Louise Taylor’s match report is with us, which means we’re done here. Thanks all for your company and comments – peace out.
“A difficult game,” says Cameron Carter-Vickers. Celtic played well for some of the first half but Rangers went man-to-man in the second and they struggled to play through it. When the crowd’s going for it and it’s attack after attack, it’s hard to keep the home side out, and them getting the early second-half goal changed things. He’s not seen the penalty but thinks Fabio Silva was seeking contact – he was, but does it matter?– and also that Celtic should’ve kept the ball better. Even if his side had won today, he says, they’d probably still have had to win every remaining game, but what he omits to note is that now if they do, they might still not win the title.
Rabbi Matondo last week…
Cyriel Dessers says this was one of the craziest games he’s ever played in. At half-time, the manager said he didn’t recognise them – they weren’t doing the things they’d been doing the last five months. But they’re so mentally strong they sorted it out and he’s so proud of the team, whose ability to perform under that pressure says a lot about them. He sees them work all week, and this is what they deserve.
Ranni Matondo, meanwhile, says he wasn’t doing his best in the game so he cut in and just thought he should take a shot. He hoped they’d push on for a winner, but Cyriel’s chance didn’t go in; Dessers adds that he hit it well and thought he might’ve won it, but it wisnae tae be.
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“I’m not sure I’ve seen a more sustained display of crap defending all season,” says James Humphries, “and my team’s Motherwell. Was there something wrong with the pitch? Slips and underhit passes all game.”
So humble! I actually thought Scales played pretty well, but both sides paid for losing a bit of confidence after conceding.
“Re 84 mins,” says Andy Flintoff, “a foul is a foul wherever it occurs, but a defender should take into account (I emphasise the should) the award of a penalty and a ‘definite goal’ when making a challenge on an attacker in the penalty area. Defenders are protected anyway - fouls committed as the attacker is shooting (or immediately after) are almost never penalised as much as they should be.”
Yes, but goals in football are rare. Are we happy giving an 80% chance of one for nonsense? If we stop that, we also stop a lot of our VAR grief; something that’s been borhering me a lot lately is that I’ve been watching the game over 40 years and nowadays, I see something happen, watch a few replays so’s I know exactly what happened, yet I still don’t know what’s going to be given.
Coming up next:
Rangers’ game in hand is on Wednesday night, away to Dundee. Win it and they go top.
“Not much quality as such,” is Kris Boyd’s summary of the match, the words “as such” doing a fair bit of heavy lifting. But football is about so much more than quality, and the way Clement and his players are saluting their fans, following a home draw, tells us all of that and more.
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Oh man, that was good, and if showed us exactly why we are where we are. Celtic are the better side with the better players, but Rangers have enough to force things to happen, and with seven games to go – six for Celtic – the title is in their hands.
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As if we’ve not had enough joy, a little scuffle! Cantwell shoves McGregor, everyone crowds round, and there’s nae swedge ta be hud.
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FULL TIME: Celtic 3-3 Rangers
What a game of association that was! Celtic stay top, a point ahead of rangers who have a game in hand.
90+9 min Cantwell hurls hiself into a challenge and the ball breaks for Dessers! He’s on the edge … and he leathers a low shot that scooshes just past the post!
90+8 min Celtic, it should be said, have been very poor in the second half, allowing Rangers to get the crowd going and turn a lesson into a ruckus. Hatate and Kyogo going off made it harder for them to control the game, but even so, they’ve stopped playing through midfield.
90+7 min Rangers send Balogun on for Goldson, who must be injured. Can his team find what would be one of the most ludicrous winners of all time?
90+5 min Mayham.
WHAT A GOAL! Rangers 3-3 Celtic (Matondo 90+4 min)
WHAT ON EARTH IS GOING ON!? ARE WE EVEN ALIVE? Lundstram finds Matondo outside the box, left-hand side. He skips past Yang, whose challenge is weak, and we all know what’s coming next but is it coming next? Too right it’s coming next, another brilliant finish, curled into the far side-netting, and there’s absolute mayhem in Ibrox!!!
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90+2 min Rangers need chaos. They’ve only threatened when the game’s been a mess, and perhaps added time will help them create that.
