Warburton plots Celtic spy mission

Gers gaffer plays I-Spy to get the lowdown for Old Firm showdown

MARK WARBURTON hopes to make a personal check on Scottish Cup rivals Celtic before next month’s showdown at Hampden.

Hoops boss Ronny Deila and assistant John Collins were at Westfield on Friday night when they saw the Light Blues suffer a rare Championship defeat against Falkirk. Rangers stormed into a two-goal lead against the Bairns but then threw away three points as Peter Houston’s side came from behind to clinch a dramatic win.

The Old Firm clash is looming large on the horizon but there are several key encounters ahead for the Gers as they look to clinch the second tier crown and

prepare for the Petrofac Training Cup final against Peterhead next month.

The visit of Queen of the South tomorrow is next on the agenda as Warburton’s side look to get back to winning ways and take another step towards the second tier title.

And the Ibrox boss insists he won’t overdo the analysis before derby day as he prepares for what could be a huge few weeks for the Gers.

Warburton said: “We’ll go and watch them play. We’ve watched a number of their games, I’ve seen three of their games on tape.

“We’ll go and see them play at some stage and we’ll have other people at their games. We’ll do what we have to do.

“Ideally, I like to go and see teams in person, but you have to trust people as well.

“I know that if Frank or Davie go to a game, they will see the same game that I see and we’ll report back with the same points. Whether it is me, Frank, Davie or Jim, it’s the same.

“I’ll watch the DVDs two or three times, I’ll watch them live once or twice if I can, that’s enough. Otherwise it is overkill.”