IF 2007-08 has unquestionably been a dramatic and eventful season for Scottish football, it is equally in no danger of being described as a classic campaign. The headlines have been dominated by a series of unfortunate events off the pitch, while the on-field fare has often been impoverished.
At lunchtime today, the SPL will present its highest profile fixture to a capacity crowd at Ibrox and a live satellite television audience as championship combatants Rangers and Celtic go head to head for the second time in an intriguing title race.
While the result, as always, will be all consuming for most of those concerned, at least one of the interested parties was able to take a wider view yesterday and express his hopes for a footballing spectacle which will show the Scottish game in its best possible light. Ally McCoist, who was involved in some epic Old Firm clashes as a player, believes another thriller is desperately needed now. "We could do with a great game to get everyone talking about the things we should be talking about," said the Rangers assistant manager. "Rather than the state of football pitches, the unfortunate state of affairs at Gretna or the tragic circumstances we have had this season with the loss of Phil O'Donnell.
"I think it would be fantastic if we got a great game which had us all talking about great players, great goals and great football. There is always a lot at stake in these games, but we have had some classic football matches nonetheless.
"If you look back, there have been some brilliant games when you least expect them. I hope that will be the case, with us coming out on top.
"There is a lot at stake in this one, but hopefully that won't add to the tension to the extent that players can't go out, play well and enjoy themselves. I don't think it will start off as an open game, although you always take a risk predicting how they will go, but I'd like to think it will develop into an open game."
With the championship race on a knife-edge, the match also has the potential to be one of the more fiery Old Firm encounters, but McCoist echoed Celtic manager Gordon Strachan's sentiments in calling on players to control themselves in the heat of battle.
"I read Gordon's quotes this morning and I couldn't agree with them more," he said. "The players have a responsibility to themselves, their clubs and the supporters in an Old Firm game. They have a responsibility to play the game in the right spirit, with total commitment but with a respect for your opposition.
"I think we'll get that. Celtic have got great professionals in their dressing-room, people like Stephen McManus, Gary Caldwell and Paul Hartley. So have we. They will all probably deny it in court, but they also all have a healthy respect for each other."
Rangers have won all three Old Firm games played since Walter Smith returned to Ibrox as manager, but McCoist downplayed the significance of that statistic and outlined the qualities he believes are required to succeed in the fixture.
"It's pointless looking at previous Old Firm games, because there is always the possibility of something new being conjured up," he said.
"In our first Old Firm game back, at Parkhead last season, Celtic gave us a bit of a going-over in the first half but we nicked a goal and won it. That kind of thing happens more often in this fixture than any other. It is a game that tends to come back and slap you in the face.
"Ability is obviously important, but there are other factors which are more important in these games. You need mental toughness, an attitude and desire as much as anything. You also need a little bit of luck."
McCoist also observed that the contribution of rival goalkeepers Allan McGregor and Artur Boruc could prove decisive today.
"They are both equally vital to their clubs," he said. "Celtic have a fantastic goalkeeper in Boruc, but I think ours is top class as well.
"We've been lucky at this club with goalkeepers. We've had Chris Woods, Andy Goram and Stefan Klos who were all absolutely top class keepers. Allan McGregor is in a rich vein of form for us now and I'm hopeful he can go on to take up that kind of mantle."
The full article contains 757 words and appears in The Scotsman newspaper.