90 min Yup, eight minutes of additional time, a quick VAR check finding the excellent Scales has cleared a cross fairly.
89 min There are going to be eight additional minutes, we reckon.
GOAL! Rangers 2-3 Celtic (Idah 87)
ASFDL;KNGAKLSFNG;KLZS`BDFKLABafkl`ub! Bernardo finds space down the left AND slides a clever pass into the box once Idah’s made his run for the defender. But there’s still work to do as he makes his run for him, cleverly transfering the ball to his right foot with the defenders expecting a shot with his left, before an early effort zips under Butland’s dive, the shot too powerful for the keeper to get down fast enough! Celtic are going four points clear and there’s nothing in this insane world as insane as football, never mind Old Firm football!
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GOAL! Rangers 2-2 Celtic (Sima 86)
WHAT ON EARTH IS GOING ON! McGregor gives the ball away and Rangers spring, Matondo’s shot blocked back to Sima, who makes decent connection from the edge … and a deflection takes the ball past Hart! Football!
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84 min “Mr Harris, I fear you are wanting to confound the very fabric of the game,” chides Jeremy Boyce. “Our rosey-tinted spectacles means we all preferred footie as it was back in the good old pre-VAR days, all except you, who seem to want to change the whole ethos of the penalty decision, which has served the game well and brought footie to its current status of the worldwide people’s game. The rules clearly state that, irrespective of context (at the by-line, edge of the penalty area, bang in front of goal with the ‘keeper nowhere...), a foul is a foul and is penalised by the award of a penalty kick. Where do you stand on the penalty awarded when a player running away from goal is ruthlessly scythed down by a clumsy defender ? The bottom line is that tackling, like good attacking play, is a SKILL, and that a badly executed tackle resulting in a foul inside the penalty area gives away a penalty, irrespective of the situation. Please don’t let footie end up like rugby, with so many nuanced rules and situations that neither the players, refs or fans understand what’s happening anymore.”
I’m just saying that giving an almost definite goal for so many situations that are unlikely to yield one unbalances the game and is one reason we have VAR, another why it’s some time-consuming and controversial. And I already don’t understand what’s going on, in that I can see an incident clearly and still not know what the ref’s going to give.
83 min …but Lundstram goes early and the flag goes up.
82 min I guess Celtic back themselves to see this one out, because they’re sitting in shape challenging Rangers to find a way through. And when Maeda fouls Lundstram, Tavernier will again have a chance to stick a ball into the box…
82 min Change for Celtic, Bernardo replacing O’Riley.
79 min Apart from the little flurry after the goal, Rangers haven’t created much excitement, and Idah has made a difference to Celtic, again pulling left, beating Goldson with a nice touch before opting to cut inside and shoot when he’s got Yang beseeching him for a pass at the back post.
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78 min And Dowell’s into the action immediately, sprinting forward with the ball and shoving a pass in behind for Sima … up with which he just can’t catch.
78 min Change for Rangers, Diomande – who had a poor first half but improved thereafter – replaced by Dowell.
77 min Sterling is down, but I think he’ll be good to continue.
75 min We said this was going to be intense and goodness me, it’s not less us down. I’ve not a clue what’s going to happen next, but here’s Idah, on space down the left, and his low cross, caressed into the corridor, is a beauty …but Sterling does really well to insert body between ball and Yang.
73 min Cantwell lays back for Tavernier, whose cross is just over Dessers and Celtic clear, then Yang heads Diomande on the run and eventually the ref stops the game to check he’s OK.
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72 min Celtic are playing with a little more composure now, looking to keep the ball and force Rangers to run. But with three new players on, the home side have legs, and they’re pressing high now.
71 min Maeda is booked for a foul – on whom I did not see.
70 min Changes: Celtic send on Idah for Kyogo, Rangers Cantwell and Matondo for Lawrence and Fabio Silva.
68 min “Don’t mean to be Billy Big Bullhooks,” begins James Cox, “but I’ve been saying this for ages, and I noticed it was picked up on MOTD last night (not because of me). Have it like tennis, three calls per game, captain makes the call to review … gets it right keeps them, wrong and he loses one. Puts more value in captaincy and takes pressure away from refs.”
