Ryan Porteous: Hibs defender 'won't change style for anyone' as he addresses Steven Gerrard comments ahead of Rangers visit

Hibs defender Ryan Porteous says he will not alter his defensive style for anyone as he prepares to take on runaway Premiership leaders Rangers at Ibrox on Boxing Day.
Rangers 'James Tavernier turns down a handshake from Ryan Porteous during Hibs' 2-2 draw with the league leaders in September.Rangers 'James Tavernier turns down a handshake from Ryan Porteous during Hibs' 2-2 draw with the league leaders in September.
Rangers 'James Tavernier turns down a handshake from Ryan Porteous during Hibs' 2-2 draw with the league leaders in September.

The 21-year-old centre-half caused a stir last time the two teams met back on September 20, when the Capital club held Steven Gerrard’s men to a 2-2 draw – the last time Rangers dropped points in the league.

Gers skipper James Tavernier and striker Alfredo Morelos refused to acknowledge Porteous at full-time, while Gerrard appeared to snub a handshake from him afterwards and then went on to say in his post-match press-conference that Porteous had called Tavernier “a bad loser” and that his words to his players were “cheap”.

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Porteous made his first league start for Hibs against Rangers and has tasted victory before at Ibrox, although he was also sent off last season for a bad challenge on Borna Barisic.

The Scotland Under-21s’ all-action, aggressive defending has clearly irked some at Ibrox, but Porteous is in fine form, part of a strong Hibs defence, and his performances earned him a place in the full international squad in the autumn. He is also unmoved by the comments made by Gerrard last time the teams met.

"He's probably just really competitive and he wants to win games,” Porteous said on Gerrard. “He was a bit frustrated that he never won the last one. He maybe took it out on me, but he can take it out on me all he wants. I take nothing personally. It happens on the park. As I said before, I think it should stay on the park, but if it doesn't, I don't ever take anything personally.

“He [Gerrard] was probably a player that wound up a few people and, not that I'm going out of my way to do that, but I don't change my game for anybody. You've seen me enough to know that I don't differentiate my play when I play Rangers. I'm always the exact same and I always want to win every game.

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"Rangers have been really good this season, but we saw what St Mirren did to them and it showed that no team is unbeatable. We'll be going there fully confident, but we'll be wary of the dangers they pose.”

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