Don't write off Rangers Chances Just Yet-Spiers

[chilledbear 16]

Has Spiers just written a decent article?? Novo a chancer!!!

 

Graham Spiers

 

In the stampede to laud Celtic's heroic win at Ibrox last weekend, it appears that many have fallen over themselves in their rush to dismiss Rangers' title chances in Scotland come May. It may be a dangerous assumption, for no other reason than the evidence of last season, where Celtic were deemed to lag too far behind Walter Smith's men in early April before clinching the championship on the final, dramatic night.

 

With five months and 18 games of the Clydesdale Bank Premier League still to go, is seven points really such a frightening gap between the Old Firm? Rangers next face Celtic at Parkhead on February 15, with one remaining Old Firm clash to follow, and anything can happen in these matches.

 

Moreover, there appear to be wider pitfalls this season in the SPL for Rangers and Celtic which will determine their success or failure.

 

Rangers have been to Motherwell and dropped points. Celtic recently lost to Hibernian at Easter Road. Rangers lost to St Mirren at Love Street in October. For both teams, visits to Tynecastle and Tannadice, in particular, are going to be fraught. In this haphazard excitement Celtic can certainly be caught.

 

Walter Smith has repeatedly argued that his team is capable of going on one of their unbeaten runs, and the time appears to be ripe for such a venture. Moreover, if Kris Boyd, who looks on target to deliver 35 goals this season, can continue in his recent scoring vein, then Rangers have a weapon which cannot be dismissed. Boyd's form, in fact, will largely determine his team's fate.

 

One thing Smith should certainly consider doing is playing Kyle Lafferty, a tall, strong, skilful player, as a partner for Boyd through the middle. Lafferty may not yet be worth the �£3.5m that Rangers paid for him, but he is a good footballer, and a far better player than many give him credit for. From Lafferty's earliest days at Ibrox, Smith has repeatedly said that his best position is "through the middle", yet too often the striker has been turned into a refugee on the left wing.

 

It would be fascinating to see the effect it had on Rangers if a Boyd-Lafferty central partnership was struck up. The Northern Ireland striker's height would give added menace to Rangers in attack, quite apart from his poise in front of goal, which has been seen, for instance, at Tannadice on December 13 when Lafferty deftly scored against Dundee United in a 2-2 draw.

 

It is time, surely, that Smith gave Lafferty a chance in his true position.

 

The obvious deficiency for Rangers is in central defence, where Kirk Broadfoot can look lumbering and David Weir is in his final Ibrox season, though Smith is actively looking to address this in the coming January window. If Smith can pluck a good defender from somewhere, and finally put an end to Lafferty's on-field obscurity, Rangers will certainly still have a healthy chance of winning the 2008-09 title.

 

Changing sides

 

Nacho Novo pulled off a remarkable feat last Saturday. Having played for 15 minutes as a sub for Rangers in the Old Firm derby at lunchtime, he then played for his home region of Galicia on Saturday night back in Spain in a friendly againts Iran, scoring twice in Galicia's 3-2 win. That's not bad going for Novo, who is about to leave Rangers.

 

While we're on the subject, does this wee chancer still want to play for Scotland? Or is he still hoping for a Spain call-up?

 

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