Gordon Smith's Premiership Preview: Rangers need Celtic to make Euro elite if they are to challenge

IT might go against the grain for them, but Rangers fans should be hoping for Celtic success in Kazakhstan this week – and beyond.

I say that because unless the Hoops have the distraction of a Champions League group campaign, I believe they are going to finish above their old rivals in the Premiership table at the end of this season

You don’t need to look beyond the fact they have won the last five titles in a row to know they are a formidable force in the Scottish game, no matter who is their manager.

If they do make Europe’s elite club competition, however, I think even all the managerial and financial resources Brendan Rodgers can call on might not be enough to keep the Light Blues at bay.

The Rangers supporters have been waiting four years for a return to the top flight, and will make an extra effort to get behind the team in the forthcoming campaign.

With their backing, I can see them winning the majority of their home games, and a good percentage of their away fixtures too.

As Aberdeen can testify from their failed tilt at Celtic two years ago – when their record of 0 points out of a possible 12 against the Hoops cost them the title – you have to punch your weight in the head-to-heads.

Therefore Rangers’ success in the Scottish Cup semi-final last season should be a huge confidence-booster ahead of the Old Firm match ups to come in the Premiership this season.

It doesn’t guarantee them any return for the first derby at Celtic Park in September. But it will make the experience easier.

Manager

THE way Mark Warburton has gone about his business has really impressed me. He has done things the right way.

While Rangers won promotion comfortably last season, everyone knew there were weaknesses, and areas that needed to be strengthened.

He has done that by bringing in almost an entire team of new faces. But he has been very, very clever by also retaining many of last season’s first-team regulars

So the ones who got the club back to the top flight have not been discarded. Instead they’ve been told: “You are in and it is up to you to show me you deserve to retain your spot.”

That’s a move that has generated genuine competition for places, something they lacked last season.

Most important player

IT has to be Joey Barton. At 33, he has a wealth of experience at the top level, and while Scotland is a new environment for him, he should prosper.

He also has leadership qualities, and if he plays half as well as he has talked since signing for Rangers, he’ll light up the Premiership.

Finishing position

RUNNERS-UP

With the signings Warburton has made, plus the nucleus of the Championship-winning side, I am pretty sure they are going to be too strong for the likes of Aberdeen and Hearts.

Celtic are a different matter, but I do expect them to push Rodgers and his
players all the way.

Rangers’Mark Warburton thinks Joey Barton’s opinions are healthy for the game