Malky went from HERO to ZERO in space of ten days
WHEN Malky Mackay, the Ross County manager, recalls his Old Firm memories he does so with decidedly mixed emotions.
That’s hardly surprising, given the extremes of his experiences when playing for Celtic against Rangers in the 1990s.
In less than a fortnight, the former central defender plummeted from the high of scoring on his Old Firm debut to the depths of despair when he saw red as Rangers took a decisive step towards being crowned champions.
Mackay headed the opening goal in a 2-0 Scottish Cup quarter-final win over Rangers at Parkhead on March 6, 1997 to end a 10-match winless run against their arch-rivals.
But contrast that career high point with what happened when Rangers returned to the east end of Glasgow 10 days later, leading the title race by eight points.
Having already been cautioned by referee Hugh Dallas, Mackay was forced to walk in the second half following a second booking as Rangers registered a 1-0 win.
He said: ‘There you have it, my best and worst Old Firm memories — the highs and lows of life in just 10 days.
‘But it was a privilege for me to play in an Old Firm game and I managed to feature in a couple.
‘To be involved with really talented players was very special and it’s not something you ever forget.
‘If you look at both teams at the time, they were packed with world-class players. To be around that quality and have that experience was tremendous.
‘The noise when you score — and when you get sent off as well, to be fair — are experiences that will never leave you.
‘To be involved in an Old Firm game is quite something and I felt very privileged.’
Mackay has waited almost quarter of a century to lock horns again with the blue half of the city.
While today’s Premiership match at the Global Energy Stadium will lack the passion and hysteria of an Old Firm showdown, Mackay is no less excited by the prospect of a full house for the first time for 18 months.
He added: ‘Everyone — managers and players alike — are judged every week in the Premier League by everyone and we know Rangers are a terrific team with a talented manager coming here to pose a huge threat.
‘We’ve been given a tough start playing against the top five teams last season in our first five games. But you want to be tested by the best — the top players and managers — regardless of whether you are a player or a manger.’
While Mackay is charged with plotting Rangers’ downfall, his players must also rise to the occasion in the knowledge that they will have to execute the manager’s game plan to perfection to have any hope of prevailing.
And no one knows better than midfielder Ross Callachan what will be required to put the skids under Steven Gerrard’s side.
The ex-Hamilton Accies player — signed in the summer as part of Mackay’s extensive overhaul of the squad — has experienced the highs and lows of facing the reigning champions twice in the space of four months last season.
Callachan and his then Hamilton team-mates suffered an eight-goal drubbing at Ibrox and he admitted: ‘We got an absolute doing; it was probably one of the worst games I’ve been involved in.
‘But then we played them at home, got in their faces and were organised enough to make it difficult for them.
‘In fact, the game we drew felt like we should have won because we had five or six chances, but Allan McGregor was brilliant and made some unbelievable saves. It could easily have been 3-1 to us.
‘Rangers went one-up late on with one of their first shots on target so we were maybe quite fortunate to get a draw in end.
‘But I was sitting in the dressing room at time up disappointed not to have won.
‘We showed character that day, you need to do that, especially if you go a goal down. You have to stick together and go again. But Rangers are a real quality side and they’ve got players who will punish any mistakes.
‘We might not get many chances, but we’ll need to ensure that we make the most of those we do get.’