Let's Finish The Season Off In Style : Walter Smith

[Stu1993 101]

IT'S been a week of individual awards and saluting the efforts of specific players. Now Walter Smith wants the collective goal to be achieved and that's the title this weekend.

If Celtic fail to beat Dundee United on Sunday lunchtime then Rangers will be officially crowned Champions before they kick-off against Hibs at Easter Road at 2.30pm.

That would certainly make the afternoon an easy one at a venue which will be strange given the redevelopment of Easter Road.

However, there would be something desirable about going out and winning the title rather than being handed it on a plate.

Smith admits his side have had a couple of hiccups in recent weeks as they closed on in the crown but he knows why and he can now clearly see the finishing line.

He said: "Last season we were in a situation where we were chasing Celtic and we had to keep winning as much as we could whereas this season it feels as though for the last five or six weeks or so everyone has been telling us that we're going to win the Championship because of the points gap

"And it's a more difficult thing to handle because when you are chasing your motivation is that you can't lose and you keep going.

"I have been a little bit worried that the situation would affect us and it has with a little bit of an edge coming off our game.

"I felt we did well at Tannadice last week and matched up to a very good Dundee United side but in some of the other matches and indeed in the first half last Sunday against Hearts there was an edge missing from our play.

"However, we have managed to handle it and now we are in a situation where we really only need one point to get there but we will be going for the win at Easter Road.

"We want to, as we would normally do, go out and try to get the victory.

"We know that if Celtic don't win at Tannadice then that will be it, but we can only look at ourselves.

"We have known for a couple of weeks that two wins would do it. We got one last Sunday and we want the other one this Sunday.

"We have had some good results there in recent times but we only achieved them by having the right edge on our play.

"You only have to look to last season to see that Hibs were instrumental in where the Championship ended up and thankfully it was at Ibrox.

"They drew with both halves of the Old Firm and it was their draw with Celtic which set us up for the Championship.

"The other aspect is that no club wants a visiting team to win the Championship at their ground so we will have to make sure that we match the level of performance we have produced at Easter Road in recent times.

"We won't have too many fans there because of the redevelopment of the ground and that's unfortunate but on the other side of the coin you have to give credit to Hibs for improving their stadium again.

"We may have to generate a bit of atmosphere ourselves and hopefully we can do that while playing as well as we can."

[scotty657 1]

One Walter Smith.

Fantastic admiration for the man and hope we have him for a while yet.

Mon the Rangers!

[simon 1,743]

If possible I think Walter should kept the result of the Celtic game away from the team. Let us just stay focused on how we play and go for the win. We seem to have taken our foot of the gas recently we just need one more push and the title is ours.