Gers fans fear Celts hitting 10 in row but Gerrard can halt Hoops’ record bid if he can cope with tough start
STEVEN GERRARD’S first taste of the Old Firm derby will now be on Sunday, September 2.
The Premiership clash has moved from a 3pm start the day before to a noon kick-off to be shown on Sky Sports.
Hearts v Celtic will now kick off at 12.30pm on Saturday, August 11, also on Sky Sports.
And Motherwell v Rangers on Sunday, August 26 has switched to a 12.15pm start with BT Sport set to beam it.
ARCHIE KNOX can sense the fear among Rangers supporters as Celtic close in on 10 in a row.
But the former Light Blues No.2 is hopeful the arrival of Steven Gerrard at Ibrox will finally break the Hoops’ stranglehold before they pull it off.
Despite no first-team managerial experience, Knox believes the 38-yearold can be the man to prevent Celtic reaching a record-breaking title haul after making it to seven.
Especially if he copes with a baptism of fire that will see his side face Aberdeen and Celtic away in their first four fixtures of the new campaign.
Knox racked up six titles as Walter Smith’s Ibrox assistant as the pair went within one of guiding Rangers to 10 in a row during the 1990s.
He said: “If you are at Rangers or Celtic you have to win trophies – that’s the bottom line.
“I’ve heard some Rangers supporters say if Gerrard wins a trophy and challenges Celtic in his first season that will be acceptable.
“However, the majority of Rangers fans will be saying we need to win the league again. It will be a tall order.
“Every Rangers supporter is worrying about Celtic winning 10 in a row. They are all in that category.
“Rangers will have to pull out all the stops in the next three years to prevent the 10. Somehow they need to find a way to not allow that to happen.
“If Celtic achieve the magical 10 figure it is because Rangers and the others have not managed to do anything about it. It would be some achievement for Celtic if they did do it.
“I hope Gerrard gets all the conditions he needs as the manager of Rangers.
“Gerrard has all the playing experience in the world having been in a dressing room throughout his career. Although