Darrell Currie loves every laugh-a-minute he shares with Ally McCoist and Chris Sutton. And as BT Sport embarks on another season following Scotland’s clubs in Europe, he expects his sides to be splitting as the Old Firm rivals slug it out on screen.
The broadcaster admits that seeing the other side of McCoist, in particular, as Rangers swept to the Europa League final, brought home to him just how much the club means to the former Ibrox icon who managed them through their darkest days a decade ago. Currie watched Coisty go through the whole gamut of emotions as Gers swept to Seville in the season the club lost managerial legend Walter Smith and kitman Jimmy Bell.
And he admits watching the former Scotland striker struggle to keep a lid on his feelings gave him some of his toughest moments behind the microphone. The Glaswegian, 40, told Record Sport : “The European nights are my favourite nights in broadcasting, without doubt.
“I’ve been lucky enough to do some great Celtic games in the Champions League down the years and the Europa League Final – just getting to present that, and be part of it with BT – was great. We got a lot of positive feedback over sticking to the Scottish team all the way through.
“They were amazing games to be involved in and seeing the emotion of guys like Ally crying his eyes out put us through the wringer a little bit. The whole journey that people talk about with Rangers, he was in on it right from the beginning.
“It really hit him that night and even in Seville, one of the abiding memories is the emotion that came with Ally that season, with losing his best mate Walter Smith in particular. I remember in the build-up to the final that it was absolutely right that we had to do something about Jimmy Bell and Walter.
“That’s three or four of the hardest minutes I’ve ever had on TV because of watching Ally seeing the video that we’d put together. Talking to him and then talking to him about it afterwards, I told him that he’d often said he thinks about Walter every day and he told me he goes to phone him every morning in the car, because that’s what he always did.
“He still does it...he goes to phone him. Owen Hargreaves and Kenny Miller were standing next to him that night and we were all touched by it.
“The emotions of some of those guys during that run was really amazing to see. I love those games and can’t wait for them to be back.
“Celtic are back in the Champions League and it’s so good that Hearts are back in Europe. What a venue Tynecastle is to do games from. There’s hardly anywhere to put a TV gantry, so we are almost standing among the fans. There are more games than ever coming up in European competition with expanded group stages and we’ll get to do them.
“From Scottish football’s point of view, it’s brilliant we’ve reached this stage When Celtic are in the Champions League, Rangers making the Europa League final and Hearts this year in the group stage, it all strengthens our case. There is a real respect for Scottish football at BT Sport and we have to keep fighting for it.”
While a few tears were shed last term, the vast majority of Currie’s time with McCoist and Sutton is spent trying to referee the duo as they rip each other – and him – to shreds. As he launched a new series of BT podcasts, called the Currie Club, which start on September 2, he said: “That Friday show, genuinely, is a laugh a minute.
“I’ll be on the phone to Ally, telling him something to bring Chris down, or onto Chris with a joke for Ally. They’re doing me in every 10 minutes too. Chris is having an absolute field day over the name of the podcast series. I didn’t come up with it but he’s battering me!
“After a lot of the shows I’ll get a phone call – mostly about the quiz – from whoever has lost and take dog’s abuse, as if I’ve thought of every question. They’re ridiculously competitive, which kind of makes the show. I find it hilarious. Someone said I should think of being a referee with all the experience I have of dealing with those two but there’s not a chance.”
