italy (coming on as a late substitute in the othergroup games)[12] after being an integral part of thequalification bid.
In March 1993, he broke a leg againstPortugal in a disastrousqualifying match for the next World Cup (Scotland lost 5–0 and failed to progress).[16][12]
He captained Scotland once, againstAustralia on 27 March 1996. He went on to score the winner after 55 minutes in a 1–0 win atHampden Park.[38][12]
McCoist scored one major tournament goal: a long-range drive atUEFA Euro 1996 againstSwitzerland, which was also his last goal for his country;[16][12] he had started all three of Scotland's matches atUEFA Euro 1992 but failed to score, and was not selected in the squad for the1998 World Cup despite having scored 16 goals during the preceding season. "I was devastated. It broke my heart. It really did. I remember getting the news down in London that [Craig Brown] wasn't taking me and Igreeted my eyes out. I still think it was a massive mistake. I certainly don't think I would have played ninety minutes in all the games, but if we'd needed a goal, I was still probably our best chance. That was the biggest disappointment in my career, not going. Obviously I have spoken to Craig since, and he admits it was a mistake now. And I do appreciate him for saying that. It doesn't soften the blow that I didn't go, but it backs my own theory up that Ishould have gone."[39]
He made his last two appearances for Scotland after moving from Rangers to Kilmarnock in summer 1998, with his final outing a 3–2 victory overEstonia in October of that year. McCoist is Scotland's fifth-highest scorer, with 19 goals from his 61caps.[12]
McCoist joined the Scotland coaching staff under his former manager at Rangers, Walter Smith, in 2004. He turned down the managerial position atInverness Caledonian Thistle in 2006 as he wanted a job nearer his Glasgow home.[40]
McCoist returned to Rangers as an assistant manager to Walter Smith in January 2007.[41] After Rangers' victory overQueen of the South in the2008 Scottish Cup final, Smith revealed that McCoist had been in charge of the team for the entire cup campaign.[42] "Obviously, Walter had me in mind for the manager's position when he stepped down, and for a couple of the Scottish Cup runs he let me take the team. I'd do the preparation and the training, but obviously he'd be there. I'd do the team talk, all that kind of stuff."[9]
The duo also guided Rangers to the final of that year'sUEFA Cup, in which they lost 2–0 toZenit Saint Petersburg.
On 22 February 2011 he was announced as the new Rangers manager, with effect from June 2011.[43]
BusinessmanCraig Whyte bought outSir David Murray as Rangers' majority shareholder in May 2011. Whyte said he was proud to be the owner of Rangers and pledged to invest £25 million into transfers, over five years.[44]
McCoist's first competitive game in charge of Rangers came on 23 July 2011, a 1–1 draw at home toHearts on the opening day of the2011–12 SPL.[45] After the game McCoist complained toBBC Scotland about a report that he argued misrepresented his view on violence after Old Firm derbies and the cost of policing the matches. The BBC stood by the report but upheld the complaint about the way the piece had been edited. On Tuesday 26 July 2011, the BBC issued an apology to McCoist and he, in turn, dropped his ban on speaking to them.[46] In April 2011, McCoist had called for Rangers supporters who sung offensive chants to be arrested.[47]
McCoist took charge of his first European game on 26 July 2011 at home toSwedish sideMalmö FF in the first leg of aUEFA Champions League third round qualifier, losing 1–0 to suffer his first defeat as Rangers manager.[48] His first win came on 30 July, away to St Johnstone with a 2–0 scoreline, goals coming fromNikica Jelavić andSteven Naismith.[49] McCoist's firstChampions League campaign ended at the first hurdle after drawing 1–1 away to Malmo in the Third qualifying round second leg, losing 2–1 on aggregate and havingMadjid Bougherra andSteven Whittaker sent off.[50] Despite dropping into theEuropa League, McCoist's first European campaign as Rangers manager ended early after another defeat over two legs in the play-off round byNK Maribor.[51]
McCoist made a promising start to his first SPL campaign as manager, with Rangers topping the SPL after the first five fixtures and conceding only one goal. His first Old Firm match as manager was a 4–2 win over Celtic at Ibrox,[52] but his side were shocked by First Division sideFalkirk in the League Cup a few days later.[53] McCoist suffered a fourth cup competition exit of the season on 5 February 2012, in a 2–0 defeat at home toDundee United in theScottish Cup fifth round.[54]
Despite being within four points of Celtic at the top of the table in February, having been fifteen points clear of their arch rivals at one stage,[55] Rangers' SPL title challenge was virtually ended after the club entered administration on 14 February 2012 and was docked ten points as a consequence.[56] McCoist was able to see out the season with Rangers finishing in second place despite the points deduction.
