Celtic’s humiliation last night in Kazakhstan is one of the most catastrophic results in Scottish football history. Failing to make the Champions League league phase, as it is now called, delivers a massive injection into Rangers’ arm. True, our own chances tonight of reaching that stage are virtually zero, but at the very least Celtic’s calamity ensures they are not pulling £50–60 million further ahead financially. Celtic’s European humiliation is perfect for Rangers.
Ahead
On the pitch, Celtic are already miles ahead. Denying that is delusion. Off the pitch, the real problem lies in the bank. They have secured Champions League qualification for the better part of a decade, bar one season, and the money gap between the two clubs has grown to a chasm. Rangers have had no way of closing it. That ends, at least temporarily, thanks to last night’s historic collapse.
We know the truth about Russell Martin’s Rangers. The chances of going to Bruges and winning tonight are about the same as spotting a blue moon. It just isn’t going to happen. Yet it must. Celtic’s exit leaves the door wide open. Their defeat to a side ranked nearly 300 places below them is beyond embarrassing. We can barely even recall their opponents’ name, something like Almighty, but the magnitude of this humiliation speaks for itself. It is, for sheer gravity, the worst European result in Scottish football history.
Comedy
It is also hilarious. Abysmally hilarious, but still hilarious. Celtic have never had the Midas touch in Europe that Rangers possess. It is that simple. From Manchester to Seville, Rangers’ continental achievements dwarf anything Celtic have managed. There is a gulf between the two, and we will return to that subject separately.
What matters now is what happens tonight. Celtic’s failure is huge for Rangers only if we can achieve the impossible. If Rangers reach the league phase, that £60 million comes to Ibrox. Celtic get nothing. The financial gap closes, even a little, and for once momentum shifts in our direction. That would be sensational. Celtic’s European humiliation is perfect for Rangers.
Sadly, under this manager, it feels fantasy. The nightmare for Celtic is real. The opportunity for Rangers is real. But the likelihood of us seizing it is painfully slim.