Rangers icon Ally McCoist was unable to watch Wednesday’s thrilling 2-2 draw against Hearts live due to flight commitments, but the pundit pulled no punches after catching the highlights upon landing.

The Light Blues fumbled the opportunity to close the gap with Celtic at the top of the Scottish Premiership table to two points after being held to a 2-2 draw by Hearts. Many fans and pundits feel the visitors were lucky to leave with a point, as they looked destined to lose before Olwethu Makhanya snatched a late equaliser.

The game at Tynecastle was not short of talking points, with Derek McInnes and Wouter Vrancken capping the thrilling encounter with a tense handshake. McInnes was heavily booed by the home fans, as he made his much-anticipated return to Edinburgh, with captain Lawrence Shankland also subjected to a similar reception despite not playing.

Speaking to co-host Alan Brazil on talkSPORT, McCoist weighed in on the hostile reception surrounding McInnes and Shankland at Tynecastle, before delivering a blunt assessment of the Light Blues’ overall display. Having landed at 8 PM, McCoist admitted he missed the live action but relished the traditional atmosphere that greeted the Rangers entourage in Gorgie.

Ally McCoist says Rangers boss Derek McInnes would have been disappointed had he not been booed at Hearts

Addressing the chorus of boos directed at former Hearts figures and current Rangers men, McCoist confessed he actually enjoys the tribal edge of Scottish football’s most hostile venues.

Knowing the character of his former teammate McInnes, McCoist insisted the Rangers manager would have welcomed the noise from the home supporters rather than indifference. He said on talkSPORT on Thursday, 29 October, morning:

I love that. Do you know something? I’m guessing Derek would have been disappointed had he not been booed. There is nothing worse than being ignored. I think Lawrence Shankland would be another one who might have got it at Tynecastle.

Moving on to the action on the pitch, McCoist offered a concise yet sharp summary of how the match unfolded, pointing out that Rangers struggled to find top gear despite battling back into the contest.

While expressing disappointment with the overall display, the former Ibrox manager highlighted that Rangers still had a glorious opportunity to snatch all three points in stoppage time through defender Dujon Sterling.

Rangers – poor. 1-0 at half-time, late equaliser, and absolutely should have won it right at the death. Sterling had a great chance to score.

For McCoist, while dropping points in Gorgie leaves questions over squad consistency, the failure to convert Sterling’s late chance remains the ultimate frustration from an unpredictable evening in the capital.