Rangers signings offered 'blank canvas' amid big change as Scottish football 'craziness' engulfs Celtic clash

Mark Hateley says the unpredictable nature of Scottish football has rolled into Rangers vs Celtic - as summer recruits are offered an Ibrox reboot.

Few at Ibrox would have predicted a bout with Hoops hero Martin O’Neill this weekend, but that’s exactly what they will get when facing Celtic on Premier Sports Cup duty. It will be Danny Rohl’s fourth game as Rangers head coach, where positivity is building after wins against Kilmarnock and Hibs, while O’Neill and Shaun Maloney make up an interim Parkhead management duo.

Hateley knows all about what this fixture means off the back of his legendary stint in blue between 1990-1995 before a brief return two years after his initial exit. He admits Scottish football’s unpredictable nature has created a new factor for Rangers to deal with, but all they can focus on is getting themselves to a final versus Motherwell or St Mirren in December.

Mark Hateley on Rangers vs Celtic

Hateley said: It's the craziness of Scottish football for you. You've got a lot of players that have not played in the Old Firm derby which is I think a key factor as well. It's like no other. A very, very intense football match to play in. The players now will be kicking on.

“I think Martin will have them wound up to the hilt for the game at the weekend. The calming Sean Maloney in the background there. Obviously, he's been on the road as well, so he's got some experience in his young career.

“I don't know whether it's going to be a forever thing for Celtic, but all I'm worried about is what we do as a team at the weekend. I think you'll get a really driven manager that is really wanting to take this team to another level, find his best players, get the best performances out he can from them and then see where we go from there."

Rangers recruitment assessed

There are still several questions marks over Rangers’ squad off the back of a lamented summer transfer window, with the likes of a big money deal for Youssef Chermiti raising eyebrows. Hateley reckons the playing squad now have a clean slate to work off under Rohl’s guidance.

He said: "They've put the hands up. They are responsible for what's in the building right now. Still a lot of question marks over a lot of the players but I'm going to say, as a new manager coming in, those question marks can get quickly removed because it's a level playing field right now for the young players that are trying to get into the side. The young homegrown players that are trying to get in.

“It's a blank canvas now for everybody to be able to push themselves on. So the question marks, Chermiti was one of them, big question mark, not scored three goals in two years or something or other. Not the strongest of starts I'm going to say under Russell Martin, which probably the way they played back then didn't suit him or probably didn't suit him. “