‘Learn’ - Brendan Rodgers slams Celtic stars doubters as ex-Motherwell man eyes another Rangers upset

Celtic have been handed a golden opportunity to take a five point lead at the top of the Scottish Premiership table after Aberdeen’s late slip-up in a dramatic 3-3 draw with basement side Hibs.

The Hoops, who have one game in hand on Jimmy Thelin’s side, face eighth place Ross County and will hope to extend their unbeaten start to the league campaign.

Elsewhere, Rangers fresh from a hugely memorable 4-1 away victory in Nice, will look to translate their European form onto the domestic stage when they travel to St Johnstone.

This weekend offers Celtic the chance to go into the driving seat of this year’s title race, while Rangers will be out to capitalise on any slip-up as they aim for an incredible comeback.

Ahead of a crucial round of fixtures, we take a look at the leading headlines from the Blue and Green side of Glasgow.

Brendan Rodgers calls for patience over £11m ace

Celtic manager Brendan Rodgers has hit out at those criticising club-record signing Arne Engels and has called for fans to show patience in the youngster as he adapts to a new league and country.

The 21-year-old Belgium international joined the Hoops from Bundesliga side Augsburg for a reported £11m fee.

He showed plenty of signs of promise in his early weeks in Glasgow, but has recently endured a slight dip in form, prompting some fans to suggest that the youngster should be dropped from the starting line-up.

In response to those suggestions, the ex-Leicester City boss simply called for patience and compared his situation to that of Paul Bernardo and Nicolas Kuhn before him.

He explained, via STV: “Playing here is a challenge for anyone. The most recent example of that would be Paulo Bernardo.

“He was exactly the same if I remember back, highlighting his performances at this time last year, and now he is cheered on loudly whenever he enters the pitch.

“That’s called development, that’s called patience, and it’s all about time. Arne is a fantastic young player, otherwise we wouldn’t have brought him here.

“He doesn’t set the price, he’s come here to a big club to improve his game, and I have absolutely no doubt he will do that.

“I hope that people will learn their lesson. The same people who were writing off Paulo and Nicolas Kuhn will now be Arne Engels or someone else. You have to look and see that development takes time, and some more than others.”

Engels has a record of three goals and three assists in 16 appearances so far.

Rodgers added: “Some players will hit the ground running and adapt perfectly. But not everyone is like that, especially a young player.

“I’ve been really pleased since he came in, because I know the future for him is that he will improve and develop and get better. We have seen it so many times.”

Ex-Motherwell man plots to upset Rangers once again

Simo Valakari will take a trip down memory lane as his St Johnstone side take on Rangers in a fixture that still reminds him of his playing days.

Valakari, who joined Motherwell as a player back in 1997, was one of the men responsible for spoiling the party on the day that Rangers famously lifted nine in a row.

The match marked Rangers last home game of the 1996/97 season, this was Rangers' chance to celebrate the occasion in front of their own fans. But come full time Paul Gascoigne and Co were left stunned as Owen Coyle's double gave the Fir Park side an unimaginable 2-0 win.

"My last game for Motherwell in 2000 was against Rangers at Fir Park, we beat them 2-0. And my first game at Ibrox was a game three years earlier when Rangers had their first chance to secure the nine-in-a-row.” Valakari explained to the Daily Record.

He added: “That was a big thing, they knew if they beat us then it was over. We went there and Owen Coyle scored twice for us to win 2-0, so all the balloons and everything went flat!"

Valakari compares Rangers to his former club Riga due to the expectation that surrounds them every time they enter the pitch. He is under no illusion to how difficult it will be for St Johnstone to mount an upset and explains: They are a good team and it’s not easy to play for Rangers or for Celtic because they are expected to win every single game. If it’s half-time and it’s 0-0 then it’s panicking among the fans. I used to have that in my old team Riga because we had the biggest budget and every game you were expected to blow the opposition away. But it doesn’t work like that, that’s not football.”

The Saints boss has also claimed he will seek inspiration from other teams that have beaten Rangers this season but insists his side wll also have their own unique plan.

He adds: "There are always opponents who are good and can make life difficult for you. Other teams have shown what is possible, though, and we will look at that. We can’t copy it exactly but we can see what things they did and maybe focus on some of the good things.”