Old Firm – same Old Story….

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Old Firm – same Old Story….


We’ll cover as many nuances of today’s Old Firm loss at Parkhead in subsequent entries, but there’s little doubt the strides Steven Gerrard has made as Rangers manager and the improvements we’ve seen in the squad to this point were conspicuous by their absence this afternoon and it looked barely any better than a Pedro or Warburton Rangers.

As we discussed yesterday, we weren’t drawing too much conclusion from this match, and had that deep-lying feeling that Rangers were going in the right direction under Stevie, but we have to confess a slight touch of concern about just how stunningly poor his side were, and the evident gulf in class from the first whistle.

Gerrard’s plan had clearly been to contain, and to sit off Celtic – and barely any worthwhile attack was truly mustered in pretty much the whole 90 minutes as a result – our players looked lethargic, slow, and while a few of them notably fought as much as they could, the aching lack of quality on display from the visitors was very much an issue of slight worry.

Of course, there’s a caveat – this is still Scotland’s best team (unfortunately) and Rangers remain a work in progress.

But that our side had to rely on Allan McGregor to stop the score being a lot worse (and more accurate) than 1-0 is certainly not the kind of sign we were looking for.

We will have more precise articles in due course on this, and while we can’t go as far as to call it an atrocity, it was a clear indication the gap between Rangers and Celtic (which often threatens to close) seems to frequently disappear when the two meet.

It’s a long-standing problem – all the good signs leading into an Old Firm match and then the day comes and it’s the same old. Some could even make an argument that this was a step back, in both tactics, performance, and the utterly powderpuff attack.

We don’t know if we would go that far, but what we saw at Parkhead today was in no way what we’d hoped for. Even a battling loss would have been acceptable – this was pretty meek.

How did you readers see it?

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46 COMMENTS

  1. you cant go into any game with 10 men never mind this one , Ejaria a passenger again and if hes tired (excuse) dont put him in the team he dont know what it is to play for the shirt.

    • I agree. It looks as if Gerrard however is playing Ejaria and Kent because of the loan agreement with Liverpool. So wouldn't be surprised if they play in every game. He should have subbed Ejaria sooner.

  2. Celtic fan, Gerrard got nearly every single tactical decision wrong and in the end bringing off Jack for Middleton was ridiculous. He was your only player holding onto the ball and passing forward in midfield. Barely got near the box after he went off.

    Midfield in general were absent and would have been run over if lafferty had not been tracking back and helping out but in the process left Morelos up on his own for 90% of the match.

    Gap has closed but by not as much as some of the rangers fans on here seem to think so.

    • Hate to (at least partly) agree with you, Gerrard did get it badly wrong today but I reckon his mistakes made the gap look bigger than it really is. We are a better team than we showed today, yep, Sellic were dominant but only because you were allowed to be.

      I agree on Jack, I absolutely couldn't believe what I was seeing there. Utterly baffling decision.

    • But Gerrard's mistakes are part of Rangers now? its an argument i heard from some of my bear friends last year (before things got really bad) that Murty had potential to be a good manager but should not be learning his trade at a club like Rangers, why is this different for Stevie? Agree GK and CB are at the best they have been in the last 6 years but still do not think they are anything more than SPFL players. Rest of the team seems similar to last year before the meltdown.

    • Don't you worry Shaun. Stevie is the man to reel you back in. Today was very disappointing but we are on our way back. It may not be this year but we are òn our way!

  3. We never showed up, if it wasn't for Shagger in goal it would've been 5, same old story with us, hope that's the boot up the hole Rangers need

  4. I just don’t get what the plan was, was there a plan?

    If those players were following instruction you have to ask what the fuck Gerrard thought would happen letting Celtic have the ball for the entire first half. He got it badly wrong against Motherwell going with 3 at the back but at least he came out and said he got it wrong. I hope he realises ho got it wrong again today and doesn’t try that shit again.

    A lot of pundits / sellic minded people are going to say the gap is just as big, and if you only looked at today you might agree with them But I think we're way better than we looked, and their nowhere near as good as let them look today. Gerrard is learning on the job and as long as he learns from this defeat it's maybe no bad thing to get it out of the way at the start of the season.

  5. The exploits of Thursday have to be taken into consideration.. Celtic had possession yes.. but other than the Edouard free header the offered little other than set pieces.. once again we suffer from a poor refs decision. Rogic doesn't even look at the ball, leading to the goal.

    • Come on man get real! – The humiliated us. Celtic had almost all of the posession. How many saves did Gordon actually make?

