Source: Team_Talk
Strachan: Game for men, not Bhoys
The Hoops manager will once again turn to coach Neil Lennon, veteran of many Glasgow derby games when he was a player at the club, to help him shape the side for the visit of Rangers.Players who have proved in the past that they can stand up to the rigours of an always keenly-fought fixture, such as fit-again captain Stephen McManus, plus midfielders Paul Hartley, Barry Robson and Scott Brown, are likely to start.A Celtic win would take them five points clear of Rangers at the top of the Scottish Premier League, and Strachan believes in the horses-for-courses strategy.He said: "We have more than enough players to put out a good side, it's just about getting the right ones for the day and that occasion."I take Lenny's advice on what is needed to win an Old Firm game."I was speaking to him and we agreed that very rarely do you say it was a great game. It's a different type of game."We always have a lot of great footballers out there but you never really see a great passing-type game."It's a strong man's game, physically and mentally, between people who won't back down."Mostly we talk about the tackles, the headers, the energy, and maybe great finishes like we had the last time at Ibrox from Scott McDonald."Australia international McDonald has returned from Japan after spending 90 minutes on the bench in a World Cup qualifier.Strachan, continuing on the theme of picking players to suit the occasion, insists he is not frustrated by what appeared to be a wasted and tiring journey for his striker.He explained: "I said to Scott that sometimes a manager doesn't know his best team."Maybe he knows his system but then he has to put faces to that and sometimes it can happen in the last 24 hours."That sometimes happens to me, it's just about picking the right players at the right time and the players have to put up with that."It's all about getting results at international level and the manager got a terrific 0-0 result."So Scott has to believe in his manager."He has picked his team and we get on with it."The manager knows Scott is going to be a big part of the future at Australia but different games means different players."A new name could be added to the Old Firm mosaic on Sunday with 17-year-old Ibrox protege John Fleck set to make his first appearance in the fixture.Fleck has been lauded since breaking into Walter Smith's side in recent weeks and could be handed a place in the Light Blues midfield.However, Celtic midfielder Paul Hartley is not buying in to the hype surrounding the teenager just yet.Hartley said: "To be honest, I'm not really bothered who plays for them. It's about what we do."There is a lot of hype surrounding John and I've heard a lot of good reports about him but I haven't seen so much of him."They have a lot of good players and on their day they are a very good team."We know it will be a tough game, as is any Old Firm game." Celtic v Rangers. Click here to bet.