Dear Scotland: On the Road with the Tartan Army

by Ally McCoist

There's never been a better time to be a Scotland fan. As the Scottish national team gears up for the European Championships, Ally McCoist will be following the Tarten Army around Germany in the hopes of a major heist.

Ally will take the reader on an adventure across Germany, becoming the most hilarious tour guide you can imagine. When he's not in the Bierhalle or eating bratwurst, Ally will look back at his own career and the times he was on tour with Rangers and Scotland.

With a sharp wit, Coisty recounts the outrageous escapade and laugh-out-loud moments that peppered his time on the road with Rangers and the Scottish national team. From infamous pranks pulled on his teammates to the unforgettable mishaps that unfolded in far-flung hotels and training grounds, McCoist leaves no stone unturned in this tale of camaraderie and chaos.

As the Scottish national team gears up for the European Championships, McCoist provides expert analysis with a comedic twist, offering predictions and insights guaranteed to leave readers in stitches. McCoist also offers heartfelt reflections on the enduring friendships forged during his time in the game and the unbreakable bond shared by teammates.

Hilarious and heart-warming, Ally's Tales promises to be a celebration of Scotland.

Genres: Scotland, Autobiography, Football

225 pages, Kindle Edition

Published October 24, 2024

Reviews

[Colin Sturgeon · Rating 3 out of 5]

Sadly, I found this book a wee bit disappointing. It was shorter on laughs than I'd have liked with much of it reading as a history of Scottish Football, most of which will already be known to fans with an interest in Scottish football (international AND league, so not just "Tartan Army" related) over the last 50 years.
Each chapter had a different theme, meaning it jumped back and forth with no flow to it. In fact I counted THREE separate occasions where Ally told us that Sir Alex Ferguson used to give him a lift to training early in his career.
It was an easy read, not terrible by any means, just not as good as I'd hoped a book written by the entertaining and likeable McCoist would be.

[William Connelly · Rating 4 out of 5]

A slightly misleading title - the book serves as a mini autobiography of McCoist’s life as well as his days with Scotland. A player like McCoist is one every other generation - popular with all sides and no enemies in the world. “A lucky bastard”, as Walter Smith called him. The chapter on Walter is the best in the book.

[Dave McKee · Rating 3 out of 5]

An enjoyable if slightly underwhelming read.

Ally is a gifted story teller and always fun to watch, whether that be scoring a screamer against Switerland at Euro 96 or as a Captain on Question of Sport or as a Co commentator on ITV, so I was really looking forward to this.

The problem is that it doesn't know what it wants to be. A memoir? A travel log? A history lesson?

It's at its best when Ally is telling stories, although surely not everyone he met in his life was either a "great guy" or was "absolutely hilarious."

It suffers when he tries to go into the history of the game, I heard it all before, told better, and in much more detail.

I would have preferred a straight-up memoir, but this is an enjoyable distraction.

[Craig Clough · Rating 3 out of 5]

I enjoyed this book, although like other reviewers I did find it a bit underwhelming. I went into this book with the full realisation that it wasn't going to be a full-blown biographical dive into Ally's life and career, although it did seem thrown together with some stories being repeated in multiple chapters.

This is an easy read and appears to have been put together in time for Christmas. It would make a nice present for someone who enjoys football and isn't too interested in reading something too in-depth. All-in-all it was a fun overview of Ally’s career.

[Mark · Rating 3 out of 5]

Fairly underwhelming collection of tales related to Ally McCoist's experiences with the Scottish national team. Diverting enough as a quick read, but there wasn't really much here that felt new and it was structured in a disjointed way, with some repetition.

[Scott Walker · Rating 4 out of 5]

Class on the goings on of Scottish football from the 60s onwards. Reminiscent of the summer in Germany got me in the feels.

[Annette Hewlett · Rating 4 out of 5]

It certainly gives what like it is to be a professional footballer. I’ve always liked Ally McCoist during his time as a footballer, pundit and on radio. I enjoyed his book

[Nicola · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great book

[Palorossi · Rating 2 out of 5]

Unfortunately no brilliant insights here.

[Alan Rose · Rating 5 out of 5]

Super Ally! 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿

[Samuel Bundhoo · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved this book

[Robbie Tyrie · Rating 3 out of 5]

If you’re into Scottish football you’ve probably heard all these stories before. But it highlights the passion Ally has for Scotland.