Not many Rangers fans are predicting victory over Celtic in the season?s first old firm game this coming Saturday.

Within the space of a week, a slightly disappointing start to the season has tuned into a potentially disastrous one, with awful performances in matches against Molde of Norway in the UEFA Cup and then away to Hibernian on Sunday.

Yet again, an early season month of ?must wins? for Rangers have started with a couple of adverse results, while our city rivals appear to be efficiently if unspectacularly plodding along nicely.

It was the abject manner of our 2-1 defeat on Sunday which has caused most consternation among the fans.

Rangers were totally dominated throughout by a Hibernian team vibrant with youth, guile and experience. The Ibrox side failed to register a single shot at goal until they scored, over an hour into the game.

It was truly depressing stuff that even had some fans calling for the manager?s head, one defeat into his Ibrox tenure.

With an energy sapping CIS Cup tie against Dunfermline our next task, many seem to feel that Saturday?s match is coming just a little too soon for PLG?s side.

But the gloom among Rangers fans is largely the result of a misguided sense of D?j? vu; a sense that this side will collapse in the same manner as a completely different side under a different manager did last season. It?s not a reasoned argument.

Inconsistency is hardly a trait you look for in a team expected to challenge for the title, but for once, our team?s erratic performances thus far may provide us with a much needed glimmer of hope.

If the Rangers who turned up last Sunday saunter into Celtic Park we?ll be stuffed, no question. But if the Rangers who controlled and dominated Hearts a few weeks ago decide to make an appearance, who knows what might happen?

Of course, all the logic favours the Parkhead side. You put the quality crossing of Naylor and Maloney and the finishing power of Vennegoor of Hesselink up against the ball watching of Karl Svensson and the lumbering mistake-a-thon that is Julien Rodriguez you only get one answer.

But since when has logic come into it with the Old Firm?

Where was the logic in Ronald de Boer?s equaliser at Parkhead in 2002, scored while the Celtic fans were still celebrating going 2-1 ahead?

Where was the logic in the 30 yard Bert Konterman screamer that won the League Cup semi in our last treble year?

And where was the logic in coming back from 2-0 down at Celtic Park in 1987 to draw, down to nine men having lost our keeper and captain?

A lot of people say this fixture doesn?t often run to form ? that?s not strictly true. Usually, the better, more consistent side wins.

But it occasionally defies form, logic and the bounds of the imagination, which is why it?s still the greatest fixture on earth.

With the press and the opposition writing us off after a mere seven league games, this is an excellent opportunity for the team to stick two fingers up to the idiots in the media and an even better opportunity for Paul Le Guen to set a defining point in his fledgling reign.

Whichever Rangers team turns up, the opportunity exists to leave Celtic Park vindicated and refreshed and more importantly truly Le Guen?s team, ready for the challenges of the future.

This entry was posted on Wednesday, September 20th, 2006 at 1:45 pm and is filed under Rangers. You can subscribe via RSS 2.0 feed to this post's comments. Both comments and pings are currently closed.