Barry Ferguson has warned the current squad of players at Ibrox to take note of Celtic’s return to winning ways.
Over the last few weeks it has seemed that the SPFL title was done and dusted with speculation over whether the title can be clinched with a derby victory at Celtic Park next month.
Former chairman Dave King has already been revealing his celebration plans and his expectation that this season’s title is the launch pad for many more.
Some of that thinking seems to have seeped into Steven Gerrard’s dressing room with the runaway leaders toiling to a 1-1 draw at Hamilton on Sunday.
‘Rubbish’ was the blunt response of Allan McGregor when he was asked about the performance by Sky Sports with his former team-mate Ferguson also picking up warning signs.
He told the Daily Record:
What was a 23 point gap just a week or so ago is now down to 18. I may not have come top of the class at arithmetic during my school days but I can spot a five point swing when I see one and I can also see signs of Celtic getting back into their stride at a dangerous moment in the current campaign.
With one game still in hand and two Old Firm games to be played, this league is not done and dusted the way so many people seemed to think it was just a fortnight or so ago. Which is exactly why the time has come for these Rangers players to give themselves a shake and start hammering the final nails into the coffin.
Don’t listen to Dave King, who seems to have declared it all over already, and don’t pay attention to any other noise going on outside of Auchenhowie. If you start to pay attention to it or to believe that all the hard work has been done that’s when football has a way of coming back and slapping you right in the dish.
Ferguson sometimes gives the impression that he is still involved at Ibrox with this hilarious addition to his Record column:
So on Wednesday night I watched Celtic put four past St Mirren and as the goals started flying in during the second half I rolled up the sleeves of my trackie top and thought to myself, ‘Hmmm, this lot are not going away. I’m ready to go here.”
Go where? The only place I was going on Thursday morning was a trip to the local dump but I wish I had been heading back to that training ground because I’d be having a word with my teammates to make sure they were watching the same thing. That they are ready to sit up and take notice.
It’s not something I’d just park at the back of my mind. I’d be talking about it and making sure that the rest of the lads understand what’s at stake here. ‘Did you see them? Here, they were good last night. We’ve got to be ready for this. We can’t afford any more slip ups!’.
If they thought Celtic were just going to fritter away points between now and the end of the season well now they know different. Neil Lennon’s side are now playing under absolutely no pressure because everyone else has already written them off. They’re playing with a bit of freedom again and that makes them dangerous.
After 27 matches Celtic have dropped 23 points. There seems little prospect of Celtic winning their last 11 fixtures but if they were to win their matches up until the derby fixture On March 21 then defeat Gerrard’s side then Ferguson might have something to worry about.