ian1964 10,486 Posted February 1, 2013 Share Posted February 1, 2013 RANGERS could bury a 24-year Scottish Cup hoodoo by beating Dundee United in tomorrowâ??s game of hate. Ex-Gers star Kevin Drinkell believes the chaos off the pitch will be matched by on-field carnage in a classic. With away fans boycotting Tannadice and ex-Celt Jackie McNamara newly installed as United boss, there is added spice to the Fifth Round clash. Drinks played in Gersâ?? last Scottish Cup win over the Arabs way back in 1989 and expects a goal frenzy this weekend. Drinkell said: â??There is so much going on at both clubs off the pitch, and a lot of attention has been placed on the controversy. â??Rangers fans are boycotting Tannadice, United have a new manager â?? people are talking about everything bar the football. â??It has been a bizarre build-up off the pitch, but it could live long in the memory on it. â??It wonâ??t be a boring 0-0 draw. There will be stuff going on before the game and throughout the 90 minutes. â??Ally McCoist will be rallying the troops and will be desperate to get a result. â??It is a huge match, arguably the biggest of the season for both clubs, and it could be a real classic. â??Lose this game and the season will just fizzle out. There is so much at stake. â??But forget league form and the divisions that separate them â?? that does not matter. â??Rangers have already beaten Motherwell in the League Cup this season and deservedly so. But then they lost heavily to Inverness in the next round. â??It is hard to say how their young guys will cope against Unitedâ??s SPL players. But it will be interesting.â? Drinkell, now an agent, believes the presence of Lee McCulloch in the Gers team will prove crucial. Ibrox skipper Jig is winning his fitness battle after a four-week absence with an ankle knock. Drinks expects Coisty to field McCulloch at the heart of his side for the powderkeg Tannadice clash. He added: â??Rangers need McCullochâ??s experience. Ally has a lot of youth in his side and that brings inconsistency. â??McCulloch could be a huge influence in this tie. In big games, you need your big players. â??He could play up front or at the back, but I would put Lee in the middle of the park. â??Lee could help the youngsters, make sure the team keeps its shape and be an aggressive presence. â??But United players will have a lot to prove. They are out to impress a new gaffer and that will be a huge motivation.â? Drinkell spent close to 18 months at Ibrox and won the Premier League title and League Cup. The Scottish Cup eluded the big striker â?? with Celtic beating Gers 1-0 in the 1989 final. Rangers recovered from that loss and have lifted the trophy NINE times since. But they have failed to beat United in the Cup since a 1-0 1989 quarter-final win â?? losing three ties including the 1994 final. Drinkell said: â??Iâ??m surprised Rangers have not beaten United in the Cup since then. â??You would have expected more meetings between the teams, but United have always been a difficult team to play against. â??Back in 1989, United were a big, tough, team. You had guys like Paul Hegarty and John Clark â?? real competitors. â??It was around the time of Unitedâ??s European exploits and it was a right good result for us winning up there. â??Coisty produced the goods for us again in a 1-0 win, like he usually did. The semi-final sticks in my mind more. We drew 0-0 with St Johnstone and were extremely lucky. â??Graeme Souness was the boss and had us back in training on the Sunday. He was not a happy bunny. â??He went through the team and said if we did not sort it out, heâ??d go out and buy a whole new side. â??We ended up winning 4-0 in the replay so we did sort it out â?? thankfully!â? Read more: http://www.thesun.co.uk/sol/homepage/sport/leaguedivision3/4772947/Boycotts-hate-and-hoodoos-cant-wait.html#ixzz2JbP2awX4 0 Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
EDGE 0 Posted February 1, 2013 Share Posted February 1, 2013 "Game of hate" What a pile of shite. Anyone who "hates" over a game of football is mentally ill and needs to get a grip of reality. 0 Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
ComeOffit 0 Posted February 1, 2013 Share Posted February 1, 2013 "Game of hate" What a pile of shite. Anyone who "hates" over a game of football is mentally ill and needs to get a grip of reality. It stopped being about the "football" years ago. None more so than this season of farce. It's now just a bunch of leeches feeding at the trough of the working mans pocket. Fucking sickening. 0 Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gribz 743 Posted February 2, 2013 Share Posted February 2, 2013 "Game of hate" What a pile of shite. Anyone who "hates" over a game of football is mentally ill and needs to get a grip of reality. Agreed, I hate to use the word hate. I tend to use 'most disliked' team. As much as Utd have fast became that team for me (which is a pity as I always had a soft spot for them in the 80s and 90s) the use of hate is too far despite me wanting us to win this game more than any since the last OF game and possibly the UEFA cup final. No beaten them since 89 in the cup??? would never have thought that. 0 Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
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