Sam Allardyce reveals the side-splitting Rangers glory night that will stick with him forever
The Rangers catch-up is still fondly remembered by Sam Allardyce.
Sam Allardyce has relived his Rangers pre-season glory days from his time in management.
The experienced gaffer is a renowned name south of the border from time at clubs like Bolton, West Ham and more. He was in the hotseat at Blackburn Rovers between 2008-2010 when he ran into Walter Smith’s Rangers on a pre-season tour in Australia.
Alongside AEK Athens and Sydney FC, Blackburn and Rangers battled it out in the Sydney festival of football ahead of the 2010/11 campaign, which ended early at Blackburn for Allardyce as he was sacked before Christmas. Rangers meanwhile won the league under their iconic boss.
In that tournament, Rangers won 2-1 when the clubs met but it was a restaurant meeting between Allardyce, his staff plus Smith, Ally McCoist and Ian Durrant which the ex-Blackburn boss recalls most fondly. He will remember those halycon days indefinitely and glowingly believes the legendary Rangers trio could have ran a comedy show. Smith sadly past in 2021 but remains a revered figure around Govan.
Allardyce told No Tippy Tappy Football: “We were together in Australia on the tournament, I was at Blackburn and he was at Rangers and he came with McCoist, Durrant and himself and then I got my mob. We used to meet up and find a nice restaurant and obviously pre-season... so I'd known him before.
“Obviously I knew McCoist because I played with McCoist at Sunderland, I didn't know Ian Durrant but I mean it was just those nights, I remember for a long, long, long time. The camaraderie we had between each other because it was football related and it was pre-season, just a great trip.
“You go all the way to Australia playing a tournament... it was a great experience. Obviously, I'd known him a bit at Everton. Seeing him there and the three of them were, I think they could have been Comedy Central. Honest to god.”