ALLY MCCOIST has called for the Scottish FA to rethink their cup strategy and take the final to Ibrox or Parkhead rather than play at an empty Hampden next month.

The showpiece event of the campaign is set to be staged in front of no supporters this season despite the confirmation that Hampden will host 12,000 fans during the European Championships this summer.

The National Stadium will be given over to UEFA in preparation for the tournament ahead of the Scottish Cup final on May 22 and fans are set to be locked out once again as it stands.

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But McCoist insists even contractual obligations shouldn't prevent the SFA looking at Ibrox or Parkhead as a potential venue as Rangers and Celtic get set to meet in the fourth round this weekend.

McCoist said: "I get that it might be a reason – it could even be an excuse. But, in these times, there’s a case for everyone ripping everything up.

"We have been making it up as we go along. Rightly or wrongly, that’s what we’ve been doing because we’ve never been in this situation

"So I would imagine, if negotiations could take place to let fans into the final, wherever it may be, it can only be a good thing.

"There has to be a little bit of leeway, a bit of come and go in these times and this situation.

"It would have been fantastic for St Johnstone to have some of their fans here to see them lift the League Cup. It wasn’t possible.

"But unless they’re telling us it’s impossible, which we haven’t heard, we should make great efforts and strides to have fans into the final. Wherever it may be.

"Nothing is impossible. Exactly. We’ve been through this for well over a year now, it’s great we’ve had football – but let’s take it the next step now.

"If Celtic get through and the final is at Ibrox or vice-versa, it would be fantastic.

"It’s happened before, we’ve had cup finals at both stadiums before and they’ve been a success.

"It’s clearly not the venue that would be a problem. That’s for sure."

Rangers head into the Old Firm tie this weekend with their sights set on a domestic double after wrapping up their first Premiership title in a decade last month.

Steven Gerrard's side are unbeaten in the three derbies this season but McCoist knows there will be a strange feeling to the famous fixture once again as fans are forced to watch on from afar this weekend.

McCoist said: "I am the same as yourselves, I have been lucky enough to go to a good few games up the road and down the road, Liverpool, Spurs, all over the place, but the games when I have really missed it believe it or not, have been the Old Firm games and the likes of maybe Rangers v Aberdeen.

"These are the games when you actually think, this place with an atmosphere would be completely different.

"So anything that can be done to get supporters back in the stadium. Obviously safely is of paramount importance, I get that, and that’s the first to look at, but if you can do it safely, come on, we have to get fans back into games.

"Absolutely, fans clearly want to go to games and if you’re a player, you want to play in front of fans, those Old Firm games are eerie, there’s something not right about it.

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"Listen, you have to say that it is great we have had football and we have got football, and a lot of people deserve praise for the fact we have that, but it is clearly not the same without fans and I genuinely think the players miss the fans as much as the fans miss the games."

*Ally McCoist was speaking to promote coverage of Rangers v Celtic exclusively live on Premier Sports this weekend. Premier Sports is available on Sky, Virgin TV and the Premier Player. Prices start from £10.99 per month.