Daily Mirror (Northern Ireland)
Celtic will not change what we do
MURTY SAYS GERS’ FOCUS ON THEMSELVES
BRENDAN RODGERS described the win over Aberdeen as a signpost towards Celtic’s seventh title in a row.
But Graeme Murty is refusing to concede anything just yet as he urges his Rangers team to keep moving in a positive direction.
The Light Blues can again close the gap at the top to six points at St Johnstone tonight. It would then be over to Celtic when Dundee travel to Parkhead 24 hours later.
That was the scenario when Gers beat Hearts 2-0 at Ibrox on Saturday, with the champions responding when they won by the same margin at Pittodrie the following day.
For the first time in seven years at this stage of the season Rangers fans were given a glimmer of hope a title race was under way.
But after restoring their nine-point advantage at Pittodrie it would still take an unlikely collapse from the Hoops to lose their crown.
But with 10 league games to go and Celtic due at Ibrox in 12 days for the first of two Old Firm games before the end of the season, Murty said: “We can’t write ourselves off – or say we are right in it. We will be judged at the end. You deserve to finish where you finish.
“We need to take care of ourselves and, if there is a chance later in the season to get some silverware, make sure we are in the right shape physically and mentally to grasp it.
“We are now at the business end of the season and there has been frustration at some of the points we have dropped.
But no one is just going to give us points, we have to raise our game and make sure we deserve to take them.” Rangers have the same squad that beat Hearts available tonight.
Bruno Alves (calf ) and skipper Lee Wallace (groin) could both be in contention but Ryan Jack (knee), Graham Dorrans (ankle), Ross Mccrorie ( foot) and Jordan Rossiter (ankle) are still out of the reckoning.
Murty added: “Celtic will carry on and do what they do, Aberdeen will collect the points they collect, we can’t look outside our group.
“We apply pressure to ourselves. We have standards we want to adhere to and we want to keep improving. The idea for this season is to get closer and move the club forward. We are doing that but there are improvements to be made and we can get better.”