Rangers: Celtic land ‘massive boost’ as Brendan Rodgers avoids five game ban over John Beaton
Brendan Rodgers avoiding a touchline ban for Celtic’s visit to Rangers is a “massive boost” to the Hoops, says Derek Ferguson.
The Parkhead boss was given a two-game ban with one suspended following comments he made about VAR John Beaton, who is due to take charge at Ibrox on Sunday (7 April), in the wake of Celtic’s 2-0 defeat at Hearts on 3 March, when Ferguson thought he could land a sanction of more than double that.
Rodgers therefore missed the 3-0 win at Livingston last weekend and will be present on the bench when he takes on the Light Blues defending a one-point advantage at the top of the table having played a game more.
Ferguson believes it can’t be underestimated how important that development might be in a game that could be as tight as the Old Firm derby, with the presence of the manager in close proximity to the players on the sideline and in the dressing room at half-time potentially able to make the difference on the day.
He exclusively told Ibrox News: “It’s massive, of course it is. I thought when he made the comments about John Beaton and about VAR, he was going to get something like a four or five match ban.
“To be honest with you I think they’ve been pretty lenient. But it is what it is. He’s got the two matches with one suspended.
“But aye that makes such a difference, when you can communicate between the players at the side of the park, with the bench, I think it’s massive.
“It’s all about influence and you’re looking for that one or two per cent advantage, and if you’ve got your manager at the side of the park that can be that one or two per cent.
“Because if you’re sitting up in the stands and communicating with a walkie talkie it’s not the same.
“If you can’t get to that dressing room at half time, and maybe sometimes ruffle a few feathers to get your point across, players react to the manager.
“They react differently to coaches so that’s a massive boost for Celtic.”
Brendan Rodgers set for Rangers clash after lenient Hearts punishment
Considering how direct and critical Rodgers had been after his side were beaten at Tynecastle, specifically naming Beaton, he can probably think himself lucky to have only missed one game.
The Old Firm derby was already going to be a hugely significant affair given how Philippe Clement has brought Rangers back from a hefty deficit, but the added element of both the official and the opposing manager being present increases the stakes even further.
The Light Blues might have felt slightly more confident of recording a crucial victory had the visiting manager been somewhere in the stands, although quite where he’d have sat would have been interesting, but will know that they need to be at their best whoever is or isn’t involved.
They went into the first derby of the season under Michael Beale expected to take advantage of a weakened Hoops back line and failed to do so, but this is a different team under Clement so it is time to prove as much.
In other Rangers news, the Light Blues are now just two results from claiming the title says a Sky Sports pundit.
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