Graeme Souness Warns Rangers to Avoid Complacency After Turning Tide Against Celtic

Graeme Souness has cautioned Rangers players against complacency, stressing the need to sustain the high standards set in recent victories over Celtic. Despite a significant turnaround in the team's fortunes, Souness insists that maintaining momentum is crucial if Rangers are to challenge for silverware this season.

A strong September has lifted the mood at Ibrox after a difficult start to the campaign, which included early-season defeats and European exits. However, Souness, speaking in an interview to promote his new book, "My Rangers: How I Changed Scottish Football For Ever," stated that the intensity displayed in the recent back-to-back wins against their Old Firm rivals must become the norm.

"We’ve had two really good games against Celtic and we’ve now planted a seed in their head that we’re better than them," Souness said. "But if we lose or draw some stupid games going forward, that seed will disappear. We must continue in the same form, as if we’re playing Celtic every week, with the same attitude, the same willingness to do the hard yards, and being the same aggressive team we were."

Souness recalled his own playing days at Liverpool, drawing parallels with the challenge of maintaining consistent performance against both top rivals and lesser teams. He emphasized that the key difference between successful and less successful teams often lies in their ability to avoid lapses in concentration and attitude against all opponents.

"The message, if I was sitting with those [Rangers] players, is you have to be where you’ve been for the last two games against Celtic," he advised. "Be aggressive, be first to everything, and let the other team know there’s nothing in this game for them."

Reflecting on his own tenure as Rangers manager, Souness admitted to making a "schoolboy error" in his initial assessment of the club's expectations. He realized the unacceptability of prioritizing a league title over beating Celtic. He believes that current manager Derek McInnes, having played under pressure at the club, is better prepared for the demands of the role.

"It’s an extremely pressurised job, managing Glasgow Rangers," Souness noted. "But Derek knew that already. He’s played there under pressure. He knows the club. He knows how the west of Scotland is. There are fewer surprises for him than there were for me."

Souness acknowledged McInnes's resilience in navigating a difficult start to the season. "He’s already had to deal with some disappointments. We didn’t make a good start to the season, but he lived with that, he’s rallied the troops, and he’s got them performing."

However, Souness reiterated that the recent successes are just the beginning. "Although we’ve turned an enormous corner, don’t be thinking the hard work’s done. The hard work’s still ahead," he warned. "Rangers players, every time they go out and play, are confronted by a team where it’s their cup final. Always remember that. No game starts easy, but you can make it easy: get a couple of goals, dominate, bully them. That’s what we have to be like."

He concluded by stressing the importance of a consistent mentality: "When you’re playing for Rangers, you can’t pick and choose when you’re at 100 per cent. It has to be every single time, so your mentality has to be spot on."

The full interview with Souness is available on the This Is Ibrox YouTube channel.