BlueMeanie
Well-Known Member
- Kris Boyd
YOU can’t be 1-0 down in an Old Firm game after 41 minutes and go into the dressing room at half-time 3-0 behind.
You can’t be playing so badly the gaffer is justified in giving three players the hook at the break.
Just like you can’t have him pointing the finger at you after the final whistle with an accusation you weren’t properly prepared.
Giovanni van Bronckhorst certainly didn’t miss his Rangers players with his post-match comments on Wednesday night.
But for all his words must have stung individuals in his team, they just have to take it.
From the team that started, Allan McGregor and Scott Arfield are the only two men who earned pass marks.
The rest should be hanging their heads in shame after that performance.
The lack of intensity in the Rangers team was incredible in a game that demanded the players fought for every ball.
Celtic were tremendous, let me say that here and now.Everyone knows where my allegiance lies so that’s not an easy thing for me to admit — but it’s true.
Up for it, determined, focused, united as a team — they were everything Rangers weren’t. They grabbed the game by the throat and didn’t let go until they’d throttled the life out of my team. Sure, Rangers were better in the second half when Van Bronckhorst took off his worst offenders, but it was way too late.
Celtic had the game won by then and they knew it.
It’s easy to play when you’re 3-0 up, just as it’s easy to play when you’re 3-0 down.
Fair play to Ryan Jack, Fashion Sakala and Leon Balogun for making an impact but the game was already gone. The question now is whether Rangers’ title chances went with it?
That may sound like a big thing to say given Rangers were top of the league going into the derby and are only one point behind Celtic. But Ange Postecoglou has a team with its tail up.
There is energy there and a tremendous will to win and it’s hard to see that group of players letting their standards drop now.
For me, Rangers will probably need to win 13 of their remaining 14 league matches between now and the end of the season. And at least draw the other one with Celtic back at Parkhead.
Are they capable of that? If you’d asked me two days ago I wouldn’t have doubted it for a second, and it’s still possible.
But there are question marks over the manager now and the team after that abysmal Old Firm performance and result. In central defence, Connor Goldson and Calvin Bassey were a shambles — and don’t start me when it comes to the two full-backs.
If James Tavernier was bad, what about Borna Barisic? Wow, that’s pretty much all I can say about his night.
He was one of the ones taken off at the break and he was probably grateful, given the hiding he was getting.
Had it not been for Greegsy then Rangers could have been trailing by five or six before the second half even kicked off. For a game of that magnitude it was just unacceptable. I just looked at the team and didn’t see players who wanted to be there.
Look at Celtic. Callum McGregor played with a fractured cheekbone.
The fact he managed to get through the 90 minutes without anyone testing out that face mask is another story, but his commitment to the team was tremendous.
Daizen Maeda was on the bench having just flown into Scotland from Japan on the morning of the game. That’s the sort of thing that matters.
But at Rangers there doesn’t seem to be that mentality.
Ryan Kent is nowhere near it right now. Glen Kamara has been off it for weeks. I can’t believe I’m saying this given the criticism I’ve hit him with down the years but the way things are right now, Rangers’ title defence is all down to one man...
Alfredo Morelos needs to get himself back to Scotland from Colombia and get firing again.
The signs have been good this season and I hope for Rangers’ sake he returns in good shape and raring to go.
Aaron Ramsey is obviously going to be a major player too but why wasn’t he involved the other night?
The next time he goes back to Celtic Park it could be a title decider so why not have him on the bench at least on Wednesday to experience what the game was all about close-up?
His arrival is clearly a major boost but he needs to hit the ground running — Rangers have no time to waste.
I have my doubts over this Rangers team now, though.
At 1-0 down just four minutes from half-time, they should have closed ranks and got back to the away changing room.
Instead they conceded another two goals. That’s just weak. As a Rangers supporter, I must admit it was a hard watch, but one thing I did enjoy about was hearing McGregor refer to the derby as the Old Firm.
I thought that term had been banned by everyone at Celtic Park. I just hope Cal didn’t end up with rapped knuckles to go with his fractured cheekbone.
