I’ve played against the biggest stars in the EPL. I’ve no fear about facing Celtic
By BRIAN MARJORIBANKS
THERE has been no repeat, in public at least, of last season’s bombastic boasts that Rangers are ‘going for 55’. But money talks and Celtic manager Brendan Rodgers believes an £8million summer refit in Govan has sent out the stark message that the Ibrox side still see themselves as title contenders.
However, after just six Scottish Premiership matches, Pedro Caixinha’s men are not as close to their bitter rivals as they would have hoped.
Going into Saturday’s first Old Firm clash of the season at Ibrox, Rangers sit in third, five points off the leaders, after losing to Hibs and drawing with Hearts and Partick Thistle.
That five-point gap could become an eight-point chasm next weekend should Celtic continue where they left off last season.
Under Rodgers, five out of six Old Firm clashes were won by Celtic — including 5-1 victories home and away in the league. The other match was drawn 1-1 at Celtic Park.
The goalscoring return this past weekend of star striker Moussa Dembele, who notched five Old Firm strikes last season, must represent a major worry to a porous Rangers defence that has recorded just one clean sheet in six attempts.
The likely absence of Ibrox captain Lee Wallace, who limped off injured during last Friday’s 2-2 draw with Thistle in Maryhill, is another cause of concern for Caixinha.
But one man’s misfortune is another’s opportunity and should Wallace, as expected, not recover in time for Saturday, his place would go to Declan John (below).
Twice capped by Wales, John was Caixinha’s 11th summer arrival when he joined on loan from Cardiff City on transferdeadline day.
But the 22year-old has big-game experience, his breakthrough season in the English Premier League seeing him come up against some of the game’s global greats.
In 2013-14, he got up close and personal with the likes of Luis Suarez, Fernando Torres, Sergio Aguero, Robin van Persie and Wayne Rooney.
For John, then, facing a side that are unbeaten domestically in their last 55 matches is not enough to strike fear into his heart.
‘Am I ready to play in the Old Firm game? Of course, I want to play as many minutes as I can for Rangers,’ he said.
‘The chance to play in the Old Firm game was one of the big attractions in moving up here.
‘The clubs are the two biggest in Scotland and to be able to play in one of those games would be superb.
‘But I have come up against good players in my time. When I was playing in the English Premier League at 17 and 18 years of age, I was up against all those top stars.
‘So I am not really going to fear anyone that I play against.
‘The biggest game of my career so far is Cardiff v Swansea but obviously the derby up here is massive. I’m looking forward to hopefully featuring in it.’
Friday’s other Glasgow derby was just 12 minutes old when Wallace limped off with a recurrence of a groin problem against Thistle.
That meant a first taste of Scottish football for John, but he felt only disappointment for the man he replaced, with Wallace having helped him settle into life in Glasgow.
‘Lee has been here for years and he has done well in his career,’ said John. ‘He has been showing me some tips in training, which is always good from a player of that stature. I’ve been taking it in.
‘I have been here for two weeks now, and he has put his arm around me, and shown me around the place. He is a good guy. ‘When you get a call to come off the bench that early in the game, it is all a bit mad. It was hard to get used to the pace of the game at first but I got there in the end.
‘I thought it was very fast. The training we do is quick and Scottish games I’ve seen on the TV before were quick.
‘Before Friday, the only Scottish game that I had watched before is Rangers v Celtic.
‘I didn’t have much knowledge of the game up in Scotland but I have more now.
‘I think the fast pace suits me and I thought I did quite well on Friday night.’
Despite not being able to record three wins in a row for the first time under Caixinha, stand-in captain Graham Dorrans showed his class in rescuing a point with a stunning late equaliser at The Energy Check Stadium at Firhill.
Ryan Jack has added steel and composure to the Ibrox midfield and he set up yet another goal for Alfredo Morelos, who continues to look every inch the 20-plus goals a season predator Rangers have been craving.
But Caixinha was left lamenting defensive errors after Fabio Cardoso gave away a free-kick that led to Blair Spittal’s equaliser.
His defence was then posted missing as Chris Erskine tapped in a second before the striker was later sent off for a foul on Morelos.
However, John believes there were positives to take into Saturday’s Old Firm clash, which comes after Rangers return to Maryhill to face Partick in the Betfred League Cup quarter-finals tomorrow night.
‘The previous two games (against Ross County and Dundee), the boys had got the wins, but against Partick Thistle I felt we showed we can play,’ said John, who is a fitness doubt himself for tomorrow’s match at Thistle.
‘With some of the football we played, we could have got a goal at the end.
‘Looking ahead to next weekend, we just need to shut out the Old Firm circus. We are just taking things game by game and, hopefully, we can get a good result.’