“The intensity needs to be there in your game but you also need to have the cool mind to think in the game tactically”, Celtic manager Brendan Rodgers said on Friday. The support from them was magnificent, but we don’t come here, or anywhere, and lose goals like that. Never back down remained the motto however, as they steadily rose up the ranks and finally got back up to the place where they deserved to be.
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“We’re very lucky to have him here, and he’s been clear that he wanted to come to a club – a winning club – that can develop him”. We appreciate the significance of this game, but like we said going into the cup semi past year, it’s about what we do. When Barrie pulled his shot just wide I turned to Davie and said: “If we get this goal here we’re in good shape”. I think you have seen in each of the four games how we can play and hurt teams, but it’s not been a sustained performance over the 90 minutes and that’s something we have to put right for the weekend.
‘We’d like to have 12 or 13 but the fact of the matter is we’re still gelling. “But at 3-1 that was my call to try to get something from the game”. We just got beat 5-1.
“Again, though, goals change games and from our point of view it was a poor one”.
There’s unlikely to be a soccer-loving Glasgow household that isn’t tinged with excitement at the renewal of the Celtic-Rangers rivalry.
“You listened to what we asked and behaved accordingly which has helped our officers ensure the safety of everyone attending the venue”.
The official still had to dish out six bookings, a red card and send Rangers assistant boss Davie Weir to the stand but it was a controlled display from Scotland’s top referee.
‘The atmosphere and the crowd baying for blood in terms of having a player sent off, I was anxious for Niko, ‘ explained Warburton. Bedecked in green, white and orange bin-liners (which they wore throughout) it gave some extra colour to that area of the ground. Now ten men each, we are not chasing round like headless chickens, because they are a good team like we are in keeping the ball. Rangers had their moments, many of them flowing through Windass, but they were outclassed at both ends of the pitch in the end. “We are going into a local derby with 60,000 fans, 52,500 of which will be backing one side”, Warburton said.
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“I made the people happy there, for a period of time”, he said.
