Souness urges Rangers to 'put marker down' with derby win

Graeme Souness has urged Rangers to "put down a marker" with victory over Celtic in Sunday's League Cup quarter-final. Last term, each side took five points from their league encounters but Celtic got the better of Rangers in both cup competitions. "This is an opportunity for Rangers to put whatever's happened behind them," said Souness. "I know they're on a decent run now, put it behind them and give encouragement to their supporters. "Beating Celtic, there's no better game to give them that confidence going forward than to make supporters have that belief going forward. "The first one is always super important, put a marker down. This is in the cup, so it's a big game for both teams." The League Cup was Souness' first trophy as Rangers player-manager, beating Celtic 2-1 in the 1986 final. He went on to win the trophy on three more occasions as well as overseeing three league title wins before joining Liverpool. "Being second here equates to criticism and you could be playing the best football," he said. "Like any supporter, it's not rocket science, what I want to see, I want to see them play attractive football, front foot football, defend well and score goals. "I can remember my first Old Firm game. I came here, serious player, played at the highest level, played in big games, big derby games, but this is a unique game. You have to work it out pretty quickly early on. But if you're playing in the games, don't play the occasion."