Graeme Souness is certain that Rangers can still win the Celtic derby and complete a remarkable triple at the conclusion of the season.
The Ibrox club no longer has any games in hand on their opponents, and they are three points behind with the final Old Firm showdown of the season scheduled for May 11 at Parkhead. That, Souness admits, makes the Hoops clear favourites to retain the title, but the former player says neither he nor any Gers supporters or staff would give up on the trophy until it is mathematically gone.
Souness believes Philippe Clement’s side can shock their opponents in the league derby before doing the same at Hampden in the Scottish Cup Final to claim all three silverwares. However, talkSPORT co-host Simon Jordan has encouraged him to put his Ibrox bias aside and be realistic about the rest of the season.
“It’s Celtic’s to lose,” he said. “If Rangers can go there and win you’re still hoping Celtic drop something elsewhere because of the goal difference.”
Asked by show host Jim White if Clement needs to beat Celtic, Souness said: “Yes, in simple terms. If you’re beating your biggest rival – whatever side of the city you’re on – it generally means you’re going to be winning the league and Rangers haven’t done that this season but there’s still time.
“You can’t separate them – Rangers just have to win every single game and go to Parkhead and win a game of football, which isn’t easy, and hope that Celtic drop some points along the line or score enough goals to make up the goal difference.
“I was at the game at Parkhead when they lost 2-1 and they played a long period of the second half with 10 men and I thought they equipped themselves that day and looked like the team that were going to score goals in the second half after Celtic, as they always do at Parkhead, started like a house on fire.
“And then the game at Ibrox, Rangers didn’t start well and it was all Celtic and the game should have been out of sight at half time. Rangers regrouped and were the better team in the second half by a distance. There’s not a lot between the teams. Of course Philippe Clement has the players to go to Celtic Park and Hampden and win.”
“That’s because you’re showing your Rangers bias,” Jordan said when pushed back upon by Souness. “They haven’t really laid a glove on Celtic, they haven’t beaten them, and all of that leads me to the conclusion that it leaves them in a situation where they don’t win this league because they don’t beat their major rival.”
Souness returned: “I’ve been in the media for a long time. The last 17 years. And you try all the time … I’ve watched Liverpool, Spurs, Middlesbrough even and I say ‘Am I biased, am I biased?’ But I thought at Parkhead that Celtic could have been out of sight at half time but Rangers could easily have got something with 10 men. And at Ibrox a couple of weeks ago the same thing applied. They could have won the game on another day having been completely outplayed and outfought. So what am I saying? Just start well next time and don’t go two goals down.
“The Celtic players and management will not take anything for granted. The minute you get into your armchair in the football world then you’ll become unstuck – and the same when you start talking a good game and say ‘we’ve done this and that’.
So Celtic must continue to perform in every game they play. Celtic and Rangers, like Liverpool and Manchester United, play every game as if it were a cup final. So they cannot rest on their laurels.
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