MARK WARBURTON has leapt to the defence of veteran defender Clint Hill.
The former QPR centre-back turned 38 last week and some believe that’s just too old for a top-flight footballer.
Coping with the pace of Celtic players like Scott Sinclair and Moussa Dembele will be a real challenge if he’s part of the Light Blues defence for today’s League Cup semi-final.
But the Rangers boss revealed that Hill came through a recent fitness test with flying colours.
Warburton said: “Clint looks after himself so well. We did a really tough fitness test just before the international break.
“I watched him finish in the middle of the squad and he was just about to turn 38 at the time.
“He was beating players who are 10, 12, 14 years younger than him.
“He’s a great athlete and a proven professional.
“Rangers’ managing director Stewart Robertson tells a story about getting a cab in London for a meeting recently.
“The driver got talking about football and he was a QPR fan. He said to Stewart: ‘All I wish for is a team of 11 Clint Hills’.
“I know the Rangers fans sing the song about ‘a team of Davie Weirs’ and that’s the similarity.
“Ideally, you want a defender with great aerial ability, is 6ft 4in, a great physique, who can pass the ball with both feet and run like Usain Bolt.
“The fact is those guys are in the English Premier League.
“What Clint has is a strong aerial ability, he can deal with a physical presence and has experience.
“His positioning is excellent.
“Clint won’t turn round and say he’s the quickest centre-half in the league, but I have no worries about him whatsoever.”
Warburton and his squad have looked back at the way they defeated Celtic in last season’s Scottish Cup semi-final.
He hopes they can produce a performance like that at Hampden this afternoon to erase the memory of last month’s crushing defeat at Parkhead.
He went on: “We didn’t play our normal game that day.
“We lacked some energy and dynamism, which was the hallmark of us last season, and that’s what we have to put right.”
One major change from the last Old Firm clash will be the absence of Joey Barton.
The midfielder is still in exile from the club after a training ground bust-up.
However, Warburton maintains he still welcomes players challenging decisions.
He said: “I can’t say to them: ‘tell me what you think’ – and then ask them to shut up.
“A couple of people said something in the office the wrong way.
“That was interesting, but it wasn’t an individual you are thinking about.
“Just a couple of people queried something and I said that is wrong. Then it is like: ‘I apologise’. You get that.
“Even the other day, we had a little spat out on the training field because players are passionate and they want to get better.”
Read Kenny Dalglish’s Old Firm preview in today’s Sunday Post.
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