Celtic fans fear Steven Gerrard’s Rangers can end their supremacy

It would be natural for Celtic supporters to have spent recent days in a state of apprehension. For the prospect of their domestic dominance being halted by their Old Firm rivals Rangers is galling. Were Aberdeen, Dundee United or Motherwell to end Celtic’s consecutive trophy haul, which currently stands at nine, there would be joy for the underdog and widespread shock. If Rangers break the spell, the mutual impact would be considerable. For all that Celtic should be the favourites heading into Sunday’s Scottish League Cup final, a Hampden Park showpiece – likely to be more intense, and bitter, than most knockout football – supplies no guarantees.

This cup competition, often derided as Scotland’s poor relation, has thrown up a first Old Firm final since 2011. That Kilmarnock, St Mirren and Ross County have lifted the trophy during intervening years subtly emphasises the opportunity presented by Rangers’ demise. Yet those in Scottish football high office, sometimes quite blatantly, care little for fairy stories; this is the final they crave. Nonsense such as the sadly inevitable sectarianism will be ignored.

If the Rangers support were not already in awe of Steven Gerrard, a name that epitomises the club’s lofty opinion of itself, running stride by stride with Celtic at the summit of Scotland’s top flight has sent expectation into a fresh stratosphere.

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Perhaps it would be churlish to deny Glasgow’s blue half this. Seven years ago this weekend, as the butt of so many jokes, they were facing Stirling Albion in the Third Division. Cold analysis of what Gerrard has actually returned versus available resource and flimsy opposition is for the end of the season. For now, he has delivered a key commodity: hope. Should he claim Rangers’ first major domestic honour since 2011, the former Liverpool captain’s biggest challenge will be controlling expectations for the rest of the campaign. That Celtic stand between Rangers and what they will view as a long‑awaited return to a rightful place among trophies is, of course, highly significant.

Nothing quite encapsulates the madness of a Scottish title joust like the events of Wednesday evening. Celtic Park erupted into wild celebration when Scott Brown notched a stoppage-time winner against Hamilton Academical. It mattered not that Celtic’s top players comfortably earn 20 to 30 times the salaries of their midweek opponents given Aberdeen had held Rangers to a draw.

Rangers’ exiting chairman, Dave King, earned a standing ovation from shareholders last week; troublesome retail deals, a continuing battle with Mike Ashley, questionable recruitment and an £11m annual loss do not matter at all because Celtic are within view.

That poses questions over whether Celtic’s leeway over their oldest foes should be even greater, given Rangers’ 2012 implosion and the essential free run those in green and white enjoyed for several subsequent seasons. Yet at Ibrox in September, Neil Lennon swatted Gerrard aside. Celtic’s 2-0 success, or more so the nature of it, suggested Lennon had not taken kindly to assertions the balance of power in Glasgow was about to change. Lennon used depictions of Rangers as the only show in town to motivate his squad. The response could hardly have been more forceful.

Intrigue surrounds centre‑forwards. Celtic’s Odsonne Édouard differs from Alfredo Morelos because he has shone in Old Firm fixtures. Morelos, Rangers’ Colombian striker, is yet to score against Celtic despite giddy valuations which rise by the week. Édouard, signed by Celtic for a record fee from Paris Saint‑Germain, has proven himself a player for Scottish football’s biggest, noisiest occasion.

More fascinating still is the managers’ duel. Gerrard is seeking a first trophy in season two of this phase of his career. Lennon is an old hand by comparison, but securing the first major honour since he was confirmed as Celtic’s manager on a long-term basis for the second time – that was not yet the case when last season’s Scottish Cup was won – would be just as meaningful.

The backdrop will be colourful and chaotic, the football epitomised by thud and blunder. It is not always the case, but this is an Old Firm derby with an intense meaning.