Columnist PETER MARTIN delivers his no-holds-barred verdict on both sides ahead of the final ... and pinpoints where the trophy could be won and lost

THE Old Firm have a chance on Sunday in the Co-operative Insurance Cup Final to prove to their critics they can play good football and entertain into the bargain.

Don't give us any lame excuses about the pitch because, having been relaid, it will be fine.

There are no injuries of note and the managers don't need to be cautious about points gained or lost.

This is a one-off cup final with a piece of silverware on offer, that's all.

I am not buying into the usual pre-match guff that psychologically it's important to win this one', and it could prove pivotal in the race for the title'.

What a load of rubbish.

These two teams couldn't spell consistency and when I heard my fellow columnist and sidekick Derek Johnstone suggesting the winner would go on to win the league, I almost fell off the chair laughing.

Neither Celtic nor Rangers could hold their own water, never mind hang on to a lead at the top of the SPL.

The two of them have stumbled from one calamity to the next and their loyal fans have rightly savaged them at every opportunity for the dross they've served up.

Some of the performances - individually and as a team - leave you wondering how anyone would even begin to consider renewing their season ticket in the current climate.

We've had one player after another from either side rolled out after a win, draw and defeat delivering claptrap about must do better', we can win the Treble' and Big Jan, Sami, Kenny and Kyle will come good'.

There's more chance of Sir Fred Goodwin saying look, I made a huge blunder, take my pension back'.

Celtic manager, Gordon Strachan will stick with Jan Venegoor of Hesselink and Scott McDonald and then introduce Georgios Samaras at some point. The Australian can hold his head high.

He has bounced back from being called podgy' to scoring goals, but the other two?

They should be prosecuted under the Trades Description Act. Rangers manager Walter Smith must play two up front.

If I had the choice, I would go with Kyle Lafferty and Kenny Miller. Boyd will be on his way in the summer, whether Walter, Ally McCoist or A.N. Other is in charge at Ibrox next season.

The jury is no longer out - it's bored with the verdict not good enough.

If we get a hat-trick of rank rotten Old Firm matches, there will simply be no place to hide for the managers with football purists and sensible supporters.

This is a showcase for well paid players to display their talents and for managers to instruct them to do so.

The numpties' might accept just winning, but people who know good football when they see it won't miss the target if we get another 90 minutes of bilge.

I might take my sister along to explain childbirth in the after-match press conference, just in case one of the managers decides an answer to a question is not possible, if you've never played the game at a decent level.

As I assess both teams and try to come to some sort of verdict on who's going to win, I find myself changing my mind from one half of the city to the other.

If both teams play to their full potential then Celtic will win.

They have the better players and more match-winners in Aiden McGeady, Shunsuke Nakamura and McDonald.

However, Rangers can snatch this trophy if the team selection is positive and they get physical from the first whistle.

Pedro Mendes and Miller are the two key players in the wide open spaces of Hampden for a blue victory.

This match, though, is only an appetiser for the real battle to come for the title.

It's Gunfight at the OK Corral part one.

Both managers will live to fight another day, but part two in this shoot-out will eventually cost one of them their job.

We have live commentary on this game on Clyde 1 and Clyde 2's Superscoreboard.

And I hope for fans and listeners alike, that this proves to be an Old Firm shoot-out to remember.

My verdict: Rangers to win. Blood and thunder battles which can shape cup's destiny McGregor v Boruc

Celtic have the best goalkeeper when his head's right. He has responded to criticism of his weight and his off-the-field antics to concentrate on the job in hand. My problem is his professionalism.

He's cheated the fans by dropping standards in the first place. He's had 14 clean sheets in 36 games and it's only in the last month that he's managed to get back to the form that attracted interest from elite clubs. Great shot-stopper.

McGregor could have been sold for a pittance, had he not had the determination to sit in and wait his turn at Ibrox. He's had a similar path of naughtiness as Boruc off the park!

However, he is also a great shot-stopper with 16 clean sheets in 31 games, but sometimes not as decisive in coming for crosses. Ferguson v Brown

This has all the makings of the pretender to the throne finally getting his shot at the title against the ageing champion desperately trying to hold on to his crown. Fergie has been the boss and the best pick of the Scots patrolling the midfield in the SPL for over a decade.

This, however, could be the defining moment when Brown in true Sugar Ray' fashion outclasses the older Duran' on the big stage. The Celtic No.8 is maturing game by game and has the energy and ability to match and destroy the Rangers midfield if he's in the mood.

Barry is trying to get back to a level that allows him to pick passes and get the best out of his team-mates. The No.6 is no longer the fans' idol and psychologically it must bug him.

Brown to shade it in a real sluggers' battle. Miller v McManus

There's nothing special to work out here. One player is supposed to score goals, the other stops them, but unlike the wood stain, both these players don't do what it says on the tin.

Miller will run all day, be a pest and occasionally if he doesn't have time to think he gets the odd goal on his right side. Show him on to his left and the odds are stacked against him.

I have tried and tried to cut Stephen McManus a bit of slack, but I don't see him as a captain and I think he's a lesser player for the honour that should never have been bestowed upon him.

An experienced man alongside him could have developed Stephen, but when goals are sacrificed in big games, the heart of the defence is a weakness.

The fact that he has two weak full-backs on either flank doesn't help.

Miller might not get the winning goal, but he's likely to be involved in the set-up. McDonald v Boogie

The little Australian has the same work ethic as Miller, but with the bonus of an end product.

If he's going to get any success in this game, it won't be in a straight battle with Bougherra. The Algerian is much too smart to lunge in, end up on his backside or on the wrong side of a striker.

McDonald will as much as possible try to take advantage of a Weir lapse, Broadfoot's naivety or Papac getting dragged in to the centre leaving space at the back post.

Bougherra is a step down from Carlos Cuellar, but still outshines the best defenders the Scottish game has to offer this season. He'll feel more confident in the air against Jan Vennegoor of Hesselink or Georgios Samaras.

If there is to be a one on one between Bougherra and McDonald, Madjid better hope that McDonald is not facing goal with the ball at his feet. All Scott needs is a yard to twist and turn and the ball's in the net.

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