Sunday’s semi-final meeting between Rangers and Motherwell at Hampden brings back fond memories of the 1976 Scottish Cup semi-final between the teams, and not just because I scored two on the night.

The circumstances going into this game are actually quite similar to what they were back then, with an in-form ‘Well side coming against a Rangers team who were clicking into gear themselves.

Similarly, Rangers will have to be wary of the Motherwell attack on Sunday. Now, Louis Moult, fine player as he is, isn’t Willie Pettigrew or Bobby Graham, who gave us a torrid time of it that night.

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Nonetheless, he is the danger man, and just like the brilliant front pairing Motherwell had back then, they have real attacking weapons now too.

Looking back, they ripped us apart for an hour and were deservedly two goals ahead. We took so much stick that night from the Rangers fans, and no wonder. We didn’t look like scoring at all.

Then, out of nothing really, we got a break when I nipped in and got onto a 75-yard punt from big Peter McCloy in goals in front of Motherwell keeper Stuart Rennie, and he took me down for a penalty.

Once we got that goal back we took control. We were never in it, but then we pummelled them in the last half hour.

History can be a lesson for Rangers now, because make no mistake, Motherwell have been a side over the years who can really produce it on the day, and they have shown us that this season already.

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When they play, they are really dangerous, and just like in 1976, this Motherwell team have more than a bit about them.

They were unbelievable when they battered Aberdeen at Fir Park in the quarter-finals, and they showed Rangers in the first game of the season that they are a team to be reckoned with. Rangers will have to play well to beat them, but beat them they must.

Sunday’s match is absolutely massive for Pedro Caixinha as far as his reputation with the fans is concerned.

The board certainly seem willing to give him the season to see what he can do, but having the supporters on side is crucial for him.

The fans will look at it and say; ‘we are supposed to beat Motherwell’. And if they don’t, there will be repercussions. It’s a huge game for the manager, and I think he knows that.

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Rangers’ only chance of winning anything this year is in the cup competitions. We all know there is only one team who is going to win the league, and we knew that before a ball was kicked. So, it is imperative that Rangers win, and I think they will.

The Rangers supporters will be going to Hampden on Sunday expecting a victory, because that’s just how they are.

Motherwell are one of the so-called smaller teams, and if Rangers lose to them then the manager can expect to come under pressure again.

Getting into a final will keep people off his back for a while at least, and he will need that backing going into the weeks that lie ahead.

Rangers have to go to Murrayfield to face Hearts and then they have the two Aberdeen games back-to-back, so there’s massive games on the horizon. It would be a great statement ahead of that run to get victory over Motherwell and get themselves into a final.

When was the last time that Rangers won three games on the trot? It was way back almost a year ago when they strung four wins together last December, and that is ridiculous when you’re talking about a club like Rangers. So, there is that to aim for too.

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That is the problem and that is why Celtic and Aberdeen were so far ahead last season and have opened up a gap already this term. They have that bit of consistency to their game that Rangers haven’t been able to replicate.

Rangers need to get into that mentality of finding a way to win even when they aren’t playing well. Sometimes you have to grind results out, and there are signs that Rangers are learning to do that at last.

I don’t think they were fantastic at Hamilton, but they won the game and they look as if they are a unit now. It’s so important to keep this run going, and that’s what the manager has to do.

The players will know themselves that getting back to a final is a major thing for the club.

If Rangers win, it can be a springboard to go on and have a successful season, but a defeat could go the opposite way. The dark clouds would be gathering again and it would be back to square one.

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The mindset has to be to go out there and win no, matter how they play.

Teams do that against the Old Firm. It’s backs to the wall sometimes, but if they come out with a result, they don’t care one little bit.

It goes back to when I played. When teams come up against Rangers they are giving absolutely everything. That’s why there’s no point in sending a scout to watch a team before they play Rangers, because they’re a different team by the time they play you. That’s all down to who you are, and the crowd, and they up their game by 15%.

More effort than usual will be put into it, and Motherwell will be the same on Sunday.

I think it’s going to be a cracking, end-to-end game. Motherwell primarily are a side that don’t just get back and leave Moult up himself. When you’ve got the likes of Chris Cadden busting a gut to get forward too there is no doubt they will cause problems at the other end.

There will be chances for both sides and it will be an open game, and the fans are in for a cracker.

For their manager’s sake, the Rangers players, just as we did back in ’76, simply have to find a way to win.