That Scotland’s top flight is in danger of looking competitive should douse some of the frenzy attached to the third Old Firm clash of the season. “Should” being the operative term. There remains no prospect of a team beyond Celtic or Rangers winning the Premiership – a horribly grim reality – but this has been a campaign involving bloody noses inflicted by minnows.
Celtic have drawn five league games and lost three, with none of those stumbles coming against their oldest foes. Besides back-to-back derby defeats, Rangers have shipped points to Kilmarnock, Aberdeen and Motherwell. Scotland’s marquee fixture will not actually determine the championship’s destiny at all. Both teams will rue shortcomings elsewhere come May.
Brendan Rodgers should relish Sunday’s trip to Ibrox. Celtic still also have to host Rangers once more. Rangers are a point adrift of their oldest foes while holding a game in hand. It is in this fixture, though, that Celtic’s manager has revelled. A succession of Ibrox coaches have been unable to master Rodgers over his two Celtic tenures and he has understandably taken great pleasure, time and again, in crushing giddy expectation around Rangers. What he would give to repeat the trick now.
This does, however, look Rangers’ finest opportunity in years. Philippe Clement has rejuvenated Glasgow’s blue half after the unconvincing Michael Beale experiment was cut short. Rangers have a domestic treble in their sights but would surely give up the Scottish Cup if it meant snatching the title from Celtic’s grasp.
Rangers have a capacity home crowd – no away fans will be permitted until next season amid the Old Firm’s latest petty dispute – in their favour. They also had clear momentum until Motherwell silenced Ibrox a month ago. The truth is that Clement has failed to fully solve defensive vulnerability. The partisan nature of Ibrox for this fixture can also become quickly problematic if, as was the case in September, Celtic gain a foothold in the game. Clement has to show the versatility required to sting Celtic.
Clement is due praise for Rangers being title candidates at all such was the fraught scene when he succeeded Beale. Rangers have, though, been assisted by Celtic’s lack of big-picture thinking coming back to bite them.
Rodgers has taken criticism this season yet he inherited a club and a team that have failed to capitalise properly on the huge margin for error on the domestic front. It should be embarrassing to those in the Celtic boardroom that Rangers even sit within touching distance.
The whiff of cordite is never far away when this pair are close. That smell has been enhanced by the Scottish Football Association. John Beaton, the video assistant referee, was specifically and vehemently criticised by Rodgers after the defeat by Hearts last month. Rodgers received a touchline ban for his comments. Rather than run a mile from further controversy, Beaton has been placed in charge of this Old Firm clash, a situation which does the referee no favours at all.
Should Beaton give a marginal call Celtic’s way, those of Rangers persuasion will insist he has been influenced by Rodgers’ words. If Rangers are perceived as benefitting from the official, this will enhance conspiracy theories about Beaton among the Celtic support.
Rangers are far from innocents in Scotland’s relentless refereeing debate. The Ibrox club had legitimate gripes about communication issues involving the – ultimately correct – non-award of a penalty in the New Year Old Firm game. Rangers lost any moral high ground with the request that another official, Willie Collum, should not take charge of their games.
Collum, who has not refereed a Rangers league match since, will be at Ibrox on Sunday as the fourth official. The Scottish FA’s messaging on this thorny topic is impossible to decipher. Beaton’s scenario became even more of a head-scratcher after Inverness won an appeal over a red card issued by the same referee in last weekend’s match against Partick Thistle. It is safe to assume Beaton had been sent to the Championship for a little peace and quiet. Instead, he is mid-storm.
Rodgers’ stance at Tynecastle, where he cited “incompetence”, was in maintaining a siege mentality that does not entirely suit him. Cynicism around Celtic has both been caused by the club’s actions and is largely the domain of its own fanbase. Rodgers’ frequent irritation plays to a gallery of supporters who were not enamoured by his return.
The fact is Celtic have been unconvincing for much of this season; it is entirely feasible that the country’s dominant club for more than a decade will not have a single candidate for this season’s player of the year awards. Of course, Celtic could very well retain their title.
The making of bold predictions in the immediate aftermath of this Old Firm derby would just be unwise.