My issue with this is that teams might use their challenge towards full time just to waste a few seconds, and that we still have the problem of ambiguity in the laws and lack of accordant refereeing consistency. Meantime, Johnston is booked for a foul.
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66 min Celtic clear easily enough, but they’re in a game now.
66 min I’m sure Rodgers would’ve preferred to keep Hatate on, but he’s been out and is blowing; Rangers look the fresher side now, but can they find the quality to build some pressure? Well, Sima teases Taylor out wide, wears the inevitable foul, and Tavernier will again swerve one in…
65 min Pair of changes for Celtic, McGregor and Yang replacing Hatate and Kuhn.
63 min Rangers’ centre-backs seem to be playing 10 yards higher up the pitch, and that’s allowing them to put on more pressure when out of possession. But when that pressure allows Lawrence to stick in a cross, he drifts it behind.
62 min If I may be so cringe as to quote myself:
Tackling is a skilled, essential and often amusing part of the game, so players should not be discouraged from getting involved for fear of conceding a penalty. In the Premier League last season, the conversion rate was 74.5% – relative to 5.9% of free-kicks from which shots were taken – and of 380 games, 84 were drawn and 129 settled by the odd goal. Accordingly, it makes very little sense that an accidental foul on an attacker, marginally inside the box but nowhere near scoring, results in an almost certain goal; just as it makes very little sense that a deliberate foul on an attacker, marginally outside the box but about to score, seldom results in a goal. Which is to say that the 18-yard area, though essential in determining where a goalkeeper may handle and useful for gauging distance, is not indicative of how play will proceed. So within or without its environs, a penalty should be awarded for a foul or handball which denies a likely goal; otherwise, a free-kick is sufficient. If nothing else, this would vastly reduce use of the phrase “seenemgiven”, an end in and of itself.
60 min Rangers are playing with much greater intensity now and here comes Sima down the right, his cross deflected beyond the back post. On VAR, by the way, would anyone object to just going with the on-pitch calls? Yes, by the letter they were probably wrong, but football is a game of chaos and of margins, not of precision and legality, so.
GOAL DISALLOWED! Rangers 1-2 Celtic
Yup, this is not dissimilar to the penalty, an extended leg impeding the man in possession. Let-off for Celtic!
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VAR CHECK!
Did Lawrence foul Hatate at the start of the move? I think he may have you kniow….
GOAL! Rangers 2-2 Celtic (Dessers 57)
FOOTBALL FOOTBALL FOOTBALL FOOTBALL! Lawrence wins the ball in midfield and Fabio Silva drives forward, spreading the play wide, and when the cross comes in, though Dessers can’t poke home at this first attempt, he tucks away at the second and what on earth is going on? There is nothing like this, nothing like it at all!
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56 min That goal was not coming, but for the fact that it came…
GOAL! Rangers 1-2 Celtic (Tavernier pen 55)
The most prolific defender in British football does it again! Tavernier leaps, then sweeps an unsavable shot across Hart into the far side-netting, just below the top corner. Game on!
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PENALTY TO RANGERS
54 min The problem, of course, is that a penalty is too severe a punishment for almost every offence that results in one. This was a foul, I guess, but one worth an 80% chance of a goal? Nahman.
53 min Yup, the ref goes over for another look.
52 min OK, Fabio Silva is on his way down and Johnston gets a little of the ball, but he still stretches his leg across the attacker and breaks his run. I think this’ll be a penalty….
51 min Fabio Silva’s had better afternoons. He collects a decent reverse-pass from Sterling, sways inside Johnston then dives outside and goes down; he’s booked for diving but wants a penalty…
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50 min Carter-Vickers hurts himself in a challenge but he’ll be fine.
49 min I’ve not seen much of Celtic this season, but I very much like what I’ve seen of Matt O’Riley. He could develop into a very serious player.
48 min Celtic win a corner and O’Riley moves the ball on to Hatate on the edge … but his low drive is too close to Butland, who saves easily enough.
47 min Talking of matters sartorial, Joe Hart is not only wearing buttercup top, shorts and stockings, but boots. Sadly we’ve no photo yet, but he looks like he’s playing in socks.
