Mark Walters has urged Rangers and manager Derek McInnes to take advantage of Celtic's current struggles and push for the Premiership title. The former Ibrox winger, who won three league titles with the club, believes this is the moment for his old side to assert themselves in the title race.
Rangers currently trail Celtic by four points at the top of the table, but they are enjoying a 12-game unbeaten domestic run. McInnes's side also have a Premier Sports Cup Final against Hibs at Hampden to look forward to on December 13.
Opportunity to capitalise
Walters is convinced that Celtic's problems present a real opening for Rangers. He recalled advice from Graeme Souness about pressing home an advantage when opponents are struggling.
“There’s an opportunity for Rangers to capitalise on Celtic’s problems, absolutely,” Walters said. “Graeme Souness used to say when the opposition is struggling, you’ve got to make sure you put your foot on their neck. I wouldn’t quite put it like that. But this is definitely a time for Rangers to be on the front foot and put pressure on all of the opposition teams, not just Celtic.”
He emphasised that while big matches matter, it is often the lesser teams that decide a title race. “The big games are important - but the ones that generally trip you up in a title race are against the lesser teams. So Rangers need to make sure they’re on top of those because the big ones take care of themselves.”
League is the priority
Walters stressed that winning the league must be the main goal, even with a cup final on the horizon. He believes a first trophy under McInnes would be welcome, but the championship is what really counts.
“It looks like they are going to be competing, which should be the minimum. You SHOULD be doing that at Glasgow Rangers. For me, second isn’t good enough there. But Derek knows what it takes to be successful so I’m sure he’ll get it. Does he have to put silverware in the trophy cabinet? Absolutely. But the big one is the league. That’s the one he needs to get on top as soon as possible.”
He added that a cup win would only satisfy fans briefly. “A cup will keep some fans happy for a short period. But more importantly, the league is the one. It would be the 56th title and they need that ASAP. Sure, a cup would be great and they’ll be favourites in that game. They need to win it but it’s more important to make a fist of the league title.”
Personal frustration
Walters also spoke of his own relief at seeing Rangers competitive again, saying he was tired of switching off his phone when results went badly. “I’m sick of turning my phone off at the weekend when Rangers weren’t getting results. It would be great to leave it on so I can give some stick to friends who support the team over the road.”
