Rangers’ players have been reminded by John Brown how crucial it is to start all 11 players in Saturday’s Scottish Gas Scottish Cup final at Hampden against Celtic.
The Ibrox team saw John Lundstram sent off in the first half of a decisive Premiership loss at the same stadium earlier this month, while Leon Balogun received a red card in the second half of a 2-1 loss at Parkhead back in December.
Brown, who assisted the Glasgow giants in winning Nine-In-A-Row and enjoying a prolonged spell of dominance over their city rivals in the 1990s, is aware that his former team’s success this weekend depends on denying the Scottish champions a numerical edge.
The former center half was known for being a tough opponent when he was playing, but he was never sent off in an Old Firm derby, and he believes that by maintaining his composure, he was able to enjoy more wins than losses during those games.
The Rangers ambassador believes that if Philippe Clement’s team keeps their composure, they can pull off an upset victory over Brendan Rodgers’ club. He has identified holes in the Celtic defense during the 2023–24 campaign.
He was speaking to students from Ibrox Primary School who were participating in the Rangers Charity Foundation’s Scottish FA Extra Time after-school program at the Ibrox Community Complex. “Lundstram had scored an own goal in the recent game so his head was away with it,” he remarked.
He makes a lunge, and you always run the risk when you make a lunge like that. It was unmistakably red. If the score was 2-1 at halftime, things might have turned out differently.
A man with his background ought to have been more aware. “In these games, you need to channel your aggression and maintain composure when others are losing it.” You must maintain your composure.
I appreciate that coming at me! However, I was never sent off in any Old Firm matches.
“We need you on the park,” our managers Walter Smith and Graeme Souness would often say. There was nobody in the stands who could utilize you. You had to channel it and express it appropriately.
After winning the Premiership last week for the third time in a row, Celtic is the clear favorite to defeat Rangers once more and complete a domestic double.
Brown is confident that James Tavernier and his teammates can win, though, having won 14 titles in his nine years as a player at his childhood heroes in the 1980s and 1990s.
In these sports, anything can happen,” he remarked. Celtic will collapse if they enter the game believing they would prevail. Their manager, I believe, will make sure they understand that and handle it appropriately.
“The same will be done by our manager. Since their defense is their weak point, he will be advising his teammates to try and get in behind and put them on the defensive. “Celtic has attacked us in previous games, coming out of the blocks quickly.
At Ibrox, Celtic gave one of the best performances I’ve ever seen in the first half. We had a lot of trouble getting back into it.
They have pulled out all the stops in every game we have played against them, so we must be prepared for that. We must make an effort to approach them and derail them.
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