Following the rejection of a company voluntary arrangement by HM Revenue & Customs, the business and assets of the company running Rangers were sold to a consortium led byCharles Green. McCoist decided to stay after talks with Green. McCoist then worked alongside Green as the club were placed in theScottish Third Division.[57]
Rangers won the Third Division championship and promotion to the third tier.[58] They exited theScottish Challenge Cup by losing toQueen of the South in a penalty shoot-out.[59] They defeatedMotherwell in the League Cup, but lost 3–0 to Inverness in the quarter-finals at Ibrox. Rangers also suffered a 3–0 defeat in the Scottish Cup, againstDundee United at Tannadice.
Rangers won theScottish League One championship and promotion to the second tier, as they became the first Rangers side in 115 years to go an entire league season unbeaten. They also progressed to the semi-finals of the Scottish Cup, but lost 3–1 toDundee United at Ibrox. Rangers reached the2014 Scottish Challenge Cup final, but lost 1–0 after extra time toRaith Rovers atEaster Road. They suffered a first-round defeat in the Scottish League Cup atForfar Athletic.[60]
Rangers fell behindHearts in the2014–15 Scottish Championship as they lost 2–1 at home and 2–0 away to the Edinburgh club. Rangers progressed to the semi-finals of the2014–15 Scottish League Cup, but suffered a defeat in the2014–15 Scottish Challenge Cup againstAlloa Athletic. McCoist submitted formal notice of his intention to resign as manager in December 2014 and began serving a 12-month notice period.[61] Later in December, McCoist left his position with Rangers and was placed ongardening leave.[62] This continued until September 2015, when McCoist and Rangers agreed to terminate his contract.[63]
McCoist is also known for his television work. He was a team captain on theBBC'sA Question of Sport from 1996 to 2007 with his rival captains beingJohn Parrott,Frankie Dettori andMatt Dawson, making a record 363 appearances on the show.[64] Having been passed over for Scotland's1998 World Cup squad, McCoist was recruited to the BBC's punditry team for the tournament, where he proved a popular addition.[65]
He also co-presented a late night chat showMcCoist and MacAulay forBBC Scotland from 1998 to 1999 alongside comedianFred MacAulay. In 2001, McCoist won Sports Presenter of the Year at theTRIC Awards.[66]
In 2000, McCoist also starred in the filmA Shot at Glory alongsideRobert Duvall, playing Jackie McQuillan, a fictional legendary ex-Celtic player.[16] McCoist wore a Rangers jersey under his Celtic one to keep the material off his skin.[9]
Between 1998 and 2005, McCoist, along withJohn Motson, appeared as a commentator for theFIFA video games series byEA Sports. They were replaced byClive Tyldesley andAndy Gray forFIFA 06.
McCoist has been a regularpundit forITV Sport's football coverage. In 2010, he was a regular co-commentator forESPN at the2010 World Cup working alongsideMartin Tyler orDerek Rae.[67] McCoist worked for ITV during the2018 World Cup, and his partnership with main commentatorJon Champion was praised by various media sources.[68][69]
From the start of the 2017–18 season McCoist worked as a studio pundit forBT Sport's coverage of theSPFL and theScottish League Cup, appearing regularly on their coverage alongsideDarrell Currie,Chris Sutton andStephen Craigan. From the 2020–21 season,Sky Sports earned exclusive rights to the SPFL, and McCoist continued to feature as a pundit on their coverage.
