Peter Martin

[ian1964 10,461]

I EXPECT Celtic to lose tomorrow's Old Firm derby at Ibrox - but it won't affect their grip on the Clydesdale Bank Premier League title and the march towards four-in-a-row.

 

The outcome of this Glasgow derby and the two to follow will not, in my mind, determine the destination of this season's championship flag.

 

Both teams have proved they can slip up elsewhere in the fixture list, and weaknesses in either defence tell me there are more points to be dropped at other grounds.

 

I asked Gordon Strachan, in a special one-to-one interview this week, if he had enough leaders in his pack. The manager put forward a brave case for a number of his team, but a flawed one in my view.

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This is a Celtic side lacking the mental toughness, grit and deter-

mination to win the physical battle facing them in the cauldron of Ibrox at 12.30pm tomorrow.

 

Captain Stephen McManus is struggling with his fitness, but he has still to prove to me his credentials are worthy of the armband in the first place.

 

Paul Hartley, Scott Brown and Barry Robson are an absolute must in the middle of the park to have any chance of at least a point.

 

Pedro Mendes and Barry Ferguson could have a field day if Robson isn't fit, because Brown is the great enigma.

 

At times, I've thought he was the real deal this season, someone to boss games, but there's no consistency.

 

There's no Shaun Maloney or Aiden McGeady, but if the Celtic fans are honest, neither has had a major impact on Old Firm games for quite a while now and their absence is not the over-riding factor in the bookmakers' decision to make Walter Smith's side the favourites.

 

If McManus is fit, Gary Caldwell could find himself in the holding role in midfield to allow Strachan to use Glenn Loovens' height to defend and switch to attack from set-pieces.

 

Playing a half-fit Marc Crosas in the middle of the park would be a gamble.

 

Rangers can get at both Celtic full-backs and, where before, Martin O'Neill's defenders tried to make sure crosses were blocked off at the source, these two give you enough chances to supply the strikers.

 

Artur Boruc, as ever, is the ticking bomb in this fixture. If his head is not right, anything can happen. Strachan needs Artur focused and ready to perform.

 

There are no excuses left for any more blunders. He's used up all his get-out-of-jail cards, saves rather than signs are what real Celtic fans want to see from the Holy Goalie.

 

Shunsuke Nakamura is capable of a moment of genius, but he has been known to disappear in this fixture. Georgios Samaras and Scott McDonald are the last two parts of the jigsaw in this battle for Celtic, I'm not impressed by either.

 

Can they go to Ibrox and boss an ageing David Weir and a player of limited ability' in Kirk Broadfoot? Let's wait and see. If you look at both defences, this should be a high- scoring 4-3 cracker.

 

Both teams have inferior players playing out of position in the backline and that should spell goals.

 

Rangers' winning ingredient for this fixture is home advantage and a greater hunger, especially from their front two.

 

I expect Kris Boyd to get the nod to finally start an Old Firm game with his preferred partner Kenny Miller. Both men are desperate to do well in this game for different reasons.

 

The game will be bossed from the middle of the park and the class of Ferguson will take its toll on the less exper-ienced campaigners wearing the Hoops.

 

How Rangers fans still moan about their captain escapes me, but this match is tailor-made for the number six.

 

The last line of defence for Smith is Allan McGregor.

 

If he has his mind on the job on the park, then it could be a clean sheet but, like Boruc, he's part of the goalkeeper's union and calamity is sometimes never too far away.

 

Big games need big players and they, in turn, win games. I don't think Celtic have enough to match Rangers over the 90 minutes of this encounter.

 

If Strachan's team get a draw, they'll be lucky, very lucky.

 

Thomson well up to derby day task

THERE'S an old saying among the refereeing fraternity that will ring true by about 2.15pm tomorrow afternoon.

 

You can't guarantee who scores, you can't guarantee who wins the game, but you can guarantee who gets the blame!' Step forward the 23rd man in the second Old Firm game of the season, referee Craig Thomson. At 36, there has to be better ways of spending your weekends than listening to 50,000 fans united in giving you stick.

 

The lawyer from Paisley, however, is more than up to the job and, for me, is slowly but surely cementing his place as Scotland's top official.

 

Regardless of how highly I rate Craig, there is one element in tomorrow's match that he will need that is not in the referee's manual ... luck!

 

Every aspect of the man in the middle's decision-making will be scrutinised, analysed and then replayed again from 25 different camera angles on Setanta. What chance does he have with only one set of eyes?

 

This will be Mr Thomson's fourth Old Firm match in charge, each as important as the last, but for the man in black each with different problems that require an instantaneous decision that hopefully, is the correct one at the end of the 90 minutes.

 

Craig will sit down today with Hugh Dallas and have a coffee and a chat about the madness that will undoubtedly unfold. The requirements don't change - keep a cool head, get the players onside early, communicate without a sense of superiority, try to let the game flow and trust in the judgement of yourself and your assistants.

 

It all sounds so easy, but when the noise engulfs you from the tunnel to the pitch and the shrill of your whistle signals the start of the battle, lesser men can lose sight of their role in one of the great derbies in football.

 

Not so Craig. He's a streetwise official mentally, tactically and is physically prepared for the big one. Let's hope he has a good one, because if he doesn't there's only one direction the flak will be flying tomorrow night.

 

http://www.eveningtimes.co.uk/sport/display.var.2477854.0.0.php

[Super_Ally 0]

Have to say, pleasantly suprised by his assessment of the opposing squads in this fixture.

 

 

Honest assessment of Nakamura's contribution to this fixture, Boruc's overrated ability and talk of Brown not doing enough in these fixtures.

[stewarty 1,878]

So, he goes through the entire Celtic team like a dose of the trots yethe still thinks they'll win the title. I'm confused...

[ian1964 10,461]

So, he goes through the entire Celtic team like a dose of the trots yethe still thinks they'll win the title. I'm confused...

 

That's because Peter Martin is a MOPE