Hugh Keevins: A one sided pitch battle needs to be fought

The accusation made against Mark Warburton prior to his 'Whodunit' of a departure from Ibrox was that he didn't 'Get' Rangers.

Published 20th Feb 2017
Last updated 20th Feb 2017

The accusation made against Mark Warburton prior to his 'Whodunit' of a departure from Ibrox was that he didn't 'Get' Rangers.

The evidence used against him was presumably based on Warburton being English and from the floor of the Stock Exchange as opposed to being Scottish and from Govan Road.

But who 'Gets' Rangers now after the abject display given while losing to Dundee at Dens Park on Sunday?

Throughout all of my life as a born and bred Glaswegian I have always believed that the only thing that mattered to Rangers supporters was finishing above Celtic, and that the same, simple rule of thumb was applied by Celtic supporters when assessing their club's wellbeing.

So what will the Ibrox hierarchy do now that the league gap between the two clubs is a mind boggling thirty points and there exists a real danger Rangers might yet fail to qualify for the Europa league based on their league position?

Can they hold their nerve and proceed with the change of philosophy that will mean the long term appointment of a Director of Football along with a new first team coach?

Or will they react to the clamour from disgruntled fans for something to be done on a short term basis and have Graeme Murty replaced by someone more experienced before Rangers get to Inverness for Friday night's game against Caley Thistle?

It is the definition of being stuck between a rock and a hard place, except you can't hear yourself think for the sound of people shouting and bawling in the background.

When Fergus McCann inherited Celtic, bereft of money and support, in 1994 he had the courage of his convictions to say he didn't care if Rangers equalled his club's record of nine title wins in a row because the long term future was more important to him.

And he was, as history has shown, been proved to be correct in his thinking.

Unpalatable as it may be for the Rangers support today, they may have to run the risk of Celtic winning what could turn out to be an un-equalled Ten in a Row while hoping that the custodians of their club can re-structure, re-organise and re-invigorate a presently moribund team before that happens.

Or else they could get lucky and Brendan Rodgers decides Scottish football is too easy and goes off elsewhere.

That is the only hope that Rangers have at the moment while they negotiate the worst days of the club's history, which is why Celtic will shortly have a new pitch.

Rodgers seemed to be asserting his position as the figurehead who must not be contradicted at the weekend when he slated the state of the Celtic Park playing surface and insisted that a new Desso hybrid pitch had to be installed in time for the start of next season.

Celtic's performance against Motherwell at the weekend might have fallen short of expected standards. When, for example, was the last time they played for half a game without scoring a goal?

But was the pitch really to blame?

It was the same playing field on which, the previous weekend, Celtic had taken six goals off Inverness Caley Thistle in a Scottish Cup tie. A game in which the Highlanders were by all accounts extremely fortunate not to have lost by double figures.

It was also the same playing surface on which, last September, five goals had been stuck past Rangers in the first Old Firm derby of the season.

And the same field on which Rodgers' team had scored three against the might of Manchester City in the group stages of the Champions League.

I can offer a personal account of how seriously Celtic's ground staff take their duties were the pitch is concerned.

An overly excited seven year old grandson of mine had, while on the stadium tour of Celtic Park, run on to the field with his ball while the ground staff were slaving over their close season preparation of the turf.

The instruction to leave the field, and to do so immediately, was swiftly delivered and couched in terms that defied supplementary questioning. Luckily the little mite being London-born and having difficulty with Scottish accents was unaware of the directions being given.

But there is a simple principle being applied here; what Brendan wants, Brendan gets because the fans would revolt if there was any suggestion the manager was being hindered in any way by the suits in the background.

And what can you get for £2m in any case?

A striker who couldn't strike, like Stefan Scepovic, or the now exiled Nadir Ciftci?

If the manager says the new surface will make Celtic even better then a new surface it shall be.

The money's in the bank, of that there can be no doubt, and if a small percentage of it can't be devoted to running repairs then I'd love to hear what the fans were told by way of explanation.

In the meantime, the ground on which Celtic have won every domestic league and cup match they have played this season will need to be manicured as best as possible to house the rousing finale to the domestic programme anticipated by Rodgers' adoring public.

On the other side of the city there are weightier problems to be concerned with.

Rangers will, in all probability, have to suck up yet more pain before this season is over and let Celtic get on with a private party at their expense.

If there is no fresh investment on the horizon to suggest a possible shift in the balance of power then the Ibrox board will need to come up with a strategy which does that job for them.

There has surely never been a greater test of resolve, patience and ingenuity where they are concerned.