46 min Clement has got his big winter coat properly zipped up. Kieran Tierney would never.
46 min We go again. Rangers send on Abdallah Sima, the Brighton loanee, for Scott Wright.
Back come our teams…
A bit of Rangers reading, but one of the great football stories.
So what can Philippe Clement do about this? I’d not be surprised to see Todd Cantwell and Borna Barisic, and if his side score next, game on. But it’s hard to see them scoring twice never mind twice without reply, because Celtic are a better side with better players, who know exactly how to hurt them.
Half-time entertainment:
Also going on…
HALF-TIME: Rangers 0-2 Celtic
A near-enough perfect first half for Celtic, who will lead Rangers by four points at the top – having played a game more – if they can see this one out.
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45+1 min SAAAAAvED JOE HART! Finally, Rangers craft an opening, Sterling sliding a clever reverse-pass that bumps off Dessers and Fabio Silva is in down the left side of the box! But as he prepares to slot clinically under the keeper, an enormous yellow lummox leaps in front of him and suddenly the ball bounces back to safety! Great, crucial save, and Celtic stand strong to clear their lines when Rangers come back at them!
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45 min We’ll have two added minutes.
45 min And here come Celtic again, Hatate running off Diomande, and though his shooting lane is immediately closed down, the ball ballooning off to safety, he’s regularly finding space where Rangers two defensive midfielders are meant to be.
44 min So far, this match has told us what we thought we knew: Rangers are good enough to beat everyone bar Celtic, while Celtic are good enough to do whatever they need to do to win the title.
43 min Rangers win a corner down the right and Tavernier swings it on top of Hart, who gets it behind for another; this time, Carter-Vickers heads clear. He and Scales have been pretty solid so far.
41 min O’Riley goes to ground to challenge Diomande, catching the soft, fleshy part of his thigh; in our playground, that was known as a donkey bite, its highest iteration below. He’s booked.
Great United tackles XXXII: David Beckham on Stephen Hughes. pic.twitter.com/hsIw8b2gH8
— United Rewind (@unitedrewind) January 21, 2021
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41 mon Tavernier misplaces a pass and O’Riley, who’s been excellent, intercepts and shoves Kyogo away. But with a man blocking off the inside, he drives outside and lashes a shot that’s blocked at source.
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39 min Fabio Silva is not enjoying this; down on the ground writhing after Johnston aborts his off-the-ball run with a good, honest, old-fashioned, British bodycheck. He’s booked, and Silva is most upset.
38 min Johnston slides a terrific pass in front of Kuhn, nashing down the right, and with Kyogo loitering, Butland, on the dive, collects at the second attempt. Rangers are rocking and Celtic might just be able to finish this before half-time.
36 min Rangers have no real ground for complaint. They dominated territory after the goal but without creating anything, and the best chances have all been Celtic’s but excuse me while I interrupt myself! Taylor crosses superbly from the left and Kyoto races towards the far post to catch up with it … but when he should go far post he goes near, heading wide.
GOAL! Rangers 0-2 Celtic (O'Riley pen 34)
It was coming, but the stones on Matt O’Riley, goodness me! He waits for Butland to dive, clips the ball over the keeper, and yet more spooky silence. Celtic take a giant step towards retaining their title!
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PENALTY TO CELTIC!
33 min Goldson’s elbow caught the ball, away from his body, and a quick look at the screen was enough for the ref to see it’s a penalty.
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31 min In comes the corner, Maeda with the flick, and does that hit Goldson’s arm? VAR will want a look….
31 min Lovely from Maeda, dashing at the Rangers defence, chucking in a Zidane spin when he looks to have overrun the ball, and when h finds Johnston, O’Riley meets it the cross with a booming header … that Butland tips behind! Fine save!
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29 min Yup, Celtic are knocking it about nicely now. I’m looking forward to Brendan explaining exactly why all of it is his doing.
27 min We discussed this pre-match, but so far, Celtic’s extra attacking class telling. I know their goal was a fluke, but it came because they pinpointed a particular Rangers weakness, and I’d not be shocked if they managed a second before half-time.
