My boys will show they relish the battle: Gerrard
Themanwho knows Scottish football best
AS if there wasn’t enough going on in the world, some players in Scottish football haven’t exactly covered themselves in glory regarding some poor decision making that has put the game in risk of being shut down.
Eight Aberdeen players broke lockdown rules by socialising as a group two weeks ago which brought their season to a temporary halt, meaning they now have outstanding matches to squeeze into an already tight football calendar.
To make matters worse, Celtic player Boli Bolingoli took it to a new level. Not only did he visit a red flag country in Spain, he didn’t tell anyone, skipped the self-isolation bit on his return and, incredibly, played in a Premiership match against Kilmarnock, putting at risk not only his own team-mates but the opposition too.
It really does beggar belief, and Celtic manager Neil Lennon (above) said he was appalled and livid at his actions and admitted he can’t see a way back at Celtic for Bolingoli.
Scottish football is on its last warning from the Scottish government after these incidents, and there’s a real threat it could be put back into cold storage.
That decision would bring catastrophic consequences to many top-flight clubs that have spent lots of time and money to get football back in its current form. It’s now time for everyone to think before they act and if there’s a doubt in anyone’s mind, simply don’t do it.
If you thought this season wasn’t high-profile enough with Celtic’s 10-in-a-row bid, the mindless actions of Bolingoli look to have handed the early initiative to Rangers.
With Celtic having several fixtures postponed, Rangers could be 11 points ahead of them in this eagerly-anticipated Scottish Premiership title race the next time they get to play.
There’s always been a feeling that this season would produce twists and turns but no one expected so much to happen by week three.
Lennon is rightly furious with Bolingoli, of course he will be, but also deep down he won’t have wanted to give any encouragement to Rangers as they seek to stop Celtic’s pursuit of more history and that’s what’s happened.
With that all in mind, the onus is on Rangers now to see if they have the nerve and composure to push home this unexpected opportunity.
Can they crank up the pressure on their rivals and prove their doubters wrong?
It has to be said they’ve had opportunities to turn the screw on Celtic in the past but haven’t managed to do so, so why would this time be any different? The Rangers players are the only ones who can answer that question by winning games.
They need to show that killer instinct that has eluded them over the past two seasons which potential league champions clearly need.
One thing is for sure; if the boot was on the other foot and it was Celtic who had this opportunity, they would 100% ram home the advantage, and they have proved that before.
These next couple of games will give Steven Gerrard a true reflection of his team’s title credentials and mentality, even at this early stage in the campaign.
It has to be said they’ve had a good start and this week dismantled two stubborn sides in St Mirren and St Johnstone, both by three goals to nil at Ibrox, with relative ease. That hasn’t always been the case against teams who sit in and frustrate, but they have been patient and that has brought the rewards.
There’s always another challenge on the horizon and Livingston away — coming up tomorrow — has been a tough fixture under the tenure of Gerrard. The 4G surface and the physical, direct style of the home side have unnerved Rangers, so it will be a battle that the players need to rise to.
They need to be relentless in their pursuit of success and, irrespective of performance, need to find a way to win, it’s that simple.
All Celtic can do is play a waiting game to get back on the pitch. It will be frustrating after such a long lay-off, so they’ll be desperate to get back out there.
I don’t imagine it will faze the Celtic players greatly if they have a gap to make up as they’ve been behind before and came back.
Who will blink first? Let’s wait and see.
RANGERS boss Steven Gerrard welcomes the battle he expects to get at Livingston tomorrow.
The Light Blues have had a flawless start to the Premiership season with three wins out of three and no goals conceded.
Gerrard, who confirmed defender Leon Balogun will miss the game with a small quad problem, expects his side to be asked to show their mettle again in West Lothian but is relishing their response.
He said: “First and foremost we welcome the battle. Different teams bring different styles throughout the course of the season, but we certainly welcome physical challenges and we need to be ready for that.
“And we certainly don’t have a problem with it obviously as long as it’s in a fair way.
“Of course we know it’s going to be a battle, and it’s a battle that we’re going to have to stand up to.
“I think what’s important in these games is that we deal with direct play at times and we win our first duels, we win our second duels and we are in the right places to try and control a game because there will be moments where the ball is not necessarily in our style, if you like.
“But we have to be capable of adapting within a game to play in different ways to get the right results.
“They are a good team, an organised team, and they try and take you out of your comfort zone. But we are in good form, we’re in a good place. And it’s down to us to go there fully prepared to win a war and win a battle before our quality can show.”
Gerrard (right) is aware that the burly Lyndon Dykes is likely to be leading the line for the Lions but with a view to replacing Balogun, he said: “We’ll pick the two best centre-backs we believe are capable of getting the right result. We won’t really focus on any individual players that we’re going to be coming up against.
“Filip (Helander) came on and did extremely well and George (Edmundson) has had a really strong pre-season so I’ll give it as late as I need to and then make a decision as to who partners Connor (Goldson) because I think Connor is in excellent form.
“He deserves to keep his place, and I’ll make a late decision on Filip and George.”
The former Liverpool and England captain revealed that utility player Ross Mccrorie has expressed his desire to leave, with the Ibrox club having rejected one bid from Hibernian already.
Meanwhile, midfielder Greg Docherty remains in talks with Hull.
He said: “Greg’s got permission to speak to Hull and I’m told talks are ongoing. I think it’ll boil down to Greg’s decision.
“In terms of Ross, we knocked something back from Hibs and I believe they have come again. So that’s moved a little bit closer.”
Meanwhile, Hearts have stopped training following orders from the Scottish football authorities while Hull continue pre-season preparations at the Edinburgh club’s facilities.
Hearts were told to halt their pre-season 10 days into their programme after the Joint Response Group (JRG) announced lower-league teams could not train until August 24 at the earliest.
The decision came as the SFA and SPFL attempted to assuage the Scottish government following high-profile breaches of coronavirus protocols from Celtic and Aberdeen players.
However, Hull are free to carry on training as they do not fall under the JRG’S authority.
Hearts declared they were “incensed” at the decision not to let them train and are “considering their options”.