You're not laughing now

My prediction that Gers would fight back into title race was right... next is a big Old Firm win

- BARRY FERGUSON

A COUPLE of weeks ago I wrote on these very pages that the league title was still doable for Rangers. And I'm more than aware of how that one went down.

Let's just say that Celtic fans were laughing at me and even some of the supporters I bumped into inside Ibrox were giving me funny looks as if, 'Are you feeling alright Barry?'.

And now here we all are, starting the New Year with an Old Firm derby which could see Danny Rohl's side draw level with Celtic in second place, heading into the second half of the campaign.

And when I say 'could', I really think that they 'will'.

I might be off the mark here as these games are notoriously hard to call. But I do have a feeling that Rangers might just get the result they're looking for when they travel across the city at lunchtime tomorrow.

Don't get me wrong, though, it would be a serious mistake for the manager and his players to take anything for granted just because Celtic have got themselves into a bit of a mess under Wilfried Nancy.

The fact that they were given a bit of a battering at Motherwell on Tuesday night will mean they are going into derby day like a wounded animal and that makes them even more dangerous than they usually are.

First and foremost the Rangers players have to realise that.

But then they have to puff out their chests, walk into the lion's den - deal with it and make the New Year even more miserable and more chaotic than it already is on the other side of town.

Can you imagine what the atmosphere will turn like inside that stadium if Rangers score early and get themselves in front? That's certainly what I'd be visualising inside my own head if I was in that dressing room.