25 min Again, Maeda runs at Tavernier, who gets in well to win the ball. Celtic, though, win back possession high up and O’Riley slides in Maeda, left side of the box, who opens his body aiming for the far corner, only to pass a safe effort far too close to Butland, who parries clear a shiot he ought not to have smelt. And still Celtic sustain the attack, Hatate shifting it one outside the box before lashing a shot just wide of the far post! For all Rangers’ huffing, those were two chances far better than anything they’ve managed in open play.
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24 min WHAT A CHANCE GOLDSON! The corner picks him out and he pulls off Carter-Vickers … but mistimes his jump, the ball coming off his shoulder and flying over the top!
23 min The ball bobbles about in midfield, then Rangers win another free-kick, so Tavernier will again stick a ball into the wind …or not, instead punching a straight pass dow the near side of the wall for Fabio Silva, whose attempted cross wins a corner.
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22 min And here they go again, Dessers charging goalwards but cannily ushered away by Carter-Vickers.
20 min Kuhn pulls back Sterling and is booked – apparently because of the fouls previously administered by his teammates.
18 min Celtic must’ve identified a weakness in Butland’s kicking because Kyogo slides in on him as he kicks, not for the first time. He’ll not be allowed to just build the play here, but as I type Lawrence plays a poor pass after Dessers wins a challenge with Carter-Vickers. Already, this is a physical battle, and currently the defender is winning it.
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17 min Kyogo drops off and win the ball, and though his onward pass is too strong, his team are gradually growing into the game, playing more of it in the Rangers half.
16 min Dessers and Carter-Vickers leap for a long ball but Fabio Silva can’t turn on it when it drops to him. So far, Rangers have lacked quality in attacking areas.
15 min The Celtic defenders look really up for this, but Rangers will take heart that already, they’ve been forced to make some desperate tackles.
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13 min We said Celtic would be targeting the space in behind Tavernier and they are, Hatate striding through midfield and sliding a pass inside the Rangers skipper for Maeda, whose low cross is just too strong for Kyogo.
12 min Celtic have barely had a kick since taking the lead, but now Kyogo worries Butland, chasing him down and forcing a rushed clearance.
11 min Now Scales – whose nickname is, I trust, Prunella – wins a challenge with Fabio Silva. There are appeals for a penalty but again, he timed his intervention well.
10 min Carter-Vickers prevents Sterling taking a quick free-kick then toes the ball away for extra winding; somehow, he avoids a card.
9 min Scales sees Wright racing in behind him, so leaps into an excellent sliding challenge, taking all of the ball but leaving Wright in a heap. He must’ve landed awkwardly but should be fine.
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7 min “Your picture of the main stand at Ibrox led me to wondering,” says Phil Withall, “has any non-playing person had a bigger impact on British football than Archibald Leitch? Probably not the right time to ask, what with an Old-Firm match about to kick off, but I’m intrigued.”
Good question. I guess there are administrators, dictators and proxies with a good claim too, but Leitch did some incredible work – though, of course, his involvement in the Ibrox Stadium disaster can’t be ignored.
6 min Since conceding, Rangers have dominated possession, but it’s all a bit frantic and, a goal down, they can’t really afford that kind of game lest they concede another.
5 min …directly into the hands of Joe Hart. He’s had better five minutes.
5 min Rangers win a free-kick out on the right, Tavernier to swing over a cross…
3 min Rangers will feel they’ve still a chance if they lose today, but really as the challengers, you feel they must take this opportunity to get in front.
1 min The fastest Old Firm goal remains Chris Sutton’s after 19 seconds. I’m seeking it…
OH MY COMPLETE AND UTTER DAYS GOAL! Rangers 0-1 Celtic (Maeda 21 secs)
A hump from Hart, Tavernier dithers then looks to clear, instead kicking into Maeda’s shin, the ball flying past Butland from 20 yards; what a start that is! And in the ground, with no away fans, almost eerie almost-silence.
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1 min And off we go…
Blue flares, tickertape and Tina Turner. What more could anyone possibly want?
…and here they come!
Our teams are tunnelled…
The noise is ramping up inside the groond; Rangers hans have been giving plastic blue macs to wear, but one lad is topless, a balaclava protecting his identity. He does so love the soccer!
