Rangers are going into the first Old Firm derby of the season as heavy underdogs with Philippe Clement up against it for a variety of reasons.
The manager still has gaps in his squad unless there is a minor miracle before the transfer window shuts and will be glad to see the back of a difficult summer and get home to Ibrox.
Yet to taste success in the derby, Clement will be hoping to take inspiration from Rangers great Graeme Souness who turned the tide in the Glasgow.
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Martin O’Neill fires Graeme Souness jibe ahead of Old Firm
The Gers boss could do with a player like Souness in his team now with Martin O’Neill fielding a question on the SPFL Warm Up show that nearly made the ex-Celtic blush.
There’s no such thing as a stupid question, however, host Gordon Duncan might want this one back when he asked O’Neill:
“Would Graeme Souness get in your treble winning side?”
To which the O’Neill replied:
“Would Graeme Souness get in my treble side?
“In fairness, I shouldn’t really say this, but Souness would just about get in everybody’s world XI.
When the Gers legend thanked O’Neill for the kind words, the former Celtic manager replied:
“That’s the last time, it shouldn’t really matter but, I’ don’t actually like him.
“I’m talking about his ability as a player.”
We think O’Neill was joking in terms of his dislike of Souness, however, he wasn’t when waxing lyrical about how good the ex-Scotland captain was as a player.
A multiple European Cup and league winner with Liverpool, Souness also played in Serie A when it was a who’s who of world class players.
Souness was right about Rangers and the gap to Celtic
Ahead of Sunday’s Old Firm, it’s worth remembering Souness’ comments before the Scottish Cup final on the last day of 2023/24.
Never one to shy away from a big opinion, Souness revealed that he didn’t think there was much between the two sides:
“I don’t believe there is a big difference between the two teams but ultimately you know at the start of each season you’re going to win the league or lose it by your Old Firm results.
“There’s not a lot between the two. For me, they have better strikers. I don’t see a gulf in the quality of football they play. They have better goal getters which ultimately does decide games.”
As the game – and the 3-3 draw at Parkhead proved – Souness is right.
Philippe Clement thought it was only fine margins that went against his side in the derbies.
Celtic were more clinical and haven’t added any new players in the final third, whereas Rangers have Danilo and Oscar Cortes back as well as Vaclav Cerny.
New signings will help to close the gap, it’s just a shame that the next Graeme Souness isn’t in line to be welcomed to Ibrox.
