ALLY McCoist played in a charity match in Airdrie at the weekend and looked as if he didn’t have a care in the world.

He is a busy man these days what with his work in London with talkSport as one of the few pundits worth listening to on that particular station. He’s good on the telly as well.

McCoists pops up now and then at golf days, he’s not a bad player, there are one or two other media duties and, of course, there’s the family led by matriarch Jess, his mother, still going strong and still telling her son what to do.

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And quite right, too.

The hair is grey now and tummy more pronounced. He’s 56 this year and, as we all know, age does not come alone. Even Super Ally can’t beat time.

A host of famous faces including old sparring partner and genuine pal Neil Lennon, strutted their stuff – well, as much as they can strut these days – and of course the man who scored 415 goals in professional football found the back of the net much to his own delight.

The last time I saw McCoist he was in great form. There were less lines on his face, the jokes flowed and he was almost on time.

The overriding feeling I got was that he was enjoying his life and while some clubs, not only in Scotland, had been in touch, the scars of what happened at the end of his time at Rangers still hurt.

But now maybe they have healed.

McCoist didn’t only express an interest in becoming the next St Mirren manager, it was like an old fashioned ‘come and get me plea’ with a caveat that he knew it would be a big jump for him, and a gamble for all parties.

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Ask anyone who played him during his career, and this is mostly at Rangers of course, and they will tell you few others had as much dedication. He liked a laugh and a night out, sure, but he was a deadly serious professional footballer.

I was given the opportunity to see this for myself when I ghosted McCoist column for a number of years. When I could get him on the phone…

He was terrific at analysing games and tactics, sitting beside him once was a real eye-opener as he talked me through a match. That McCoist knew more about football them me came as no surprise; however, his football intelligence then and now was incredible.

But I don’t want him to take the St Mirren job.

Not that I don’t think he could do it, as a matter of fact I honestly believe what happened at Ibrox has prepared him for almost anything.

And most certainly having such a personality in the Premiership with Brendan Rodgers, Steven Gerrard, Lennon, Craig Levein and Zinidene Zidane, surely a stick-on for the Livingston job, would make our game a lot brighter.

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I didn’t live in Scotland when Rangers were placed into liquidation and for three out of the four seasons they were outside the Premiership.

When the guys on the desk speak of ‘do you remember that night when (insert anything chaotic)’ I have, most of the time, no idea what they are talking about.

And when my Rangers supporting pals, who almost to a man would say McCoist is their favourite player, talk about THAT Alloa game, the home defeat to Stirling Albion and some truly terrible football, I’ve got nothing much to add because I was busy elsewhere and, while aware what was happening back home, quite a lot passed me by.

However, a vivid memory is how a guy I have a huge amount of time for looked in those last days of his time as manager. Death warmed up was an accurate description.

St Mirren is a different case, of course it is, but management is a hard, old game, and so the thought did occur whether McCoist really needs the hassle and stress at this stage of his own game.

I like the Ally McCoist of now. I didn’t recognise him between 2012-2015.

Life is to be lived. Nothing is more important, old chum.