RANGERS READY TO DEFY PUNDITS

he will handle the inevitable stick. ‘Absolutely,’ he said. ‘You know the answer to that question. He will more than cope with it. As will all the players.’ However, former Ibrox star Gordon Smith insists Barton has only put himself under unnecessary pressure ahead of his Old Firm debut following his withering remarks. ‘I felt Joey Barton made a mistake,’ said Smith, the former Rangers director of football and ex-SFA chief executive. ‘Joey has said he will outplay Scott Brown and that he’s the far better player. ‘He’s going to be judged on Saturday and he has to perform because he is up against someone he has criticised, albeit tongue-incheek. ‘To a certain degree, Joey maybe doesn’t know what he’s got himself into. ‘It was probably tongue-incheek in his opinion but you don’t get tongue-in-cheek with Rangers and Celtic. ‘I’d have advised Joey to just keep quiet when it comes to the Old Firm.’