Ally close to tears after title success

24 May 2009 15:17
The Ibrox club needed to win at Dundee United on the final day of the season to guarantee the title and they romped to a 3-0 victory thanks to goals from Kyle Lafferty, Pedro Mendes and Kris Boyd. Assistant boss McCoist, who won countless trophies as a player at Ibrox, insisted he had never been hungrier for a trophy. "Absolutely incredible," he said of Rangers' first title triumph since 2005. "It's been a long season and I've never wanted anything more in my life than for those boys to win that championship "I could cry for them, I really could. It's just unbelievable." McCoist hailed manager Walter Smith, who also won a cup double and reached the UEFA Cup final last season after returning to the club in January 2007. McCoist told BBC Radio Scotland: "Look at the man's record since he came back and it's some achievement. "If you don't learn from that man, you shouldn't be in the game at all." Rangers captain David Weir said: "It's unbelievable. Great feeling. We've worked hard this season and it's a great finish." Asked if he expected the game to be so easy, the veteran defender added: "You've got to give our boys credit as well. "I thought we played really well." The 39-year-old insisted he did not know if he would still be at the club next season. "I wish I knew. I'm just delighted with today. You don't get many days like this in football." Smith said: "It's fantastic, great for us. Terrific performance. "We had to produce one and I thought we were terrific today." Smith admitted he doubted Rangers could win the title when they fell seven points behind Celtic in December. "You obviously hope but I felt at the stage in late December when we went well behind Celtic that we would lose out. But we haven't." He added: "We've had a good spirit in our team. "The other problems we've had otherwise have been something that we've managed to get over. "It's a credit to every one of them - they've been fantastic." And in a subtle dig at Celtic striker Georgios Samaras, who claimed Rangers would not be worthy champions, Smith said: "I don't really care whether people think we're the best team or not - we've won it." Asked if this title meant more than the seven he won in his first spell, Smith told Setanta Sports 1: "They always rate highly. It's very difficult to separate one from the other. "I can't remember a season maybe where we've had as many difficulties to overcome. But we've managed to do it." Deposed skipper Barry Ferguson, who came off the bench on Sunday, was delighted to play a part in clinching the title. The midfielder's Ibrox career looked over when he was stripped of the captaincy and suspended without pay for two weeks follow his part in the 'Boozegate' saga. "I didn't think I would come back to play," said Ferguson, who suffered what appeared to be a season-ending injury last month. "I was just delighted to be involved last week and today. "I made a mistake. I'll learn from that and we'll see what happens now." Ferguson has been linked with a summer move from Ibrox but asked if he wanted to stay, he told BBC Scotland: "Of course. Rangers is my team. I'm just going to go and enjoy the night." Top scorer Kris Boyd, who netted his 31st goal of the season today, said: "It's a delight to be part of such a good team that's won the league. "We knew coming here was going to be hard. "We got the early goal, which settled us." Rangers will complete the double if they beat Falkirk in next weekend's Homecoming Scottish Cup final. "We'll look forward to next Saturday but we'll enjoy the moment just now," said Boyd, who insisted his side were worthy champions. "I think up we are. "We've come back and we've won the league." Boyd was almost sold to Birmingham in January but insisted days like today made him even more determined to stay put. He said: "It's where you want to be. When you look at the fans, it's a delight to be here. "I want to win more." Chief executive Martin Bain told the club's official website: "I have dreamt about this moment and I'm absolutely delighted. "We have waited a long time and after our exertions in Europe last season we just missed out so to win it this year is fantastic. "There was a huge pressure this week and the players deserve great credit. They played fantastically well to win this championship. "It's been tough for everyone at the club in recent times and it's not just about the people on the pitch, it's the people off the pitch too. Sometimes they don't get the credit they deserve and it's really nice that we have won the championship for everybody concerned. "Winning means everything for the club. European football is terribly important and we know what the Champions League can bring us. "This has put everyone on a massive high and gives us such a bright outlook. The championship trophy has been away from Ibrox for too long and hopefully we can keep it there."

Source: Team_Talk