Rangers title race bottle questioned as Celtic 'bogey man' won't shake in his boots over Ibrox challenge

He is a man who knows how to win against Rangers - and the Ibrox title race bottle will come into view again when Brendan Rodgers takes Celtic to Govan.

The Hoops go into the international break this month top of the Premiership after a 3-1 win over St Johnstone, but Rangers' game with Dundee being postponed means they are only a point back with a match in hand. Livingston come next in the league before a huge trip to Ibrox on April 7th.

With 12 wins, two draws and just a solitary defeat over two spells as boss in this fixture, former Celtic manager David Hay senses there will be no senses of fear from a man who knows what this game is all about. He told CQN: "Brendan’s record against Rangers is simply phenomenal. Twelve wins, two draws and one defeat in 15 Glasgow derbies is excellent by anyone’s standards.

“This will be his seventh match at Ibrox and he’s had six successes in that sequence. His solitary loss came in Govan in December 2018 shortly before his move to Leicester City two months later. You could say there are no Ibrox fears for ‘bogey man’ Brendan.

“I was with the official Celtic party back at Ibrox in September when a fabulous goal from Kyogo Furuhashi settled the outcome. The place was bouncing and there were the usual tribal songs leading up to kick-off. I took my seat and glanced at the Celtic manager standing outside the dug-out on the trackside. If there were any traces of nerves, I missed them. Brendan looked like a guy who was born for such a fixture. That takes a fair bit of backbone, believe me.

“One thing is certain – Brendan won’t be shaking in his boots at Ibrox. It could well be the case that nervous tension may be evident elsewhere on and off the pitch that day.”

With title winners like James Forrest and Callum McGregor in their ranks, Hay expects that to give Celtic an added edge. He added: “There’s been a vast improvement at my club’s old foes. The new manager has made a difference, no argument.

“He has found a system that suits his players and he has elevated their work ethic since his arrival in October. Of course, he deserves praise for what he has achieved, it would be churlish to deny him that acclaim, but that’s as far as it goes. Back in 1986, two former Rangers players were sharing the managerial duties at Hearts, Alex MacDonald was the boss and Sandy Jardine, who was still turning out at right-back, was his assistant.

“Those were two individuals who knew how to coax and cajole the best out of the playing staff. They had the experience of winning titles during their days at Ibrox. I can think of only two players – ex-Celtic centre-back Roddie MacDonald and ex-Rangers striker Sandy Clark – as two of their players who understood the demands to overcome the stress factor and actually win a flag.

“I had the likes of Danny McGrain, Roy Aitken, Paul McStay, Murdo MacLeod, Tommy Burns and Pat Bonner among others who had actually achieved the feat. Even Mark McGhee, the frontman I brought in from SV Hamburg during the campaign, had won league medals with Aberdeen.

“Today’s Celtic squad has a manager in Brendan who has already picked up two along with so many of the squad who have been involved in several of the club’s eleven championships over the past 12 years. There’s James Forrest, for a start, who has won an astonishing ELEVEN while Callum McGregor has lifted eight. You cannot buy that experience.

“There is no-one at Ibrox who can come anywhere near those two hauls. Off the top of my head, I can mention James Tavernier and Connor Goldson, but there won’t be too many others who have achieved success at the very pinnacle of a league season. That will undoubtedly count.