Lee McCulloch in awe of ‘tremendous’ Brendan Rodgers, says Rangers have to ‘respect’ rivals Celtic
Lee McCulloch says Rangers have “still got to give Celtic a lot of respect” especially because of their “tremendous” manager Brendan Rodgers.
Rangers’ 3-1 win over Dundee on Saturday (9 December) coupled with Celtic’s shock 2-1 reverse at Kilmarnock means the Light Blues are now just five points adrift of the Bhoys with a game in hand in the Scottish Premiership.
Former Rangers captain McCulloch, now a pundit with Sky Sports and BBC, sent a warning to his former club in an interview with Sky Sports (13:15), though.
“I think if you’re sitting in the Rangers camp you’ve still to give Celtic a lot of respect, they’ve still got some really good players, a tremendous manager and I would imagine they’ll try and reinforce and bring some players in during the January transfer window,” he said.
“I think Brendan will be probably looking to do that and maybe one or two out but I think that will be the same with Rangers as well.
“You’ve got (Philippe) Clement working with a squad that he’s not signed any of them so he’ll be looking to put his stamp on the squad and the team as well.”
The fight is on
Don’t get me wrong, I kind of get why McCulloch is taking that view.
But now doesn’t really feel like the time for niceties. Now is the time to really go for the jugular, crank the pressure up on Celtic, roll up the sleeves, and show that you are ready for the fight.
Many had written Rangers out of the title race as early as the first game when they too were beaten by Kilmarnock, and the woeful end to Michael Beale’s tenure certainly did little to inspire confidence they could get the job done.
Under Clement, though, there is a new belief. Performances are maybe still not where the boss will want them to be, but the results are certainly being racked up and, frankly, that is all that matters right now.
Rangers are in this fight and Rangers can win this title. It doesn’t matter what is going on with the other side of Glasgow, it is about making sure they bring the fight. Bring it on.
In other Rangers news, Dermot Gallagher reacted to a controversial moment during the win over Dundee.