Since the 2019–20 season he has also been a pundit and commentator forAmazon Prime Video's coverage ofEnglish Premier League matches.[70]
On 10 June 1994, McCoist was awarded theMember of the Order of the British Empire (MBE) for services to football.[71] He was inducted into theScottish Sports Hall of Fame in 2007 and is also a member of theScottish Football Hall of Fame. McCoist was inducted into theScotland national football team roll of honour in March 1996, when he was awarded his 50th international cap.[72] McCoist was appointedOfficer of the Order of the British Empire (OBE) in the2024 Birthday Honours for services to association football and to broadcasting.[73]
A lifelong Rangers fan, McCoist attended his first Old Firm fixture as a ten-year-old on 5 May 1973. It was Rangers'3–2 Scottish Cup final victory in front of 122,714 spectators atHampden Park.[39]
McCoist's met his first wife, Allison, in 1981. They married in 1990 and divorced in 2004. The marriage produced three sons. He has two more sons with his second wife, Vivien.[74] One of his children, Argyll, is a semi-professional footballer who (as of 2025) plays forDrumchapel United.[75]
In September 1987, McCoist was convicted of assault and fined £150 atHamilton Sheriff Court. This followed an attack on a 19-year-old outside an East Kilbride nightclub in the early hours of 5 December 1986. A verdict ofnot proven was returned against Rangers teammatesTed McMinn andIain Durrant in relation to the incident.[76][77] McCoist and Durrant were each fined £1,500 by Rangers.[76] In 1996, McCoist was convicted of drink driving.[78]
During the2014 Scottish independence referendum, McCoist was a supporter of theBetter Together campaign againstScottish independence.[79]
McCoist had an extramarital affair with the actressPatsy Kensit which was cited in divorce proceedings from his first wife.[80] It is said the affair developed from a pre-existing friendship when McCoist was in London filming ITV'sThe Premiership football highlights show.[81]
In November 2024, McCoist revealed he hasDupuytren's contracture, a genetic disorder that causes a person's fingers to bend towards their palm.[82]
| Club | Season | League | National cup[a] | League cup[b] | Continental | Total | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Division | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | ||
| St Johnstone | 1978–79 | Scottish First Division | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | – | 4 | 0 | |
| 1979–80 | 15 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | – | 16 | 0 | |||
| 1980–81 | 38 | 22 | 3 | 1 | 2 | 0 | – | 43 | 23 | |||
| 1981–82 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 5 | 4 | – | 5 | 4 | |||
| Total | 57 | 22 | 4 | 1 | 7 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 68 | 27 | ||
| Sunderland | 1981–82 | First Division | 28 | 2 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 0 | – | 32 | 2 | |
| 1982–83 | 28 | 6 | 1 | 0 | 4 | 1 | – | 33 | 7 | |||
| Total | 56 | 8 | 4 | 0 | 5 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 65 | 9 | ||
| Rangers | 1983–84 | Scottish Premier Division | 30 | 8 | 4 | 3 | 10 | 9 | 3[c] | 0 | 47 | 20 |
| 1984–85 | 25 | 12 | 3 | 0 | 6 | 5 | 4[d] | 1 | 38 | 18 | ||
| 1985–86 | 33 | 25 | 1 | 1 | 4 | 1 | 2[d] | 0 | 40 | 27 | ||
| 1986–87 | 44 | 34 | 1 | 0 | 5 | 2 | 6[d] | 2 | 56 | 38 | ||
| 1987–88 | 40 | 31 | 2 | 1 | 5 | 6 | 6[e] | 4 | 53 | 42 | ||
| 1988–89 | 19 | 9 | 8 | 5 | 4 | 4 | 2[d] | 0 | 33 | 18 | ||
| 1989–90 | 34 | 14 | 2 | 0 | 4 | 4 | – | 40 | 18 | |||
| 1990–91 | 26 | 11 | 2 | 1 | 4 | 3 | 4[e] | 3 | 36 | 18 | ||
| 1991–92 | 38 | 34 | 5 | 4 | 4 | 1 | 2[e] | 0 | 49 | 39 | ||
