Rangers great Lee McCulloch acknowledged that he is preparing for yet another thrilling championship game played on the final day.
However, the former Ibrox hero has dismissed claims that Celtic’s serial winners have a significant advantage over Philippe Clement’s Gers. The Hoops have won 11 of the last 12 domestic championships, so they are no strangers to success. Rangers’ last taste of league triumph was in 2021, although considering how easily they won the Premiership with six games remaining, it was hardly a heart-wrenching struggle.
Just seven players from Steven Gerrard’s Invincibles team are still at Ibrox after two years. However, McCulloch is certain that his old team won’t be penalized for lacking league championship experience because nobody at Parkhead has ever been made to fight all the way to the finish line. “It’s really tight,” he stated. Extremely, extremely tight. Everybody must fit for the Rangers. They have had some unfortunate injury luck in the last several weeks, so I believe it could go very down to the wire.
Do the Rangers’ declining title winners raise any red flags? Not in my opinion. Both Rangers and Celtic, in my opinion, lack significant league winning experience when it comes to hanging on for the win. That’s simply how the Scottish game has been playing these days. It really comes down to maintaining your composure and, most importantly, taking each game one at a time, regardless of whether that experience comes from the manager, the players in the dressing room, or the leaders there.”
McCulloch, who has personally participated in three shootouts on the last day, is well-versed in the subject. His first ended in agony at Pittodrie in 2008 as Gordon Strachan’s Celtic ultimately crept home second to Walter Smith’s exhausted UEFA Cup finalists. However, a year later, there was a treat at Tannadice as the Gers overcame their fierce rivals by going the extra mile; those same scenes were replayed at Rugby Park in 2011.
When asked to explain the secret to those thrilling wins, three-time league winner McCulloch responded, “Basically, just win!” while assisting in the announcement of Rangers’ summertime friendly against Manchester United at Murrayfield. On the last day, we triumphed over Kilmarnock and Dundee United to win the league. Walter served as our manager each time. First and foremost, the only thing on the agenda was winning.
