McCoist backs Boyd to slay Celtic and end derby dearth

Published on Wednesday 6 May 2009 22:41

ALLY McCoist has backed Kris Boyd to end his Celtic hoodoo with a goal in this weekend's Old Firm derby.

Boyd is on a fine run at the moment, recently claiming his 100th goal for Rangers before bringing his tally for the season to 30 on Sunday against Hearts.

But one complaint levelled against the prolific hitman is his inability to find the back of the net against Celtic.

He has scored just once in 18 career appearances against the Hoops – two years ago – but Rangers assistant boss McCoist has predicted Boyd will be on target at Ibrox on Saturday.

He said: "Kris is a man with a lot of confidence at the moment and his total against Celtic is just a statistic. We all know Boydy can score against anybody.

"He has scored at international level and in European competitions as well as in domestic games so there is no doubting what he can do.

"I really hope this is a game that is set up for him. When you look at the strikers and some of the things that are written in the stars for them, I hope this is one of them.

"Kris has had a terrific season and it was a wonderful achievement for him to reach 100 goals for the club recently.

"So early in his Rangers career, I hope it's the first hundred of many. You never know what could happen. I certainly wish him luck with that. People earn their luck and if Boydy were to get the winner this weekend against Celtic, nobody would be more pleased than me. And I include Kris in that."

Celtic head into the final Old Firm derby of the season with a single-point advantage at the summit of the Clydesdale Bank Premier League.

McCoist added: "This is a massive game and it goes without saying that that's the case. It always is when the Old Firm meet.

"It's vitally important with regards to the destination of the title that we pick up points in this one.

"The derbies are always huge and it's difficult to rank them in any sort of order but this one is going to be about as vital as they come."

McCoist's former colleague from his playing days at Ibrox, Richard Gough, believes Rangers have to win this season's Clydesdale Bank Premier League to prevent Celtic dominating the Scottish game.

The champions are one point ahead of the Light Blues ahead of the crunch Old Firm derby at Ibrox on Saturday.

Gough captained the Govan side during their nine-in-a-row title campaigns in the 1980s and 1990s, returning for another season at Ibrox after a spell in America.

He believes there are parallels to be drawn between Rangers' dominance in the 1990s and a possible stranglehold Celtic could have over the next few years.

"From my side of the fence, I hope Celtic don't win the league," Gough said.

"It could go in to something like when we were winning our fourth, fifth and sixth championships.

"We were a lot stronger than Celtic financially during those years and I remember they had a barren two or three years when they did not have the quality of players that Celtic should have had.

"You hope that doesn't happen (in Celtic's favour), but it could well happen.

"If Celtic got stronger financially and Rangers couldn't afford to get the players that they need, it could be a problem.

"So it's probably a lot more important for Rangers to win the championship than Celtic."

Gough believes his former club are good enough to take the title and also the Homecoming Scottish Cup final against Falkirk at the end of the month.

"I know Walter Smith so well and I know what he will be saying, 'Win five games and you have won the double'. It's as simple as that," he said.