Forfar manager Dick Campbell has dismissed the notion that the latest troubles at Rangers will help his team beat them.
The Loons welcome the Light Blues to Station Park for a televised League One clash in the wake of more off-field trauma for Ally McCoist’s men.
The players turned down a 15% pay cut proposal last week and there is a financial cloud hanging over Rangers yet again.
However, Campbell doesn’t think that will make it any easier for the hosts on Monday evening.
“I do not think it will have any impact on their players at all,” said the Forfar boss.
“As soon as they cross that white line they will only be interested in winning. Whether it is Rangers or Rangers minus 15% the players will get on with things.
“They have had a turbulent couple of years. However, the players have gone out and won the Third Division. They have won 20 games out of 21 in the league this season and are in the Ramsdens Cup final as well.”
Campbell was far too modest to mention that the Loons inflicted a 2-1 defeat on Rangers in the Scottish League Cup back in August but he reckons that his men can shock them again on their own merits if they produce the form they have shown in their last two games.
Brechin City were blown away 5-1 at the start of the year at Glebe Park and Stenhousemuir were beaten 3-0 last weekend with all three goals coming in the first half.
Those displays have given Campbell several nights of deep sleep ahead of the visit of Rangers and he said: “Sometimes when you are facing a big side you go through a whole lot of things in your mind about who you should play.
“I have not had to do that as I do not see the need to change anything. The players have been superb recently and I will go with the same again. Although there are seven points between ourselves and Ayr in the race for promotion we can close that.”
Martyn Fotheringham has been passed fit and will start, with Mark Baxter and Ross Campbell set for places on the bench after they also recovered from injury.
Meanwhile, McCoist has admitted he is glad to have tonight’s clash to focus on, given the circumstances.
He said: “The football side of things is what is keeping me sane right now. The boys have been terrific with the way they have gone about their business.
“It’s to their eternal credit that they are getting criticised for only winning 1-0 and 2-0. That’s how far they have come. But my biggest concern is that the off-field stuff will have an effect on their performances.
“The players in the dressing room don’t deserve to be going through this.”
Rangers have beaten Dick Campbell’s side twice since losing to them in the cup- including a 6-1 thumping in Glasgow at the beginning of December but McCoist knows the Loons are no pushovers at home.
He said: “Forfar are going well.
“They beat Stenhousemuir at home 3-0 quite comfortably at home last time out and had a great result away to Brechin before that.
“Forfar have without doubt, outwith the last time we played them at home, given us really tough games.
“We felt we played well against them last time at Ibrox and certainly it was the best we felt we had played against them. But going up there is a completely different environment, a completely different game.
“I can sense the boys in our group expecting a really tough game.”