Ex-Celtic star Alan Thompson backs Joey Barton to do talking on the pitch for Rangers

Barton has made a big noise off the pitch since coming to Glasgow in the summer but having talked the talk, the lively Liverpudlian has yet to show he can walk the walk on the park so far this season.

Thompson, who worked with Barton during his time at Newcastle United, knows that the new Gers midfielder is under pressure to put in a big performance at Parkhead on Saturday but the 42-year-old reckons the frenzied cut-and-thrust of the Old Firm battlefield will suit Barton to a tee.

Read more: Neil McCann: Rangers midfielder Joey Barton can handle Old Firm heat

Thompson said: “It’s a game he needs to perform in. He’s arrived up here all singing, all dancing and saying this, that and the other but he needs to back it up with good performances, especially in these big games. He’s maybe put some pressure on himself but he’s an experienced boy and has played a lot of games at the top, top level. He’ll know he’s put extra expectation on himself and he has to deal with it.

Read more: Ian Durrant: Celtic can smell blood and it's going to be difficult to stop them winning ten in a row

“In the heat of the moment in the Old Firm, when the ball is flying about like a hot potato and some people don’t want to get involved and put their foot on it, Joey will go and get it and try to play. He’ll not shirk the responsibility.”

Thompson knows from past experience how quickly the red mist can descend in these tense, titanic tussles.

He was sent off three times against Rangers during his seven-year stint with Celtic and was shown the red card on his Old Firm debut which ended in a calamitous 5-1 defeat for Martin O’Neill’s men.

Thompson, who scored seven times against Rangers, added: “I just remember sitting in the dressing room hearing the Rangers fans in the main stand above me cheering, then again and again and again.

“I then got double-barrelled off the manager when he came in after the game. He called me a coward which I disagreed with. That's one thing I wasn't. In his eyes I was a coward because of the red card. He thought I'd bottled it and didn't want to be out there but that wasn't the case.

"After that I remember going home and having a Chinese meal with my family and thinking 'my Celtic career could be over before it's even started’. But I got back in the team and the next one was at Celtic Park, we won 1-0 and I scored the goal. I redeemed myself a little bit."

"I loved those games, to be honest. I obviously made mistakes and if I could go back I'd change the red cards because you don't want your CV blighted by those. But the games usually brought the best out of me.”

Thompson is eagerly anticipating a typically fraught showdown and will be an intrigued observer of a potentially fiery match-up between Barton and Celtic livewire Scott Brown.

He said: “You just hope the first challenge (between them) is a fair, strong tackle, nothing daft. I know both players well and I’m a fan of them both. I think it will be a case of who keeps it together will come out on top.

“I fancy Celtic just because of the weaknesses Rangers have at the back and how good Celtic are in going forward. I think that just pips it for Celtic.”

*Alan Thompson was speaking at a William Hill media event. William Hill is a proud sponsor of Scottish football.