Ian Durrant believes that Mark Warburton has got three stars ready to kill off Celtic’s BetFred Cup ambitions.
Up until a certain hammering on September 10 Celtic had been warned about the double danger of Joey Barton and Niko Kranjcar but a 5-1 hiding put that myth to bed.
After surviving until half time on a yellow card Kranjcar was substituted at half-time while Barton dropped out of the firing line into defence and hasn’t kicked a ball since being bossed by Scott Brown.
Kranjcar and Barton were brought in on big money to lead Mark Warburton title charge but after a quick dose of reality Warbo, who used to work as a city trader, has turned the clock back to last season in search of the winning formula.
Explaining the theory in The Sun Durrant said: “I know the ones that came in last year, guys like Andy Halliday, Jason Holt and Harry Forrester. They are characters and they believe in their own ability.
“Martyn Waghorn is never short of goals, while Kenny Miller and Lee Wallace have been over it and they know what the script is. Danny Wilson has been there too.
“A lot of the time Old Firm games are not the prettiest. A lot of it depends on luck, and if you get that first goal you’ve got a chance.
“Rangers will have great backing at Hampden and this is the time to stand up and be a Rangers player.”
Durrant added: “In Dick Advocaat’s first game Rangers lost 6-2 and then the next one, albeit after the addition of Ronald de Boer, they turned Celtic over 5-1. Rangers were major underdogs at Parkhead and they will be major underdogs again, but if you want to be a Rangers player this is the time to stand up.
“We have heard a lot of talk, but this is it now. Celtic don’t have a good record at Hampden, so maybe their time will come. It will be a hard game, a really hard game.”
NOTE: In Advocaat’s first game at Celtic Park he lost 5-1 to a team managed by Dr Jo Venglos. In his fifth visit to Celtic his side lost 6-2 to new Celtic boss Martin O’Neill.