Rangers’ trip to Parkhead is an effective title decider

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Rangers’ trip to Parkhead is an effective title decider
GLASGOW, SCOTLAND - DECEMBER 30: Philippe Clement, Manager of Rangers, reacts during the Cinch Scottish Premiership match between Celtic FC and Rangers FC at Celtic Park Stadium on December 30, 2023 in Glasgow, Scotland. (Photo by Stu Forster/Getty Images)

So here it is, the big one, the biggest Old Firm probably since 1999 and 2012. Sure, nothing can be definitively won this weekend, or lost, but it really is an effective title decider.

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So what’s on the line and who has the advantage?

In simple maths, if Celtic win, they more or less win the title. It won’t be immediately mathematic but it’s close.

They have a GD of +5 – if they beat us this weekend, it’s 99% done, because they’ll be an effective 7 points clear with two to play and Rangers with a giant GD to claw back.

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If they beat us, we’re 7 behind, and we can claw 3 of those back v Dundee should Celtic lose to Killie, but it’ll still be four because of GD. And we’ll be relying on their final match and our trip to Tynecastle in which we’ll need a big score.

In short, lose to Celtic, then we have to hope they lose their next two, and we win BOTH of ours AND score an absolute barrowload of goals in the process to overtake their goal difference.

So, basically, it’s 99% game over if Celtic win.

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BUT BUT BUT: if Rangers win, this changes things a LOT.

The two sides will be level on points, Celtic ahead on goal difference, but not +5 any more. Unless, that is, Rangers manage a staggering 0-6 win, in which case incredibly we’ll now be the 1pt ahead with GD in our favour.

But if we do win, regardless of score, we’re looking to Killie to do us a little favour assuming we beat Dundee – we don’t think St Mirren will achieve much at Parkhead.

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But the reality?

Philippe Clement can’t beat Celtic – he’s flubbed it twice now, and got the team all wrong twice over, with his previous visit to Parkhead a complete joke.

We don’t trust him to pick the right team, or get the right result.

We don’t think he is the right man to beat Celtic, and at the moment, we don’t believe he is the right man to lead Rangers.

We did, we absolutely did believe these things, but he f***** it completely v Celtic. Twice.

Now everyone makes mistakes, even big and unforgivable ones, so if he comes out striding tall and we go to Parkhead and get the win, that will reclaim a lot of our faith in him. And in the squad.

But we don’t harbour a single hope he can do it. Unfortunately, having gotten himself and his team into 56-winning position, he and the players choked. And we can’t see him doing much else this weekend, sadly.

But lord would we love to be completely wrong.

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