Gordon all fired up for the big one
Derby means everything to keeper
EVER the amateur psychologist, Jock Stein attempted to defuse pre-Old Firm tension in his camp by stating that the points on offer were the same as when Clyde or Stirling Albion came to town.
In prosaic terms, the great man’s logic was impossible to argue with. But since when did logic enter the equation on derby day in Glasgow?
‘There’s something extra to it,’ admitted Celtic keeper Craig Gordon. ‘You could try and dress it up and try to claim it’s just three points. But nobody’s going to believe that.
‘It’s all about winning this game. It means more, whether it’s home or away. It’s the big game of the season and you want to win it. It’s like any derby match, you want to beat your rivals, whether it’s Glasgow, Edinburgh, anywhere across the world.’
Irrespective of the fortunes of the competing protagonists at the time, it’s a fixture that always stands alone.
The passion and noise on all sides of the arena are the most striking things. More subtle differences are to be seen in the steely glares in the tunnel and those few extra seconds a captain spends delivering his final words.
‘Scott (Brown) is always good,’ added Gordon. ‘He’s always got a good thing to say, whatever game it is. He’s always there to make sure everybody’s ready to go, even at that last moment before kick-off. He can be quite animated, especially in these games.
‘It’s something that he feels passionately about and he delivers it passionately. It gets everybody going and ready for the game.’
Under Brendan Rodgers, Brown has played each of the derby games as if it was his last. For all the world, at the time, his last experience of the fixture under Ronny Deila appeared to be just that.
Hobbling throughout a match that ended in defeat on penalty kicks, the Celtic skipper embodied all the club had become under the Norwegian. The same can be said of his imperious displays since Rodgers took charge.
‘Some of his performances in these games have been outstanding,’ said Gordon. ‘When he gets it right, he can absolutely run games. If he’s in the mood and you see your captain like that, then it certainly is something that can inspire the rest of the boys.’
Doubtless, the need for all aggression to be controlled this afternoon will head the skipper’s list of priorities. One underplayed aspect of Rodgers’ tenure has been his side’s discipline. To date, Callum McGregor remains the only player to have been sent off on his watch.
Provided 11 men in green and white remain on the field today, Rangers will have their work cut out.
‘He (Brown) does it really well,’ continued Gordon. ‘Very rarely does he get it wrong. He’s strong in the tackle, but he doesn’t go over the top. He’s just a good leader on the pitch and that brings everybody with him. It’s not only on the pitch but also all around the training ground, in the huddle... everything.
‘If you’re ever looking towards anybody at the club then he’s the go-to guy for anything you want.
‘When we’re on the pitch, when we need it, he’s the guy who will step up.’
Kristoffer Ajer is likely to have had some free advice imparted this week. The Norwegian teenager has been the prime beneficiary of the loss to Hearts and Jozo Simunovic’s indifferent form of late. His emergence has contributed to three straight wins without a goal being conceded after the 69-game unbeaten domestic run came unstuck at Gordon’s old club.
Perhaps it was the best way for Celtic to lose it. Not by a controversial goal or via a fortuitous decision but through failing to turn up at all. It forced them to regroup and recalibrate.
‘That game could have happened at any point,’ said Gordon. ‘The fact we played so many games and it didn’t happen is probably a testament to how well we did during that run. I think it will last a long time.
‘We didn’t complain, we took it, got back up and have won three games without losing a goal.’
It is Rangers’ task to send them flying back onto the seat of their pants. As well as out-performing Rodgers’ men on the day, being more clinical and displaying greater resolve, though, they must live in the moment. Banishing a run of six defeats and a draw from the memory bank will be no easy task.
‘It’s not something I’ve faced in my career,’ said Gordon. ‘But I’d imagine it’s something they would want to put right and use as a motivation.
‘As a professional player, you go into every game thinking you have a chance to win, no matter who you are playing. That’s true and it can happen. So I don’t think the past results will come into their thinking too much. They will be concentrating on this one.’
After such a barren spell, the optimists among the Rangers support will feel they are due a break. The final game before the winter shutdown would be an opportune time to eke out a result which might suggest the gap between the country’s two biggest clubs isn’t as big as some would say. Celtic’s final task of