LEGENDARY Rangers manager Graeme Souness has told the Ibrox club’s players they shouldn’t need comments from the Celtic manager Brendan Rodgers to fire them up for the Old Firm game.
Following his club’s triumph against Hearts over the weekend, Rodgers said he was looking forward to enjoying “a bit of fun” at Parkhead on Saturday in the Premiership matchup against Philippe Clement’s team.
After his club defeated Kilmarnock 4-1 in Govan on Sunday, cutting the difference between the top flight leaders to three points, Clement called the comments rude.
According to some, the Northern Irishman’s remarks will inspire Rangers even more to defeat the reigning champions in a game that will have a significant impact on the Scottish title battle.
But Souness, who won the special merit award at Sunday night’s PFA Scotland Player and Manager of the Year awards in Glasgow, has refuted that idea.
The legendary Scotland player, who won two Premiership trophies and changed the lives of his childhood heroes after being named manager in 1986, feels that James Tavernier and his teammates should be able to succeed on their own. When asked if he had ever used insulting remarks made by rival players or managers to incite his charges during his own time in the dugout, he replied, “It’s not a road I went down.”
That was just the way I was raised: we do our job, we show up, we perform to the best of our abilities, and hopefully receive some work on the day. “I take that back to being a player, when I was still one. If anyone said anything mental, it meant nothing.”
Listen, if you need motivation to play in an Old Firm game then there’s something wrong with you. It’s the biggest derby I’ve ever played in. You have the huge football rivalry between the two biggest clubs in the country. “We know there is the unsavoury part to it, or course, but there’s no denying the magnitude of the game. It takes character to win these games. That’s nothing new. “It’s about being motivated to the point where you are keeping your concentration levels and not getting carried away on the day and losing your focus. “The group of players I had were tailor made for these big games. Richard Gough, Trevor Steven, Gary Stevens, Mark Hateley, Ray Wilkins. What you find the bigger the player, the bigger the occasions, the better they are.
“Having some actual men in my changing room was a blessing. On days like this past weekend, I didn’t have to speak to them at all.
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Due to a long-standing disagreement with Celtic on away ticket allotment for Old Firm games, Rangers won’t have any supporters inside Parkhead, and the hosts—who are unbeaten in this season’s derby games—are heavy favourites to win.
However, Souness believes that Clement’s team can win and improve their chances of winning the championship provided they can handle the hostile environment that Glasgow’s East End’s 60,000 spectators will create.
It’s well set up with Rangers’ victory against Kilmarnock on Sunday, he remarked. Each team is aware of their responsibilities.
Since it’s a derby, it’s difficult to predict. Rangers would obviously like to play Celtic at Ibrox, but this is how the game has ended up working out. It appears that this will come down to this game, which you only have to handle.
“You are a good player and you have to deal with it if you are a big player and you play for Rangers or Celtic. You just have to accept the pressure, live up to the expectations, and go on.
