Sunday Mirror (Northern Ireland)
WE NEED TO END CELTS DOMINANCE
GARY McALLISTER says Rangers must stop Celtic winning 10 trophies in a row by lifting the League Cup this season.
The Ibrox club enter the competition today at New Bayview as they take on League One outfit East Fife.
Steven Gerrard’s side were knocked out in the semi-final by Aberdeen at Hampden a year ago and McAllister wants to do better this term.
As well as trying to stop their Old Firm rivals clinching nine titles on the trot, the Ibrox number two (below) is keen to get his hands on this season’s first piece of silverware – and end Celtic’s domestic dominance.
He said: “The League Cup is early in the season, it comes quick. And you don’t have to win many games to get to the end of it.
“So to win it would be a good marker for us and it would end the trophy drought.
“It could be the start of something for us. We’ve got to look at it like that.
“People will say of the four competitions we’re in, priority wise, it probably sits at the bottom.
“But not for us. It’s the one that comes first, it’s the first potential final. So we want to get as far as we possibly can.
“When you’re associated with this club as a player or coach, it’s about winning.
“You’ve got to win – it was similar when I was at Liverpool – and you’ve got a greater chance of winning at a club like Rangers.
“We have to get back to winning ways.
“Last year’s League Cup was one that got away for us. We bossed the game against Aberdeen and were outdone on a set-play.
“It was disappointing but we’re a year wiser now.