Arthur's Column // 10th May 2023

Don't let anyone kid you on that Saturday's game against Celtic doesn't mean anything.

It does. It's vital. Anyone who says that any Old Firm game isn't overly important doesn't get what Rangers, or this fixture, isw all about.

Sure, I realise that there isn't a title up for grabs, or a piece of silverware, but there is still the chance to beat Celtic. That should mean everything.

We will have 50,000 Rangers supporters inside Ibrox and they will be demanding we get three points. They are quite right to do so.

The facts are we haven't beaten Celtic in over a year. It's time for that to change. That statistic doesn't sit well with me.

I'm sure Michae Beale and the players will feel the same.

Getting three points on Saturday won't change the destination of the title, but it will give us extra belief for the new campaign and give our fans something to cheer about. I don't want us to carry this run of being unable to beat Celtic into next season.

For the players who will be there next season, such as Todd Cantwell, Nicolas Raskin, James Tavernier, Connor Goldson and Fashion Sakala it's a chance to change this ongoing story of not winning this particular fixture.

So, it changes the mindset and line of questioning for the new season.

I believe we can win on Saturday. We defeated Aberdeen 1-0 last weekend and that was a very good three points. We had to work hard for it and the quality of Todd's winning goal was quite sensational. Todd now needs to produce that level of finishing on Saturday. That applies to all of the guys. We need to be better inside the Celtic penalty area.

To win any Old Firm game, it needs to be a real team effort. It's not just about the starting line-up, it's also about the guys on the bench.

Michael made several changes last Sunday and I was pleased to see that. Robby McCrorie started in goals and he performed very well.

I would go with him again on Saturday. Why not? Let Robby find out what it's all about.

Others didn't perform to an acceptable standard for a Rangers jersey and Alfredo Morelos was highlighted for this by the manager at full-time.

Unfortunately, I'm not surprised to hear about this. Alfredo has under-performed far too often and we need to move on from him.

I wish the players the best of luck on Saturday and hope our supporters have something to cheer about at full-time.