Ally McCoist thinks ‘time is right’ for Aaron Ramsey ‘gamble’ in Rangers v Celtic
Ally McCoist believes the ‘time is right’ for Aaron Ramsey to start for Rangers against Celtic and says he’s due a performance at Ibrox.
Ramsey joined Rangers on loan in January for the rest of the season and made the first start of his spell in the league against Dundee United, scoring the equaliser as they came from behind to earn a win.
With Alfredo Morelos ruled out of the huge clash on Sunday with a thigh injury, McCoist told BT Sport‘s Scottish Football Extra that he would start Ramsey over Glen Kamara on Sunday and says he thinks there is pressure on him to turn up.
“D’you know something? I think the time is right for Ramsey now,” he said.
“I’m not going to throw my toys out the pram if he goes with Kamara instead because Kamara is fine there. But I just feel there’s a bit of pressure on Ramsey to turn up.
“We know he’s capable of it. Gamble isn’t the right word, because he’s a top player, I think we’re all in agreement there.
“I think maybe he’s due Rangers a performance and Sunday could be it, so I’d take the chance.”
Now or never
This is the exact sort of scenario that Ramsey was brought in to Ibrox for in January, to make a difference on the grandest stage of them all.
His experience of playing at the highest level in the biggest competitions is pivotal in situations like this, where the Scottish Premiership title will essentially be decided by the result and Rangers are without their star man.
For Ramsey to step into the cauldron that will be Ibrox, with all eyes on him, he will thrive on that sort of environment and his quality could be the difference between three points or not.
As McCoist says, Van Bronckhorst could go with Kamara and it would be hard to argue because he has been excellent whenever called upon. But Ramsey is a game changer and has the ability to win games on his own.
Without a star man, the fans need that bit of stardust to give them extra hope in what is set to be an incredibly tight game and Ramsey can finally live up to the expectations his transfer brought back in January.
In other Rangers news, Rangers dealt Old Firm blow as Celtic share fitness update ahead of major Sunday game