AH, the fearlessness of youth. Myles Beerman, just 18 and with only three games of senior football to his name, is a near certainty to start for Rangers against Celtic in the William Hill Scottish Cup semi-final this Sunday. By rights, his nails should already be bitten down to the quick. But nerves are clearly not something that appear to trouble him. He, though, will be charged with performing at his very best amid a hostile atmosphere at Hampden and helping his depleted side overcome opponents who are undefeated in domestic competition to date this season.
What is more, the left back will be personally expected to nullify the threat posed by the likes of Moussa Dembele, James Forrest, Leigh Griffiths, Patrick Roberts and Scott Sinclair.
Anyone else in his position would be praying his club captain Lee Wallace makes a miraculous recovery from the calf injury that has sidelined him in recent weeks. Instead, the confident youngster is counting the hours until kick-off.
Yet, having the Maltese defender, who signed for Rangers from Manchester City back in September, may very well prove to be no bad thing for Pedro Caixinha, the Portuguese manager who will himself be in the dugout in the Glasgow derby for the first time in what will be just his sixth game in charge.
Walter Smith was partial to springing a major surprise in his team selections for Old Firm games during his two hugely successful spells in charge of Rangers. He was wont to hand either an inexperienced and raw player or somebody who had been sitting on the sidelines an unexpected run-out.
It was a trait which proved rather fruitful for him over the years. The energy and positivity which such individuals bring to a side can prove invaluable.
But, as he reflected on a fine 2-0 win over Partick Thistle at the weekend which extended his side’s lead over St Johnstone in the Ladbrokes Premiership table to nine points with just five games remaining and increased their chances of qualifying for the Europa League considerably, Beerman exhibited no outward signs of nervousness.
“The past three games have been different class for me, coming from Under 20 football,” he said. “The jump hasn’t been easy and there has been pressure, but I just took it in my stride. The manager has been brilliant. He’s given me loads of confidence and told me to just enjoy the game.”
Beerman once again displayed that he had ability to match his confidence. Indeed, in the opening stages of the game, a spell which Caixinha was far from enamoured with, he was the best Rangers player. He had two long-range attempts deflected wide for corners by Mutaphya Dumbaya and Niall Keown.
Of course, it is far more important for a defender to help keep clean sheets than to score goals, especially at Ibrox at the present moment. But he has shown he is no slouch at the back either. His team hasn’t conceded a single goal in the 270 minutes he has been involved.
Having to field David Bates, who looked apprehensive in possession and whose distribution was often poor, at centre half in the semi-final will be of far greater concern to Caixinha than having to put his faith in Beerman. If Clint Hill, who has been struggling with a hamstring injury, is even half-fit then he should be preferred.
But Danny Wilson, who partnered Bates, has been nothing short a revelation under the new manager. No longer having to pass the ball out of the back now that his previous manager Mark Warburton – who was unable to determine during his two seasons in this country that Rob Kiernan wasn’t Franco Baresi, has departed – has brought the best out in him.
It will still be a surprise if Rangers prevail in the cup semi-final for the second time in 12 months, though. The Scottish champions remain far stronger, at the moment especially.
But, as was the case this time last year, when the then second-tier club won on penalties after being almost universally written off, it is possible if they perform to their best in a one-off game and their adversaries fail to fire. Their display is unlikely to be hindered by the presence of Beerman.
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