by LEE McCulloch was on hand at Murrayfield yesterday to promote Rangers’ glamor friendly against Manchester United in July – and he was gushing about the prospect of the Scots and England facing each other again.
The former Ibrox captain faced the Old Trafford club twice in the group stages of the Champions League back in the 2010/11 season and enjoyed being involved in both games.
He has no doubt that their summer clash in Edinburgh, although only a pre-season game, will be a hot one and will attract a crowd of 67,500. “It will sell out,” he said. “What an atmosphere it will be.”
But McCulloch wasn’t so sure when asked if he thought Rangers could beat Celtic in the fairest Scottish title race for 13 years? “I don’t know,” he said. “Are you?
The man who won the Premiership twice on the final day during his victory in Ballygovan, however, is quite sure of one thing. The Main Division cinch this term to go the whole distance. “It’s so tight,” he said. “Really, really tight. It could go straight to the wire.”
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He is also confident that current Rangers manager Philippe Clement will be able to negotiate the final nine league games in the coming weeks despite the pressure on him to deliver the silverware.
Walter Smith’s presence in the dugout was crucial when McCulloch and his team-mates battled their city rivals closely in 2009 and 2011 – the famous Scot was in his second spell in charge and a veteran of many successful campaigns.
The former Scotland international can see similar qualities in Belgium, having won the Pro League in his homeland once with Genk and then twice with Club Brugge within three years, and is confident his youth heroes are in good hands going into what to promise. to be a fraught-in run.
“We won on the last day against Dundee United away and then Kilmarnock away,” he said. “The key is basically to win games. We had Walter as manager. It was just a matter of winning the first place with him.
“Focus on yourself, take each game at a time. Obviously the more the games tick, the higher the pressure. But focus on yourself and forget about what anyone else in the league is doing.”
McCulloch added: “The stewards need everyone fit. I think they’ve been a bit unlucky with injuries in the last few weeks. They are playing players who are not out of position like that, but they probably don’t have the most natural position.”
“However, the current manager has experience of winning leagues as well and knows what is required. So I don’t see any huge problems. It’s just whether they can play one game at a time and win every game.
“The manager played a huge role in getting the club to where it is now compared to where it was at the start of the season maybe under the previous manager, in my opinion. So he has to take huge credit and give him huge credit.
“I want to play for him. I’ve only spoken to him a few times, but he reminds me a bit of Walter. I am 100 percent not comparing them. However, there is a steeliness to it, it has a presence, a seriousness. That’s how Walter was.
“If the team is winning 1-0 or getting beaten 1-0, you can’t really tell by looking at it on the touchline. It’s a bit emotional, which I really like. And I imagine the players really appreciate it.
“He will be a big factor just like Brendan Rodgers for Celtic and Stevie Naismith for Hearts. The manager is big, they are the leader. But it’s down to the dressing room as well. It’s about keeping your confidence and staying focused. I’m excited about it.”
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Like so many supporters, Rangers’ prospect of winning the Premiership fell short when they lost 3-1 at home to Aberdeen to fall seven points behind Celtic at the end of September in the final was in Michael Beale’s reign. .
The transformation they had undergone since Clement’s appointment had put him at ease.
“The biggest positive for Rangers is the manager coming in, changing the squad, giving them confidence and camaraderie and showing he can change his style of play from game to game,” he said.
“Depending on the state of the pitch, it could go straighter. I think it’s very nice to have a manager to do that and give confidence to his players, who have done a great job.”
McCulloch continued: “Any year you win a title, of course it’s big. It is your bread and butter. That’s the one you want. Now that Rangers are out of Europe, they can focus on Europe and their domestic form.
“So they have to take that positive from the negative. If Rangers win it, it will be a remarkable achievement considering where they were at the start of the season. If Celtic win it, well they were expected to win it, weren’t they?”
Only six Rangers players who won the Premier League back in 2021 are still in the Ibrox squad – Leon Balogun, Borna Barisic, Connor Goldson, Kemar Roofe, James Tavernier and Scott Wright.
However, McCulloch does not believe that the current leaders, who have played one game more than their nearest rivals, have any significant advantage over them because they have been crowned champions for the past two years.
“I don’t think Celtic have a lot of experience in going down to the wire to win a league,” he said. “And neither do Rangers. That’s just how the Scotland game was recently.
“Whether that experience comes from the manager, the players in the dressing room, or the leaders there, you just have to keep your comfort level and, more importantly, take it one game at a time.”
