KENNY McDowall has warned Ronny Deila that he will not fully comprehend the magnitude of an Old Firm game until he's standing on the touchline at kick-off tomorrow.
The Rangers caretaker manager met the Celtic boss for the first time on Wednesday when both attended a publicity event for the League Cup semi-finals. Neither has managed in an Old Firm game before but McDowall is a veteran of them after seven years on the Rangers backroom staff under Walter Smith and Ally McCoist. That will give him one little advantage in a Hampden clash which points heavily towards a comfortable Celtic win in the first derby for almost three years. "I met Ronny Deila for the first time and I'm sure people will have told him what to expect," said McDowall. "But until you're standing there and you see it full on then that's when you realise where you're at. I think the fact I've been through them before will help me but I'm not saying I won't be nervous, far from it. I don't think there's a human being alive who wouldn't be nervous going into this. It's a fantastic experience but it does test you to the end." As a self-confessed "student" of Smith, McDowall said the only advice his mentor had passed on about the derby was simply to win it. "I have said to the players that it is an unbelievable game to be involved in. You can go and watch them as much as you like but there is nothing like actually being involved. I don't know how the players feel because I have never done that part, but standing in the technical area is unbelievable, just incredible, especially if you come out on top. You haven't experienced anything like it in your life. And for that reason it makes it a one-off in the world." There has been speculation that Rangers' only hope is to "park the bus" against Celtic and play defensively, hoping to keep a clean sheet and snatch a winner on the break. Jon Daly claimed Rangers were entitled to be more positive than that and he backed himself to make life difficult for Virgil van Dijk and Jason Denayer if he has the chance. "I do believe we can go out and try and win the game by matching them. I would like to think I can cause trouble. Obviously they are very good young players and there has been a lot of talk about van Dijk moving on. Again, it is a one-off game. It is a game where we need to concentrate on ourselves and make sure that we do our job properly and we will need a wee bit of luck on the day as well."
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