FIGHTING TALK

Murty reveals half-time quarrel inspired Rangers

GRAEME MURTY last night admitted that a half-time shouting match paved the way for Rangers to secure a Parkhead point.

The Ibrox boss stood back and let his players exchange words after a goalless first half in which Celtic had spurned the best chances to open the scoring.

After calming the situation, Murty then watched his players grow in stature and force Craig Gordon into two excellent saves that ensured a share of the spoils.

‘It was great at half-time because there were some frank exchanges of view amongst the players to try to improve,’ said Murty, who is set to gain an assistant manager this week in Jimmy Nicholl.

‘In the heat of the moment in a changing room when your hormones are charging round and your energy is high, it gets a bit fraught and frantic.

‘You let that release off, let the guys get it out then give them a good solution. That’s what we did. That energy took them out into the second half.

‘We walked off the pitch a little bit elated because of the manner of the performance and we know we could have won it.’

The draw represented only the second time that Celtic have failed to beat Rangers under Brendan Rodgers, with Murty also the man in the dugout when Clint Hill scored a late equaliser in March.

That match represented the last in Murty’s first caretaker spell before the handover to Pedro Caixinha but, having now been given the job until the end of the season, he views this latest point differently, saying: ‘I sit here with a real sense of a job and a journey that we’re just starting out on.’