Clement, wearing Rangers of uniform of v-neck school jumper under blazer with tie, notes that his club haven’t won many Old Firm games of late. But they’ve improved a lot the last few months, according to points and date, and he wants to see a good game with his team playing well. He expects Cantwell to play later in the game, just that Lawrence was what he wanted from the start for this specific fixture, while Barisic was ill in the week and Dujon has the ability to defend and attack.
That Celtic midfield three of Hatate, Iwate, O’Riley looks strong doesn’t it? I’m sure Rangers will have plans to disrupt them, but if Diomande and Lundstram are helping protect their defence, they’ll have a chance to control the middle of the pitch.
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The Ibrox main stand though, what a work of art.
Brendan speaks, and he thinks the Old Firm games are always big. He’s excited to see his team play, but there are still six games to come after this one, adding that McGregor will play some part in the game – he just isn’t match fit.
In some games, he thinks Kyogo is denied space, but against Rangers he’s got a bit more in which to work and is part of a front line that should penetrate. His team have done well in the derbies this season – they weren’t expected to win at Ibrox earlier in the season yet they did.
Those pointing out a minor typo might like to know that cricket features the “cut shot”. Yes, I really have done it.
I wonder if, though Maeda will be on the left, Kyogo will also be looking to attack the space in behind Tavernier. Philippe Clement knows that his skipper will have to defend, but will presumably have a plan for getting him into the game going forward; I sense a taxing afternoon for Scott Wright, stationed ahead of him.
Four red cards, says you? Everything that no one wants to see, says I.
The classic Old Firm game?
Celtic, meanwhile, will look to keep the ball and get their quick passing going, pulling the Rangers centre-backs out of position by dropping off with the wide attackers looking to get into the box and midfielders running past the false nine.
Where is the game? My guess is that Rangers look to keep things tight – they’ll want their midfield three to sit down the space in front of the back four where Kyogo like to operate. They’ll be looking to double-up when attacking down the right, and to try and get crosses into the box with the top of creating confusion.
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On Sky, Chris Sutton has just interviewed Henrik Larsson, but on that topic I recommend this:
As for Celtic, Brendan Rodgers is back on the bench after his touchline ban for criticising a ref – the same ref who takes charge of today’s game – which I’d have considered extending it for the way he spoke to a reporter. He names an unchanged side with skipper Callum McGregor only fit enough for the bench.
Brendan Rodgers Good Girl Interview. pic.twitter.com/zC8uDNEzdw
— Colin Sutherland (@ScotlandColin) February 26, 2024
So what does it all mean? Well Rangers make two changes, Dujon Sterling in for Borna Barisic at left-back and Tom Lawrence replacing Todd Cantwell in midfield. Those look defensive-ish changes to me, but we shall see.
Teams!
Rangers (4-2-3-1): Butland; Tavernier, Goldson, Souttar, Sterling; Diomande, Lundstram; Wright, Lawrence, Silva; Dessers. Subs: McCrorie, Cantwell, Matondo, Sima, Dowell, Balogun, Barisic, King, McCausland.
Celtic: Hart; Johnston, Carter-Vickers, Scales, Taylor; O’Riley, Iwata, Hatate; Kuhn, Kyogo, Maeda. Subs: Bain, Idah, Yang, Nawrocki, Bernardo, McGregor, Forrest, Ralston, Welsh.
Preamble
Football is a global phenomenon, its unique light enveloping the planet as disparate peoples come together, transfixed by the hypnotic beauty of the beautiful game. Aye right, and then there’s Rangers v Celtic.
Because for all the patter – touching stories from here and social commentary from there – some things cant be intellectualised and sentimentalised, not even by the Guardian, and when it comes down to it, the Old Firm rammy stands alone.
But even in that context, today’s match is special, a howling, screeching, whirling Glesga of a match. Celtic, going for a third straight title and a 12th out of 13, lead the table by a point and will consider themselves favourites. But Rangers have a game in hand, home advantage, and the confidence that they are well-placed in the closes race for years – one many thought would already be over.
Which is is to say the teams arrive at Ibrox Stadium under all sorts of pressure and managing all sorts of expectations, the madness of the world transmogrified via the medium of interpretive soccer. This is going to be intense.
Kick-off: 12pm BST
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