Bougherra given extra incentive to beat Celtic

(GETTY IMAGES)

The Rangers defender Madjid Bougherra is determined to repeat his victorious Old Firm debut after his family demanded tickets for the next game against Celtic. The centre-back helped Rangers to a 4-2 win at Celtic Park, weeks after joining the club from Charlton in August.

His family were so captivated by the spectacle as they watched on television in France that they are planning to visit Ibrox for the next Glasgow derby on 27 December. "All of my family are coming over for the match from France because they have seen me playing against Celtic on TV and said they wanted to come and watch an Old Firm game," Bougherra said. "Now we have to win at home because there will be pressure on us to win and also because my family are coming. I've had a lot of texts from them looking for tickets so I can't let them down."

The 26-year-old has slotted in seamlessly to the Ibrox central defence following his £2.5m move. He has also shown his gratitude to veteran defender David Weir for helping him settle in. "He is an excellent player and he has really helped me," Bougherra said.

"He is always in the right place and people in other teams never get past him. I have been so impressed with David. I have never played beside a big defender like him before and, at 38, he has so much experience. I think it is better for me to play with someone like him because I am learning from him all the time. He is really good to listen to and I am always looking at the positions he takes up.

"My partner in defence at Charlton was Luke Young before he left us to go to Middlesbrough. He was strong and a hard man to get past at the back but he was a completely different player to David. It is hard to pick them apart but I would say David is probably the best I have played with."