    • Sorry Alex, really not convinced that was a foul on Jack, despite what Gerrard said post match. Collum was bad, but I think he got that one right, maybe need to see it again to say for sure tho.

    • It was not a foul when Celtic scored. Would you have believed it to be if it was the other way round?

      Also, Greegs was lucky to be on the field. He should have been red carded for kicking out at Ajer.

      Totally outclassed. There's a helluva long way to go …….

    • It wasn't a foul. You're kidding yourself on if you think that decision was the difference between the teams. We never showed up today but we will!

  6. Shit scared, weak and lethargic …. not the performance I was hoping for, no where near it. Gutted
    If it wasn’t for shagger and some good luck, thus was another 5-0 doin… let’s hope this was a hangover from Thursday and not a sign of how this team is going to aporoach old firm games

  7. We were overrun. Why, I do not know. Hopefully, because the players froze a little becauaebut was their first OF as they won't do that again. So many were poor I can't think they are just not good enough.
    We go again

  8. If this is Rangers under Gerrard we are in for a long season…If it's correct then this is our worst start to the league since 1989! 4 games played, beat the newly promoted team, tried to defend the other 3 and failed 3 times out of 3…Maybe in Europe when our back is to the wall and we need to hang in to get through. But in the SPFL….nah, not the Rangers team I'm looking to see for sure..

  9. Said it few weeks ago Ejaria will get found out in old firm. goldson and mcgregor only pass marks. Lafferty ineffective left wing. Tav giving himself a showing up again. Midfield not good enough to threaten their midfield. Scoreline suggests close game but was basically a pumping to match 4-0

  10. it was 1-o going but could have easily been 10…..the corner count in the forst half was ridiculous…betfair didn't even have odds for it…………if he was a manager in the english premirship he would be sacked tomorrow………….already lost the league in 4 games…wtf

    • Calm down. Fs 4 games in and yer writing the season off get real. Today was disappointing yes but to make a statement like that after 1 defeat is ridiculous

    • Well said Brian. We were disappointing today but we will learn. We've played 4 league games with 3 away at Pittodrie, Fir Park and San Giro while trying to bed in a whole new team. We've got a string of home games coming up. Win those and the picture changes.

  11. I think you're all over reacting a bit. We were at Celtic park with only 800 fans with only 2 days rest after playing in far east Russia. We did a great job of containing them in the first half and they were playing at their absolute best. In the 2nd half we came out well and got unlucky with the goal as Jack was fouled in the lead up. We played EXACTLY the same team that thumped us 5-0 last season and they were lucky to get the break for the goal when we were starting to look confident. Things were about to get nervy for Celtic.

    We will beat them at Ibrox in December. I guarantee we will beat them this season.

    • You can't use playing in Russia as an excuse. Celtic have been doing that for the last few seasons & they seem to have coped.

      As for the goal – firstly, it was not a foul, but the defence should have sorted it out- if necessary taking him out.

      How you can it was luck when the bar was hit 3 times & the post once, plus Greegs saving the team on at least 4 occasions, I will never know.

      Gerard is a new manager and he will make mistakes. He made a good few today.

  12. Agree with Andy E what was the plan just sit back and let them have the ball
    They strolled through the game no pressure on the ball very few tackles poor performance again looked like we were playing for draw from start
    Far to much respect given to them need get in their faces whatever was the passion today
    Very sad we off the radar already need a huge wake up call

  13. Ok, so I'm a Celtic fan – you sat off too much – not like you have in the Europa league so far. Genuinely think the players you signed will give us a run for the league this year – but not if you sit off and don't press (like you have in Europa). Don't get me wrong, I'm happy we won – but I think the next three games will be a bigger test if you guys press the action.

    • Got to agree with the comment, Any team who have troubled you's have either pressed the game or executed a game plan to perfection. I'm strangely not to concerned, while dissapointed i beleive we will be there come the end. After all, it's gerrards first taste in this fixture against rodgers who has dominated these fixtures against rookie managers with new players versus a settled squad of players who have been together a number of years and competing in europe constantly. Although it may have felt history repeating last season for me there were numerous reasons for that which can be adressed very easily tactically or othewise. unless ur mugging us off, ur certainly not showing the arrogance of ur captain in sly digs while things go accordingly in ur favour.

    • Sit in your pretend world you sado You are 2nd rate like all of Scottish Football…however we will get better and you will be beaten again this season

  14. The adrenalin used in Thursday's game and travel maybe just took an edge off the team. Given the schedule of the last few weeks and losing by a disputed goal should not be underestimated. We have achieved a helluva lot in a very short period of time. We have two weeks to refresh, get on the training ground and make the most of it. We have a busy schedule ahead so Let's Go.
    PS. Some individuals didn't perform today. Quite simply, that's football. Get over it, they will and the team will too. C'mon the Gers.

