Andy Halliday was outstanding as Glasgow Rangers won the most recent Old Firm clash at Ibrox.
When Rangers fans think about defining moments from their Old Firm win back in December, of course, Ryan Jack’s decisive goal will immediately spring to mind. But there is perhaps one other incident that will be mentioned time and time again by the Ibrox faithful.
It was during the opening minutes of the contest that Andy Halliday produced a superb challenge to win a 50-50 against Celtic’s Olivier Ntcham. The crowd roared as Halliday won the ball, and it set the tone for the afternoon.
In truth, Halliday’s performance on that day right at the end of 2018 seemed to confirm that the 27-year-old’s turnaround was complete. He was ridiculed by Celtic fans during previous meetings, but Steven Gerrard has arguably turned the utility man into one of the more important players in the Rangers squad.
And that display from a few months ago is exactly why Gerrard should look to hand Halliday the starting spot at left-back when the two Old Firm rivals meet again at Parkhead after the international break.
Borna Barisic’s form has been mixed since his arrival at Ibrox in the summer, but Halliday perhaps has not done enough in the role either in recent weeks to make Gerrard’s decision an easy one.
However, Halliday has stepped up on a number of occasions throughout the campaign, so is perhaps the more likely option to produce the big performance that the Gers will need as they look for the win that will certainly make the title race a little more interesting with one more meeting between the two further down the line.
Picking a left-back for Parkhead may provide something of a dilemma for Gerrard. But perhaps that one moment of inspiration in a superb performance from Halliday last time out should be what makes the manager’s mind up.
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