McLeish told his time will come soon

Published on Wednesday 10 November 2004 02:21

ONLY an Old Firm affair such as tonight’s CIS Cup showdown at Ibrox could create circumstances in which Martin O’Neill would make a promise that Alex McLeish has to keep.

The Celtic manager’s pledge centred on his team’s seven straight victories over their fiercest rivals and the inevitability of the run, at some stage, shuddering to a halt. For his counterpart, of course, turning the probability into reality is the more difficult of the two parts of the prediction.

"Ending the run would not be the first thing I would be thinking about in terms of the match," said O’Neill. "But it will happen at some time. Rangers will start beating us again, and this is the first opportunity they have."

O’Neill’s appears unwilling to risk disruption to Celtic’s winning sequence by fielding (as has been suggested in some quarters) anything other than the strongest team at his disposal. He is clearly as aware as anyone of the growing unease among his supporters over the champions’ vulnerability in recent weeks.

Defeat in tonight’s quarter-final could even be interpreted as the onset of a transfer of supremacy in Scottish football, with Rangers gathering enough impetus from victory to take them eventually to the top of the league itself. Without the injured Chris Sutton, O’Neill is denied his most formidable line-up, but he will draw encouragement from the defeat of Rangers earlier this season without the big Englishman.

Whether or not McLeish and his players can relieve themselves of a burden that has become weightier with each defeat in the series will depend on their own progress and/or Celtic’s deterioration since that 1-0 defeat at Parkhead on 29 August. These crucial elements are more difficult to assess than may be apparent from statistics.

Rangers’ present run of 11 matches unbeaten includes a number of unconvincing victories against domestic opposition (as well as the penalty shoot-out win over Maritimo that kept them in the UEFA Cup) and a 1-1 draw at home to the Premierleague’s bottom club, Dundee United, just two-and-a-half weeks ago.

Celtic have been no more impressive in the same period, having lost at home to Aberdeen in the league and struggled towards pedestrian victories in several other matches. But they have given fleeting demonstrations of their capacity for meeting the standard demanded by big occasions, as in the second half of each of their Champions League matches with Barcelona and Milan and in their hard-fought victory over Shakhtar Donetsk last Wednesday.

Certainly, McLeish himself realises that Rangers still have to prove themselves as genuine challengers for the ascendancy. In discussing their prospects in this latest collision yesterday, the Ibrox manager was careful to avoid bravado, making sure his trumpet remained in its case. This reserve did not suggest a lack of optimism or confidence, but prudence and a sound grasp of reality.

"Of course, we’d like to stop Celtic’s run, but there are no guarantees," said McLeish. "We are going to have to work very hard against a proud team who will want to maintain their record. If people are saying Celtic are looking vulnerable, we’re not going to be presumptuous about that. They will be up for this game all right.

"But you have to look forward all the time, otherwise you’ll be dragged down. You can’t allow yourself to dwell on past results. I think we have improved as a result of our players getting to know each other better. If we are told that players who cost 30million in England will take a year to settle, we’ve no right to expect it to happen here in a few weeks.

"But, of course, winning this match would be an indicator that we are heading in the right direction. The CIS Cup is the first trophy of the season and, for that reason, I’ve always seen it as very important. It gave me a great start to my career here at Ibrox.

"And, although some people have said that I made a rod for my own back with so much success in that first full season, I don’t think I would be sitting here talking to you now if we hadn’t won that treble."

McLeish’s belief in his players is deepened by the fact that he has all of them except the suspended Bob Malcolm available for selection. But, even with Dado Prso returned from injury, it seems likely that he will continue with Nacho Novo and Steven Thompson in attack, supported by Peter Lovenkrands, the combination that brought a 4-1 victory at Livingston last Sunday.

His selection dilemma involves the replacement of the muscular Malcolm in midfield. Alex Rae and Zurab Khizanishvili are the obvious contenders and, even if the former has played only 16 minutes as a substitute after a two-month absence, his physical attributes are likely to make him the preferred choice.

"There’s no doubt that, in past seasons, Celtic have been physically stronger than us," said McLeish. "To beat them, we had to play almost the perfect game, because we were a more technical side. I think we’ve improved in that area."

Being at home gives Rangers some kind of advantage, but, against opponents not given to meekness, they still appear likely to need every edge they can find.