Hampden bottle bust-up is water under the bridge now for Cantwell
WATERGATE II was never likely to bring down an elected government. It hardly required the investigative powers of Woodward and Bernstein. When Reo Hatate of Celtic reached for a water bottle from the Rangers physio’s bag during treatment to Malik Tillman in the recent Scottish Cup semi-final, Todd Cantwell pushed the bottle away.
The entire episode — including Hatate’s bewildered reaction — was captured by the unforgiving lens of a Sky Sports camera.
While Alfredo Morelos eventually granted the Japanese midfielder a drink, Cantwell was later accused of a ‘lack of respect’ by former Celtic player and coach Peter Grant.
‘I feel like you can’t really breathe wrongly up here and it makes the media,’ said former Norwich player Cantwell yesterday with a shake of the head.
‘The way I look at it, if we had a player down or they had a player down and the physio had come on and I had gone over to (Callum) McGregor and asked for a drink of water, I can imagine what he would have said to me. I think I was quite polite to be honest.’
Cantwell would exchange words with Celtic’s captain eventually. Living by the adage that all’s fair in the love and war of an Old Firm game, he added: ‘It is a healthy rivalry. They have come out on top this year so I am in a position where I can’t really speak too much.
‘I respect what they have done but next year, that is where we want to be. We want to be up there and I was just reminding him that we are on our way.’
A reluctance to yield or bend to Celtic opponents has never done a Rangers player much harm in the eyes of supporters.
Signed by Michael Beale in January, Cantwell was one of the few Ibrox stars to emerge from recent defeats to Celtic with pass marks in the gallery of public opinion.
An uncompromising approach to playing in the derby helps. Pressing hard, flying into tackles, going head to head with players in green and white, the Englishman’s approach embodies what supporters want to see from players in a fixture never noted for its gentility. So as far as Rangers fans are concerned, Cantwell gets it.
‘I just think the fans can see whether you care or not,’ he added. ‘They’re not naive. They can see it.
‘You can say loads of things in the media before a game. You can say whatever you like really. If they don’t see it, they can’t believe it so for me it’s just actioning what I feel.’
As yet, the midfielder’s combative approach to Celtic games has yet to bring much by way of tangible reward.
A substitute in the Viaplay Cup final defeat, he started the most recent league defeat at Parkhead and the 1-0 loss in the Scottish Cup semi-final. So far, he can’t claim to have enjoyed the Old Firm experience very much at all.
‘I’ve enjoyed the games, but I haven’t enjoyed the results,’ he admitted. ‘I can’t stand here and say it’s been a great experience and all the rest. I’m here to win games and that’s what’s expected at Rangers.’
Gunning for his first win over Celtic at the fourth
time of asking, the 25-year-old has become painfully familiar with how it feels to lose. For Rangers, breaking the recent cycle of hopelessness matters more this lunchtime than a three points steeped in futility.
‘It hurts,’ Cantwell continued. ‘But it hurts me just as much knowing how much hurt it’s caused a lot of other people.
‘We are going through a rebuilding process at the moment.
‘The manager, to my understanding, is a little bit different to the manager who was here prior and he wants to do things differently — and that can never happen overnight.
‘I think the process to get us to be the team he wants us to be is definitely underway.
‘It’s important that we give something to the fans who have been with us all season.
‘It’s been a difficult campaign and I think they deserve a good performance.’
A dead rubber in terms of the league — Celtic are 13 clear with four to play — today’s game still retains an importance for Rangers.
Ask Michael Beale and he makes no attempt to hide his desperation to get the season over with and make it to the other side.
Winless over Celtic, any Rangers manager simply can’t afford to let such a situation continue.
An overdue win today would keep supporters onside after a testing campaign. Engaged in discussions with potential new signings in recent weeks, the Englishman would buy himself time and faith for the rebuild ahead. He would generate some optimism for the new season.
‘You could argue that it could put a bit of doubt into Celtic’s mind,’ added Cantwell. ‘You could also argue that it makes them hungrier. We have got to concentrate on ourselves and I think it is important that we do that.
‘The important thing is that we continue to build in the right direction.
‘It’s no secret that we’re going through a bit of a rebuild.
‘Once we get to the stage where everyone is starting to get the game plan and understanding it, I think you’ll see us get closer and hopefully start to become the dominant side.’
Agreement was reached this week with Chelsea’s Dujon Sterling. Rangers have also secured Norwich midfield free agent Kieran Dowell on a three-year deal and plan to spend money on a potent front three capable of delivering higher numbers than Ryan Kent, Alfredo Morelos or Rabbi Matondo
A former Carrow Road team-mate of Dowell, Cantwell won’t get into specifics — but has held conversations with Beale over potential signings.
He added: ‘I think the fans have been reasonably happy with Nico (Raskin) and me since we arrived. I am sure they will be excited to see who else we get through.
‘The manager is ultimately the one that makes all the decisions. It is nice to be in the loop with it.
‘We have had a couple of discussions. This is where the manager will go with his gut feelings.
‘To be fair, a few people might have warned him away from me...’