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Defoe will need to show Scottish football respect – Kilmarnock's O'Donnell

Defoe will need to show Scottish football respect – Kilmarnock's O'Donnell
© Reuters
The Kilmarnock defender believes Defoe must respect the league if he wants to succeed in Scotland.

Kilmarnock defender Stephen O'Donnell insists Jermain Defoe will have to show Scottish football respect if he is to be a success at Rangers.

The 36-year-old striker has joined the Ibrox club on loan from Bournemouth and is set to make his competitive debut in the Ladbrokes Premiership at Rugby Park on Wednesday night, where the home side are one point behind the Light Blues in third place.

O'Donnell admits there is no doubting the pedigree of the former West Ham, Tottenham and Sunderland player, who has 57 caps for England, but stressed that he should not think he is in for an easy ride north of the border.

The Scotland international said: "There are lots of good players that haven't maybe got the CV of Jermaine Defoe but they are still very very good players.

"So you need to respect every opponent and equally you will respect him. You can't even question his CV, he is a top player.

"But he is coming up here and he needs to respect us as well because if he doesn't then he won't do as well.

"It is not every top player that comes up and hits the ground running.

"You've seen that with Celtic, they signed Juninho a few years back and he didn't do how everyone expected him to do.

"It is tough. It is a tough league that poses different challenges to England but he is a top player so I am sure he has got the tools to perform.

"We will go in expecting a tough game and bring as close to our A-game as possible.

"If we, as a team, do that I have no doubt that we will have opportunities and if we take them who knows what can happen."

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Tables header RHS
TeamPWDLFAGDPTS
1Celtic55001401415
2Aberdeen5500103715
3RangersRangers531194510
4Dundee UnitedDundee Utd52216428
5Motherwell52127617
6Dundee51319906
7St Mirren5122810-25
8Hibernian512258-35
9Ross County512238-55
10St Johnstone510458-33
11Kilmarnock5023312-92
12Hearts501429-71


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