Here's every word the Rangers manager had to say to the press ahead of Saturday's Scottish Cup Final between Rangers and Celtic. 

How is your squad looking?

I don't want to say too much about the squad. This is the final and decisive game so maybe we need to take some risks with players that we normally don't because there is a season coming after. I don't want to get into who could start or not. I did it all season, every three days with you guys. This one I don't want to speak too much about that.

How much is on this game?

It's always more than a trophy in this country between the two, it's always the case. Of course, you want to have better preparation in the last 6 to 8 weeks. It has been difficult with all the players out injured and missing rythym. Now it's about this one moment. 90 minutes, 120 or 120 with penalties to give everything as a whole squad with everyone who is available. I think a few guys want to come on the pitch with crutches! I cannot allow that of course but we are going to go hard with all the energy available in the building.

Do you need to show you can beat Celtic?

I don't think it will be a major difference in [the summer's] decision making. Maybe a player can change the mind to stay if he makes something really special out of this game. That can always happen but I didn't say a lot, you guys are making the story bigger and it's also difficult to say what is a lot? We need to make changes, it's clear. Some things happened this season that were not good enough and it is ambition to make the club better and team better. It's clear we need to do that towards next season. First we need to focus on this moment and grab it because if I look back at the last three Old Firms, we didn't grab the moments in these games. Not in our offensive actions where we had enough moments to score more, not in our defensive actions and for sure with two red cards. That changed a lot of scenarios. I expect 90 or 120 with at least 11 players on the pitch and to have better starts also with the game and work out of it.

What have you seen against Celtic that encourages you?

That we have been always close, it has been one goal difference in the two games we lost. It's not as if we lost with a big difference. We were in the game until the last seconds, it is now about taking these moments also and to be better than we were in those games. I want to see more quality from the team, whoever is on the pitch.

A lot of fans hope Lundstram won't play, is that a big call for you?

I will never make decisions about what fans are thinking because that's emotion and they don't see training, they don't know how the players are. I don't need to answer that question about John starting or not. It's about the decision with my staff about what I see in training and have seen in the last couple of months in the games. 

You might take some risks, will players have to play through pain and take injections to play?

I am not a doctor so we can't speak about injections but all the players want to play this game. Some want to go really on the edge to be there, to play that game. We are going to need to make smart decisions without taking too much risk.

Will you give players until Saturday to prove they're fit?

I need to see training tomorrow, that is the final moment to show you're fit enough to play some minutes. Otherwise if you didn't train all week it's impossible to play some minutes in the game.

Will you reiterate the need for no red cards?

I did it two times before. It's one of my principles in our dressing room so that's not new. They were two different red cards [against Celtic]. As I said last time it was a split-second decision and a totally wrong one. The player knows that directly also in that moment and for sure the experienced guys. I don't think it was about losing the head, it was the wrong decision. 

Is it all about making sure the players leave everything out there?

For sure. These games, everything can be decided in a split second so you need to be switched on all the time and you can win against every opponent in that game. It's a really interesting one. I feel a lot of energy and desire in the team now to end the season in a really good way. There are good steps made but also things lost along the way with injuries. We need to solve that for next season. 

Do you feel there needs to be a mindset change?

For sure our beginning of the game needs to be better, for sure. We worked on that the last times and it was not good enough. We are going to try that again in a different way but for sure that was important but also sometimes circumstances go against you in a really unlucky way if I think about the Ibrox game after 22 seconds. The ball can land anywhere but lands nicely in the corner. That's the worst start you can have, let's go full now to have the best start we can.

Would a trophy this weekend mark a really good season?

It is not a moment to make an evaluation and for me I am not all season here, I can only make an evaluation on the last six months. We did that already in the club which is why we want to change things to make it better for next season. Of course winning two trophies is much better than one and winning an Old Firm is better than not winning one. We are going to go full for that.