THE TENNER BET

AST week, The Tenner Bet found a novel way to ensure that it never loses again by recommending two non-runners in the Midlands Derby.

There is a certain safety in backing horses you know cannot be beaten, on the flip side there is a serious lack of kudos in a total that never goes above zero. Yet, when you’re looking at a negative figure for your season’s efforts a big, fat zilch suddenly looks remarkably successful. It’s just as well then that I think I’ve found a way to take the total out of the red this week and I don’t believe I’ll need a consortium to achieve the task.

A few weeks back, I speculated on the effect administration and the subsequent points deduction suffered by Rangers would have on the Ibrox club’s season. It was the week after Ally Mccoist’s men lost at home to Kilmarnock and just before they were to face Inverness Caledonian Thistle. Of course, they promptly thrashed Caley Thistle, thus scuppering my bet but what has happened since then has been of greater interest.

A return to Ibrox the following week ended in a 2-1 loss to Hearts. Fast forward a fortnight and they were on the end of the same scoreline against Dundee United at Tannadice. Those who witnessed the United game said the hosts played poorly. Rangers, meanwhile, fielded a back four that contained just two defenders and one of those with a handful of appearances to his name. Furthermore, the squad contained five Northern Irish internationalists (which, speaking as a Northern Irishman, can only be a bad thing).

Which brings us to Celtic. Their Northern Irishman hardly covered himself in glory last week by claiming Willie Collum “cost his side the treble”. A penalty, yes. But the treble, no. It was the chance of winning a treble and all predicated on Scott Brown scoring a penalty which he may or may not have converted. Had he, it would merely have set up extra time, which, given they way Celtic had played, there was no certainty they would have gone on to win.

And here comes the point. Celtic, one would imagine, will be desperate to rebound from that disappointment as quickly as possible. Where better to do that than in an Old Firm game at Ibrox where a win will take Neil Lennon and his men to within touching distance of the title at least?

Rangers, similarly, will be just as desperate to put recent woes behind them and the significance of the identity of the visitors cannot be underestimated. The problem for Rangers, though, is that they do not have the personnel to compete and, with Celtic still odds against for the victory, it seems implausible that Mccoist’s side will suddenly click, not least at Ibrox, which has become less and less of a fortress amid the uncertainty of the past few weeks.

Teaming them with another team which plays in hoops, Hamilton Academical, to beat Queen of the South, and Dundee to defeat Raith Rovers will provide a healthy return. Selections Celtic (21/20, Victor Chandler); Hamilton Academical (5/6, Coral); Dundee (4/6, general) Treble 5.27/1 Season’s total