IAN DURRANT: IT’S TIME TO STAND UP IF YOU WANT TO PLAY FOR RANGERS
SAYS IAN DURRANT
IAN DURRANT knows the wide open spaces of Hampden Park will offer no hiding places for the Rangers players this Sunday. If they are to right the wrongs of the recent past, and defy the odds with revenge over Celtic, each and every one of them must meet the challenge head on.
Mark Warburton’s side were left bruised and bedraggled at Celtic Park last month. Reduced to 10 men midway through the second half, a 5-1 battering rendered all talk of them being credible title challengers sounding decidedly hollow.
It also exposed Warburton and his squad to a whole new level of scrutiny. This weekend’s Betfred Cup semi-final rematch will show whether or not they have found the answers to some of those questions.
Durrant is as well versed as anyone on the planet on the demands inherent within Ibrox. Fourteen years as a player were followed by a further decade on the coaching staff prior to his exit in a reshuffle earlier this year.
That depth of knowledge tells him that victory is possible against Brendan Rodgers’ in-form side. But only if certain conditions are met.
‘If you look back in history, it has happened,’ said Durrant, reflecting on the likelihood of a turnaround.
‘In Dick Advocaat’s first (Old Firm) game, they lost 6-2 and then in the next one, albeit after the addition of Ronald de Boer, they turned Celtic over 5-1. That happened in a matter of just two months.
‘Rangers were major underdogs at Parkhead last month and they will be major underdogs again.
‘If you want to be a Rangers player this is the time to stand up. We have heard a lot of talk and a lot of things, but this is it now in the semi-final. Celtic don’t have a good record at Hampden, so maybe their time will come.
‘It will be a hard game, a really hard game. When you do take a beating, you want to get back in the game right away. They have got a chance to play Celtic fairly quickly.’
What Durrant is really talking about is character, having the mental and emotional strength to prevail in the face of difficulties. But do Rangers have enough of that trait within their dressing room?
‘I only know the ones that came in last year,’ said Durrant. ‘Guys like Jason Holt, Andy Halliday and Harry Forrester. They are characters and they really do believe in their own ability.
‘Martyn Waghorn is never short of goals. Kenny Miller and Lee Wallace have been over it and they know what the script is. Danny Wilson has been there before. So they do have characters, but it’s about the team.
‘It’s a team effort and, a lot of the time, an Old Firm game is not the prettiest of games. A lot of it depends on luck and if you get that first goal you’ve got a chance.
‘Rangers will have great backing at Hampden and this is the time to stand up and be a Rangers player.’
Warburton, of course, can point to victory the last time the clubs met at the national stadium. A penalty shootout success in last season’s Scottish Cup semi-final provided the high watermark of his tenure to date.
It also hastened Ronny Deila’s exit from Parkhead. The arrival of Rodgers has seen Celtic re-state their dominance, dropping just two points from the opening 24 available in the Premiership. ‘In hindsight, Celtic may have used that semi-final to their advantage the last time,’ said Durrant. ‘They came out the blocks straight away. I thought Rangers had been doing well until they lost the first goal and then the wee frailties showed up. ‘Obviously, going down to ten men (when Philippe Senderos was sent off) rubbed salt into the wound. At 3-1, you are trying to push on but they were cut open at the back and, although Celtic were the better team on the day, I’d say 5-1 against ten men flattered them a little bit. ‘Really, any defeat at Rangers is unacceptable. Lose three games at Rangers and it’s a crisis. And when you go down 5-1 to your fiercest rivals... ‘The great thing about it is they have a chance to rectify it so early. I don’t think the semi-final will have a great bearing on the league but it will put down a marker to show if they can compete with Celtic.’ Durrant was immersed in this clash as a teenager in the mid-1980s, having broken into a Rangers side then under the management of Jock Wallace.
Three decades haven’t dimmed the memories as he recalled his own underdog triumphs.
‘I remember when Jock was the manager,’ said Durrant. ‘We won 3-0 (in November 1985). But my first Old Firm game was at Parkhead (in May 1985). We were down to nine men and up against it.
‘If it wasn’t for Peter McCloy, we’d have been hammered — then as usual, Golden B ***** ks (Ally McCoist) snatched the equaliser and we got out of there with a draw.
‘So, there have been games when Rangers have been big underdogs and got results. But that counts for nothing. It’s when you go out that tunnel — you need 11 men to turn up.
‘Everybody has to stand up, know their job and do their job. If that happens, and you get a bit of luck, you can win that game.’
“It’s great that Rangers could rectify that 5-1 loss so quickly”