  15. Taking away our European results, this has been our worst start to the league in nearly 30years. SG has a lot of learning to do. Mid table, 4 points behind that mob, 7 behind Hearts , should have lost v Motherwell and only beat St Mirren who let's face it will lose to the vast majority. God knows what Gerards tactics were today. Hearts showed last season and a few weeks ago how to play them but yet again we get it horrendously wrong.

    • Get a feckin life or remove Struth from your name. I'm sick of all the so called fans giving up on our improving side. Sure, it was disappointing but we've come a long way in 2 months.
      What is so wrong with our start to the season? We've come through 8 European games undefeated, we've been denied wins at Pittodrie and Fir Park by injury time equalisers and we've lost away to Ceptic. No big surprise. What were you expecting?

  16. when will our supporters get real yes they should have beaten us by more but the reality is that another bad decision by a ref costs us. The team is coming along just fine the negativity is beyond believe. Stevie G is the man.

    • First of all it wasn't a foul so your kidding yourself on! What cost us the game was Steven Gerrard setting out for a draw from kick off. The same way we sat back against Aberdeen(albeit with a man down), the same we did against Motherwell, the same we did against UFA(BEFORE the sending off of Morelos) and the way we did today against Celtic. Gerrard is a Sam Allardyce in the making, Draw specialist and would rather not lose a game than try to win one. This team has no leaders, the very fact he thought Tav was the best option as captain should tell you a lot! And whatever Gerrard is saying to the team in his team talks is having absolutley no effect whatsoever..

    • well said and that apllies to robrob57. fuck brenda lost tae red imps wae a title winning team, having managed LFC.SG's been in the job 2 month.

  17. not our best so we go in to melt down get behind the team please we expect what? the improvemnet this season so far has ben incredible.

  18. Too much respect given,we can do better and will💪

    LETS GO WATP 🇬🇧🇬🇧🇬🇧

  19. though we were poor, sat to deep thought arfield had a good game lafferty tried but over all worst performance of the season for me

  20. Everyone get real please. We are undoubtedly better than last year and Gerrard is doing a great job. I was hugely disappointed in the performance today but I saw enough in the last 20-30 minutes to give me some encouragement. We had 8 players who had never played I an Old Firm game and they mostly seemed like they were caught in the headlights. They will learn from this experience and Gerrard will learn more from this one game than he has learned from the previous 12.
    It wasn't till late in the game that we actually got the ball down and tried to play and I saw enough to suggest we will cause them problems. Honestly they are no great team. Keep te with we are on our way!

  21. The thing that pissed me aff the day wz broon sayin, we showed them who wz boss. it's no wit he said but the arrogance of a man wae limited ability and nae humility.

  22. I did state previously the need to play two fullbacks behind barcic and tav, as i felt teirney and forrest would get behind us. had we adopted that tactically barisic and tav may have been more effective going forward and putting those two on the back foot. morelos and lafferty not much to attack n the way of cross balls, 6"ft2 and plays wide and chases lost causes at 31, play to his strengh as morelos could ave played left

  23. Oh aye they're all "learning." Funny though, when we play Celtic, all that knowledge, goes straight out the window. We don't have the time, to be schooling loanees. What WE need, is goals in the back of the net. I think we now, have a psychological block against Celtic. No doubt, there has been good work done. But there is tons more, needing done. That was glaringly obvious, yesterday. Not one goal against them, in how long??

    • agreed joe, that first win could change the metality. that said no rangers team of mine would give them the respect we have done.on ur other point wee buffalo seems lost against them, he disnae seem tae get in amongst them as he did in european games .

  24. If Tav can't, or won't, get forward then it's pointless having him on the pitch as we all know he's not the best defender. Swapping him for Flanagan might have been a solution. He is a more solid defender but lacks the pace of Tavernier so maybe we would've just created another type of problem. The best way to defend Forrest and Teirney is to put them on the back foot by pushing forward ourselves. Teirney hardly had to glance back into his own half and was allowed to play as a virtual winger.
    We've got to be brave and believe in our own formation and stick to it. I think we will learn so much from this experience.

  25. To Be Honest …
    Yes it sucks we Lost
    Yes we played S**t

    But The Game on Thursday Night was more important and its only our first Defeat and their is obviously some improvement because last season it was 5-0 now its 1-0 …and we didnt have AM Last Season!

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