Difference a week will make to Alex and Craig

JIM DUFFY

THE difference between the Old Firm and the rest of us is perfectly illustrated this week if you compare and contrast the pressures and tasks facing Craig Levein and Alex McLeish. Whether it’s the match today or the UEFA Cup games on Thursday, this is a week where Hearts have everything to gain while Rangers have everything to lose.

In the league, Rangers could drop more points and quite realistically pull back the deficit throughout the course of the season but the pressure from the fans and the mass media would make life intolerable because expectations are high. That’s just the way it is when you are with one half of the Old Firm. That’s why, even with a hugely-important game against Maritimo looming, Rangers cannot afford to field an understrength side today, in the hope of protecting key players because they are already under intense public scrutiny without slipping to another draw or defeat.

As a manager, the best Alex and Craig can do is field their best team and hope for the best. I’m sure, given the opportunity, both would love to wrap certain players in cotton wool ahead of Thursday but they have been in the game long enough to know that today neither they nor their players can afford anything less than 100%. Though, they’ll probably have a good idea in their own minds who will be starting the European games and will carry out a quick inventory of injuries and knocks as soon as the final whistle goes in the hope that they have all come through unscathed.

But the fact Rangers will be forced into fielding a strong team will, strangely enough, suit Hearts. They know they will have to raise their game to another level for the visit of Braga, so a tough game against Rangers will be ideal preparation and if they were to take any points it would also be a huge confidence boost, but, on the other hand, if they lose then there is no real shame there either and shouldn’t derail their European aspirations.

Looking at it from Rangers perspective, though, I’m sure Alex would have preferred a more run-of-the-mill match at Ibrox, where they were able to control the play and get into the habit of taking time on the ball and creating openings, because that’s how I expect they will have to approach the games against the Portuguese side.

My gut feeling is that Hearts will close them down and force a high-tempo match but against Maritimo I’m guessing they will have a lot of possession and will be able to dictate play, and be slightly more adventurous. I suppose what I really mean is that they will have more time and space to be that bit cleverer.

When it comes to clubs outwith Celtic and Rangers, the general press don’t put the same emphasis on the financial implications of a good European run and therefore heap the same pressures on the manager and players but while that is advantageous to Hearts to a certain extent, I also think it is a bit disrespectful.

What is irrefutable is that what is deemed acceptable for Hearts in Europe is wide of the mark when assessing the minimum requirements of the Ibrox side. For Hearts, this is the opportunity for them to enhance their standing in Europe and I think they are capable of beating Braga and doing just that.

They have the same management team and, primarily, the same players, give or take one or two, who were over the course last season and will have learned from that experience. People at the club, whether that be in the boardroom, dressing room or in the stands, will want to get to the group stages and my guess is that realistically, they would be happy with that and anything else would be considered a bonus.

But, for Rangers, it’s different, this year they have to run just to stand still. I believe they will be too good for Maritimo and make it to the next phase but having failed to reach the Champions League group stages, the financial implication render a lengthy run in the UEFA Cup vital. On top of the need to appease those people trying to balance the books, the other consideration is the damage an early exit will do to the club’s reputation.

The reality is that the club name no longer has the same gravitas in the context of European competition, their reputation is on the wane and they have to rectify that and do it quickly. To do that they will need to make it beyond the new group stages. It’s extra pressure Alex could probably live without but it is a harsh reality of life at an Old Firm club. Whether you are a player or boss, the minute you put pen to paper at either Celtic or Rangers the burden of expectation weighs heavily on the shoulders.

Which is why this could still be a win-win week for Hearts even if they were to fall short of complete success in both games, whereas for Rangers to safeguard their reputation anything other than a win-win could prove a catastrophic loss.

Taken from the Scotsman