LIFE IN THE OLD FIRM A CHALLENGE HILL IS READY TO EMBRACE

WHEN Clint Hill touched down at Glasgow Airport last month, the popping flashbulbs and frenzied interest were more akin to the arrival of a Hollywood film star than a soon-to-be 38-year-old about to pen a one-year deal at Rangers. If the experience proved an eye-opener into what’s awaiting him in the Old Firm goldfish bowl, don’t expect the former Queens Park Rangers defender to wilt under the pressure. Hill has banked a wealth of experience of stressful situations. Most notably going five months without regular pay at Crystal Palace in 2010 when staff feared for their jobs and their club. With relegation looming, Palace players had to shrug aside concerns about how they’d pay their mortgages to take on Sheffield Wednesday in a match that could have meant bankruptcy for the Eagles. ‘I’ve never experienced anything like my arrival in Glasgow airport,’ said Hill (pictured). ‘There’s constant media attention in the English Premier League but it’s on the managers. So to walk through that airport door and see all the fuss over me was something new. ‘People have told me how intense it is up here but it’s something I’ve got to grasp and get on with. ‘I’ve certainly faced some pressure situations before in my career. At Palace, we were sitting comfortably then we got off the plane in Newcastle and everyone’s phone suddenly blinked at the same time. ‘You were fearing something really bad had happened in the world and we found out we were in administration and had been deducted 10 points. ‘A few boys couldn’t play because they were valuable assets. We lost 2-1, the points came off and we were now in a relegation battle. ‘Wages weren’t getting paid on time and it went on for months. At first, it was a day or two late, then a week. Then a couple of weeks, then a month. ‘It does affect you. But we had a really strong group and we managed to draw 2-2 at Sheffield Wednesday and probably saved the club.’ For Hill, it was out of the frying pan into the fire when he joined QPR and led out the club in the so-called richest game in football. The winners of the Championship Play-off Final against Derby in 2014 — at a sold-out Wembley — stood to bank at least £143million. But, once more, bankruptcy was a potential consequence for the big-spending London side had they lost. With those kind of nerveracking experiences under his belt, no wonder Hill sees playing in an Old Firm derby as the kind of pressure to be relished and not feared. ‘That Championship PlayOff Final is one of the biggest games in world football, given what’s at stake,’ he said. ‘It was probably the biggest pressure match I’ve been involved in. ‘Especially given the way the club was at that time — haemorrhaging money. ‘We simply needed to go up to survive. We managed to get a 1-0 win with our only shot on target. ‘We did it and we won the trophy, but the pressure that day was unreal. ‘People keep telling me about the intensity of the Old Firm fixture. It’s probably intensified because they haven’t met in the league for a while. ‘To play in it would be one of the top achievements of my career.’ Ironically, one of the first people Hill bumped into in Glasgow was new Celtic manager Brendan Rodgers. He believes the battle of Rodgers and Mark Warburton will be boxoffice, even in England. ‘I saw him in the West End the other night, which was funny,’ he grinned. ‘I was a bit like: “What are people going to think if I’m shaking his hand?” But I have a lot of time for him. ‘He’s very excited. The first thing he said to me was: “I can’t wait to get started”. ‘It is intense up here but he will be ready for it. Mark is a great manager and it’s going to be a great clash in the league with Hearts and Aberdeen, too. ‘It will raise the profile of Scottish football as well. I think people in England will take notice.’ Hill believes the profile of Scottish football, as well as the Rangers squad, will benefit from the arrival of his ex-QPR team-mate Joey Barton. ‘We are all waiting for Joey to come and get stuck in,’ he said. ‘It’s great for Scottish football. He’s stoked a few fires already and got some interest in the game which is brilliant. ‘I’m sure he will provide a lot of entertainment. But when you spend time with him, like I’ve been lucky to do, you can’t help but like and admire him. ‘He has a strong work ethic and demands people raise their standards, too. As soon as Joey steps through the door he’ll be doing that.’