It's all fun and games with an Old Firm league and cup triple header on the horizon and Rangers boss Mick Beale has hinted at some construction work on his squad regardless of the epic clashes go - but Hoops fans reckon it will be a different kind of building he’ll be doing in a few months if the results go Celtic’s way.
Ibrox legend Mark Hateley insisted the pressure is on the Light Blues boss and Bud Hay, Dumfries, said: “If Rangers don't beat us Beale will be sacked. I have some lego for him because that’s the only building he will be doing this summer." and Paddy Gowans emailed: “Beale must be under some pressure to win the semi final. If they lose he will get another season to get silverware to Ibrox or it’s straight back down the A1 for him.”
Steve McSherry, Uddingston, said: “Every day we have Rangers fans coming on the Hotline saying how they will easily retain the Scottish Cup when everybody knows they are scared stiff of facing Celtic in either the cup or the league. They have absolutely nothing to support their fake confidence and simply cannot compete with Celtic.”
Stephen Ward, Milngavie, meanwhile had a ticket jibe to deliver: “I hope Rangers don’t get half the tickets for the semi final as their fans never stay till the end. Maybe they should get a price cut.”
Referee chat was never going to be far away in the build-up to this one, with Henry Moffat in Stirling kicking it off with: “This semi-final will entirely hinge around how Celtic react to the dubious penalty awarded to Rangers.
"If we allow it to affect us and let the heads go down we could lose, but if we show the reaction we have all season just like on Saturday after the clear Andy Halliday joke decision. We will win a treble despite a clear attempt to stop us.”
Gers hero Hateley also called for Alfredo Morelos to be unleashed against the Hoops. But Robert Livingstone, Palm Beach, said: “I’m surprised that ex-Gers star Hateley wants Morelos to start the games against Celtic.
“It’s plain to see he has stopped playing and is just going through the motions. He’s still not near full fitness, which makes him slow to react.
"He has no one else to blame but himself – dreams of EPL stardom, now looks to have thrown it all away by poor form and behaviour. Cryptic messages can't change it Alfredo.”
Meanwhile, John Caw wants a Celtic pair to imitate someone on the other side of Glasgow: “Reo Hatate and Liel Abada should have a good look at Ryan Kent. I watched him for a minute and what a class act as a diver he is, the way he won a free kick against Raith was a real ten pointer, do they teach that at Ibrox?”
Elsewhere, Steve Clarke’s decision to draft in former England youth keeper Angus Gunn hasn’t gone down well with some.
John Grant, Clarkston, said: “Here we go again with making contact with players who have this dual nationality.
“It's always been wrong for me. If you are not born from Gretna upwards, then it should be a barrier for playing for the Scotland football team
“Its not a Scottish team, it’s a mishmash of men who maybe had a saltire on a nappy when they were infants down south.”
But it’s not the place of birth that’s the problem for Dave Andrews, who emailed: “We are going into crucial qualifying matches with unproven goalkeepers. It’s madness.
“Steve Clarke should go and get David Marshall out of retirement or our chances of qualifying will be greatly diminished.”
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