Steven Gerrard questions timing of Rangers' lunchtime kick-off and lack of league help for European campaign
Thursday’s appetiser was enticing for Rangers as they beat Feyenoord at home in their opening Europa League group fixture – but lunchtime is not to Steven Gerrard’s taste when Rangers resume domestic action against St Johnstone in Perth on Sunday. The Ibrox side were in the later tranche of European games with an 8pm kick-off and will be under way at McDiarmid Park at 12.15pm.
Celtic’s home game with Kilmarnock starts at 1pm and the Old Firm sides’ fixtures are the hors d’oeuvres for the 3pm start in the Edinburgh derby at Easter Road.
“We are not complaining,” said Gerrard, by way of complaint. “It is the way it is - but they go the other way and make them earlier. Certainly, for us and Celtic, you would like to think that our own league would help us in terms of kick-off times.
“I probably haven't been up here long enough to maybe bring that up - but it is not good, is it? You are kicking off at eight o'clock on a Thursday night and your players, with the adrenaline, can't get to sleep until three or four o’clock in the morning - and then our league, who are supposed to be our governing body who help us, go and agree a kick-off time at 12:15 on Sunday.”
Turning to matters within his control, Gerrard identified Borna Barisic for praise. The Croatian left-back did not command the position last season, when Andy Halliday and Jon Flanagan also vied for the position, but his forceful showing against Feyenoord – particularly the full-blooded tackle that led to Sheyi Ojo’s winning goal – saw his stock rise with both manager and fans.
“His performance was outstanding last night and that should give him a lot of belief and confidence to build on that,” Gerrard said. “Borna is very highly respected within the staff and the dressing room.
“Other people have obviously got opinions on him but we don't really take much notice of that. We just worry about what we see and the belief we have in the player and it is certainly there.”
Gerrard will refresh his team in Perth but must do without Ryan Kent, victim of a hamstring injury, and Jordan Jones, who is suspended. Saints came off the bottom of the Scottish Premiership with last weekend’s 1-1 draw with Aberdeen at Pittodrie but cannot call upon the injured midfielder, Liam Craig, or Jason Holt, who is on loan from Rangers and cannot play against his parent club.
Kilmarnock have risen to mid-table following a rocky beginning under their new manager, Angelo Alessio. Neil Lennon observed professional courtesy when he said of the Italian: “It was a difficult start for him but now you can see they are starting to take shape. They have had a couple of great results of late and I think that takes a bit of character from the coach.
“I haven't seen too much of Kilmarnock, but Greg Taylor is here and he can give me a full run down of what to expect.”
Taylor could start against his old club because of the injury to Boli Bolingoli sustained in Celtic’s 1-1 draw Europa League draw in Rennes. The casualty list also features Mikey Johnston (groin), Jozo Simunovic (knee), Nir Bitton (hamstring), Daniel Arzani (knee) and Scott Bain (thumb). Leigh Griffiths should be back in the squad, having recovered from a leg injury.
Harvey St Clair, Stephen Hendrie and Jan Koprivec, meanwhile, are all likely to make their debuts for Kilmarnock.
Hibernian, ninth in the table, host Heart of Midlothian, whose decline to bottom place prompted a fan demonstration after their defeat by Motherwell at Tynecastle last Saturday. Craig Levein, the Hearts manager – who was backed by the club’s owner, Ann Budge, this week, has remained sanguine. “In this business, I think 99 per cent of managers at some point in their career will have their job at risk - in fact 100 per cent - that's the constant that you live with when you do this job,” he said.
“I feel this group of players are more than capable of climbing the league and getting us to where we want to get to. If I didn't think that, then I wouldn’t be here – it’s as simple as that. There isn’t any situation where I’ve looked and thought we’ve not got the players to get us out of this.”
Levein’s Hibs counterpart, Paul Heckingbottom, delivered a similar message to his squad. "We've got a good bunch of lads but they need an edge,” he said. “They’ve got to be willing to dig each other out, encourage each other and demand from each other.”
Today’s (Sat) fixtures see third-placed Motherwell at home to Ross County, St Mirren meet Hamilton in Paisley and Livingston travel to face injury-hit Aberdeen, who have seven players ruled out.