| 1992–93 | 34 | 34 | 4 | 5 | 5 | 8 | 9[f] | 2 | 52 | 49 | ||
| 1993–94 | 21 | 7 | 6 | 3 | 1 | 1 | – | 28 | 11 | |||
| 1994–95 | 9 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | – | 9 | 1 | |||
| 1995–96 | 25 | 16 | 2 | 1 | 4 | 3 | 6[f] | 0 | 37 | 20 | ||
| 1996–97 | 25 | 10 | 3 | 1 | 3 | 3 | 6[f] | 6 | 37 | 20 | ||
| 1997–98 | 15 | 5 | 4 | 4 | 3 | 4 | 4[f] | 3 | 26 | 16 | ||
| Total | 418 | 251 | 47 | 29 | 62 | 54 | 54 | 21 | 581 | 355 | ||
| Kilmarnock | 1998–99 | Scottish Premier League | 26 | 7 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 1 | – | 29 | 8 | |
| 1999–2000 | 9 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 2[d] | 0 | 12 | 3 | ||
| 2000–01 | 18 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 2 | – | 22 | 3 | |||
| Total | 53 | 9 | 3 | 0 | 5 | 5 | 2 | 0 | 63 | 14 | ||
| Career total | 584 | 290 | 58 | 30 | 79 | 64 | 56 | 21 | 777 | 405 | ||
| National team | Year | Apps | Goals |
|---|---|---|---|
| Scotland[86] | 1986 | 2 | 0 |
| 1987 | 6 | 3 | |
| 1988 | 5 | 0 | |
| 1989 | 6 | 2 | |
| 1990 | 10 | 3 | |
| 1991 | 4 | 2 | |
| 1992 | 11 | 3 | |
| 1993 | 2 | 2 | |
| 1994 | — | ||
| 1995 | 3 | 2 | |
| 1996 | 7 | 2 | |
| 1997 | 3 | 0 | |
| 1998 | 2 | 0 | |
| Total | 61 | 19 | |
| No. | Date | Venue | Cap | Opponent | Score | Result | Competition |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 9 September 1987 | Hampden Park,Glasgow, Scotland | 7 |  Hungary | 1–0 | 2–0 | Friendly |
| 2 | 2–0 | ||||||
| 3 | 14 October 1987 | Hampden Park, Glasgow, Scotland | 8 |  Belgium | 1–0 | 2–0 | UEFA Euro 1988 qualifying |
| 4 | 26 April 1989 | Hampden Park, Glasgow, Scotland | 15 |  Cyprus | 2–1 | 2–1 | 1990 FIFA World Cup qualification |
| 5 | 15 November 1989 | Hampden Park, Glasgow, Scotland | 19 |  Norway | 1–0 | 1–1 | 1990 FIFA World Cup qualification |
| 6 | 16 May 1990 | Pittodrie Stadium,Aberdeen, Scotland | 21 |  Egypt | 1–2 | 1–3 | Friendly |
| 7 | 12 September 1990 | Hampden Park, Glasgow, Scotland | 27 |  Romania | 2–1 | 2–1 | UEFA Euro 1992 qualifying |
| 8 | 14 November 1990 | Vasil Levski National Stadium,Sofia, Bulgaria | 29 |  Bulgaria | 1–0 | 1–1 | UEFA Euro 1992 qualifying |
| 9 | 11 September 1991 | Wankdorf Stadion,Bern, Switzerland | 32 |  Switzerland | 2–2 | 2–2 | UEFA Euro 1992 qualifying |
| 10 | 13 November 1991 | Hampden Park, Glasgow, Scotland | 33 |  San Marino | 4–0 | 4–0 | UEFA Euro 1992 qualifying |
| 11 | 19 February 1992 | Hampden Park, Glasgow, Scotland | 34 |  Northern Ireland | 1–0 | 1–0 | Friendly |
| 12 | 20 May 1992 | Varsity Stadium,Toronto, Ontario, Canada | 37 |  Canada | 2–1 | 3–1 | Friendly |
| 13 | 9 September 1992 | Wankdorf Stadion, Bern, Switzerland | 42 | Switzerland | 1–1 | 1–3 | 1994 FIFA World Cup qualification |
| 14 | 17 February 1993 | Ibrox Stadium, Glasgow, Scotland | 45 |  Malta | 1–0 | 3–0 | 1994 FIFA World Cup qualification |
| 15 | 2–0 | ||||||
| 16 | 16 August 1995 | Hampden Park, Glasgow, Scotland | 47 |  Greece | 1–0 | 1–0 | UEFA Euro 1996 qualifying |
| 17 | 15 November 1995 | Hampden Park, Glasgow, Scotland | 49 | San Marino | 3–0 | 5–0 | UEFA Euro 1996 qualifying |
| 18 | 27 March 1996 | Hampden Park, Glasgow, Scotland | 50 |  Australia | 1–0 | 1–0 | Friendly |
| 19 | 18 June 1996 | Villa Park,Birmingham, England | 54 | Switzerland | 1–0 | 1–0 | UEFA Euro 1996 |
| Team | Nat | From | To | Record | Ref. | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| G | W | D | L | Win % | |||||
| Rangers |  | 1 June 2011 | 21 December 2014 | 167 | 121 | 22 | 24 | 072.46 | [94] |
| Career Total | 167 | 121 | 22 | 24 | 072.46 | — | |||
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