Soccer

Rangers have mental edge - Lafferty

Soccer : Kyle Lafferty accused Celtic of failing to deliver the goods when it really matters after he helped Rangers clinch …

Mon May 16 2011 - 01:00

Soccer: Kyle Lafferty accused Celtic of failing to deliver the goods when it really matters after he helped Rangers clinch the Clydesdale Bank Premier League title.

The striker grabbed a hat-trick, and Steven Naismith and Nikica Jelavic were also on the scoresheet, as the champions cruised to a 5-1 win at Kilmarnock on Sunday to secure the SPL crown for a third year in a row.

Celtic's recent defeat at Inverness allowed Rangers to gain the advantage in the title race and Lafferty believes superior mental toughness saw Walter Smith's men triumph in the end.

"I think we have been the better team," he said. "Even when we were not playing well, we were still picking up points. That's one thing that Celtic can't do; when the going gets tough, that's when they fail.

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"We've got the heart and desire in the team to go out and win games."

Lafferty also responded to comments made by Neil Lennon, when the Celtic boss urged Dundee United to "compete" and "give Rangers a game" after claiming he had not seen much evidence of that in previous 5-0 and 4-0 wins over Motherwell and Hearts.

"We can only play who we are up against, whether they want to try or not. But I think every single team wants to go out and beat Rangers and Celtic and have a say in who wins the championship.

"It's disrespectful to other teams to say that they are not trying against Rangers or Celtic."

The result was never in doubt as Lafferty opened the scoring after just 47 seconds and Rangers were three goals ahead in the opening seven minutes at Kilmarnock.

The win allowed outgoing boss Smith to claim his 10th title over two spells at the Ibrox helm, before his assistant Ally McCoist takes over as manager.

Lafferty said: "If we keep every player in the squad just now and add a few more, there is no reason why Ally McCoist can't come in and do what the gaffer has done. I think every single player knows what Walter Smith has done for Rangers and he deserves everything. It was important to do it for each other and for the gaffer and to win three titles in a row is amazing."