TOMMY Burns once famously said that Andy Goram broke his heart. For current Rangers manager Graeme Murty, it is the Celtic goalkeeper Craig Gordon who is threatening to break his.

But for some excellent stops from the Scotland keeper, Murty believes Rangers would have long since broken through the psychological barrier of beating Celtic, and the spectre of going 11 games without a win over their great rivals would not be looming over his side this afternoon.

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There are plenty of incentives of course for the Rangers players to do everything they can to somehow escape Celtic Park with three points, not least to avoid being the most reluctant party guest since Neil McCann was invited to Tommy Wright's 50th birthday bash, but Murty believes the knock-on effect of a victory for the Ibrox side could be pivotal.

“We’ve almost done it twice there,” said Murty. “Could and possibly should have, but for some fantastic saves from Craig Gordon.

“There are reasons we didn’t do it. We switched off, we lacked concentration, Craig Gordon made some good saves, but we were right in there with them.

“I talked Craig Gordon up once on Match of the Day. He’s recovered well from a bad injury and had a good season. I hope I’m not talking about him having another great game after the game on Sunday. I can’t repeat what I said to him after the last one [at Celtic Park].

“We have the opportunity to go there again and have a fantastic day. It would be a massive step for them. That’s the mind-set they have to have.

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“We’ve been capable of winning. Take the Hampden game out of it, [in] the last two at Parkhead and the one at Ibrox, we were capable of winning.

“I think the mind-set of the players was right, the shape of the team was right, the intensity they brought was right. The fact [the players] never gave up or gave an inch was perfectly encapsulated by one press from Daniel Candeias from Scott Brown on to (Mikael) Lustig. When we nicked it and Alfredo (Morelos) has his shot. That’s the kind of intensity and mind-set we want from our players, to go and play with aggression.

“Getting a win would alter the mindset, I believe, not only for the players, but possibly also for the fans as well.”

Of all the accusations that have been levelled at the Rangers players over their performance in the Scottish Cup semi-final, playing with aggression was certainly not one of them. And Murty believes the pride of the players is at stake this afternoon after rolling over in such meek fashion two weeks ago.

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“There’s always a point to prove when people write you off before you even take the pitch,” he said. “The players have been hurt by things that have been written and said. They were hurt by the way we played.

“But I have seen stuff this week and in the game against Hearts that says we are heading towards the team I know we can be. Things give me a positive outlook because I work with them and we’ve done it previously.

“That’s what we’ve been talking about and reiterating - that we have to be capable of putting a complete performance in if we want to go and spoil their fun.

“I want the players when they cross the white line not to take a backward step. I want them to represent themselves and our manner of play far, far better than we did at Hampden.

“In the three games we’ve played against Celtic other than that, we’ve managed to do that. I want more of that. I want guys who are desperate to go and fight for our shirt and our club. I want them to put on a right good show for our fans.”

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As he stood in the eye of the storm of criticism and fury that raged in the aftermath of that painful afternoon at the national stadium, it would only have been human for Murty to wonder if life might have been a whole lot easier had he refused to answer the call from the Rangers board, and sheltered in the calm of his post as head coach of the development squad.

But that bruising experience, and speculation over who the club may already be lining up to replace him in the summer, hasn’t put Murty or the people closest to him off of the notion that he might still be in with a chance of landing the gig on a permanent basis.

“My family and friends still want me to get the job,” he said. “They’re proud of the way I represent myself and represent the football club. They’ll support me whatever I choose to do.

“I didn’t come here for an easy life, I came here to be challenged. I came here to be challenged by a games programme that’s very, very unusual. Circumstances have dictated that I’m now around in the first team arena with a disparate group of people, trying to get a collective goal and trying to move the club forward.

“You’ll never, ever hear me regretting that chance and that opportunity. I’ve got nothing but thanks for the board for the faith they’ve showed in me. It’s been unbelievable thus far and I’m hoping we finish the season off properly.

“If we do that in the manner in which I believe we can, we’ll have gone a long way to pushing ourselves back up the league.”