John Greig has shared an intriguing tale of how the opportunity to sign Rangers legend Ally McCoist arose before he made his way to Celtic, his cherished childhood club.

Back in 1983, as the managerial baton passed from Billy McNeill to David Hay at Celtic, Greig, tipped off by his friend Alan Durban, the then Sunderland coach, learned about the Hoops’ interest in acquiring McCoist. Despite having missed out on signing the striker from St Johnstone, Greig was not prepared to let Celtic swoop in. Acting swiftly on Durban’s tip-off, Greig, along with his assistant Tommy McClean, made a decisive move to secure McCoist’s services for Rangers at a bargain price of £185,000, a move that eventually saw McCoist become the club’s all-time leading goalscorer.

Recalling the sequence of events on a recent episode of BBC Scotland’s Icons of Football, Greig recounted the moment McCoist found himself in a spot of bother on their drive down to finalize the deal. Pulling into a petrol station to assist McCoist, who had run out of gas and money, Greig humorously remarked that this incident marked the beginning of his struggles with the striker. Despite the off-field hiccup, Greig had nothing but praise for McCoist’s impact, not only for his scoring prowess but also for his character in the dressing room, foreseeing the striker’s successful career beyond his playing days.