Recent depictions of a Scottish Premiership title race between Celtic and Rangers should have fallen foul of the Trades Descriptions Act.
A year ago, Rangers were easing to victory in a campaign in which their oldest foes imploded. Steven Gerrard had two earlier stabs at denying Celtic the flag but watched his Rangers team pull up lame from January. Immediately before Gerrard’s arrival in Glasgow, and including a period when Rangers were fumbling around in the lower divisions, the concept of any team properly challenging Celtic’s dominance was a fanciful one.
So there is ample cause to ramp up the importance of Sunday’s Old Firm clash as both difficult to call and crucial in respect of the championship’s conclusion. There is a genuine battle for the Premiership, with this fixture key to which club will secure glory in May.
For Celtic – three points ahead of Rangers and 14 better off on goal difference after 31 matches – avoiding defeat at Ibrox should be enough to afford them a huge step towards reclaiming the title. If they go on to do that, Celtic will have won 21 major domestic trophies to Rangers’ one since the start of the 2011-12 season.
With such a scenario, last season would look the exception to Scottish football’s recent rule. There was a Rangers financial implosion within the quoted spell, of course, but given their scale of spending the return to this point remains hugely underwhelming as players – the captain James Tavernier is a case in point – are treated like heroes.
Rangers have been rocked by the injury to their main striker Alfredo Morelos, who is a major doubt for the remainder of this season. It should be noted that Celtic have missed their most influential front man, Kyogo Furuhashi, for lengthy spells.
Yet Rangers are not entirely without hope. Their Europa League showings, particularly when dismissing Borussia Dortmund, suggest they are a team capable of far better than dropping points to Ross County or Motherwell. Celtic are not by any means vastly superior to their neighbours; they are just the team carrying momentum.
There is overstatement both of the job Ange Postecoglou has performed and the reaction to his appointment last year. It is no miracle, revelation or anything approaching as much for Celtic – who spend considerably more than every other Scottish club bar one – to be so competitive. Wider context is available by a recent, heavy European defeat to Bodø/Glimt.
Suggestions that the Australian was ridiculed upon arrival – by anyone worthy of attention, at least – are also wide of the mark. Celtic were castigated for a process in which Eddie Howe was pursued for months on end before backing out, at the time emphasising the club’s dysfunction. The chief executive who welcomed Postecoglou to the job, Dominic McKay, lasted a matter of months. It was perfectly fair then, as now, to question how Celtic, an immovable domestic object for so long, conceded their advantages so softly.
The style with which Postecoglou has kick-started Celtic is more interesting than the fact it has happened in the first place. The harassing, hassling and front-foot attacking of Celtic at their best can be terrific to watch. Yes, Rangers’ stagnation has contributed to the current standings but Glasgow’s blue half would have vehemently objected had Celtic’s glaring shortcomings been pointed out 12 months ago.
The backdrop to this derby involves a bizarre plan for a friendly between the teams in Australia late this year. After an almighty furore from their supporters, Rangers backed out of the event in midweek, citing contractual concerns. The Ibrox club’s legal bills – already required for engagement with Mike Ashley and the Scottish Professional Football League – must equal the gross domestic product of a medium-sized country.
A goal from Arsenal loanee Harry Clarke earned a 1-1 draw for sixth-placed Hibernian against Dundee United, with the two teams battling to finish in the top-six.
Before the last round of games before the league split next weekend, the visitors grabbed an early lead through a Ross Graham header after 10 minutes before Clarke’s fine strike just before half‑time. The draw means United retain a point advantage on Motherwell in fifth position and two points on Hibs in sixth position.
Connor Shields scored twice as Motherwell recorded a win in the Premiership for the first time since Boxing Day with a 4-2 victory over St Mirren at Fir Park.
Eamonn Brophy put the visitors in front before two goals in the space of a minute from Sean Goss and Shields turned the game. Conor McCarthy levelled for 2-2 and Dean Cornelius regained the lead for Motherwell on 45 minutes. Shields clinched the win, aided by a Tait deflection, in the 78th minute.
Aberdeen retain an outside chance of finishing in the top-six if results go in their favour after their 2-2 draw at bottom-placed Dundee.
Dundee twice rallied with Charlie Adam creating the two equalisers for Jordan McGhee and Danny Mullen after goals from Aberdeen’s Calvin Ramsay and Ross McCrorie.
Barrie McKay scored the equaliser to earn Hearts a 1-1 draw after Alex Iacovitti pounced for Ross County in Dingwall. County, a point behind Hibs, also hold hopes of a top-six berth.
A Callum Hendry penalty gave St Johnstone a vital 1-0 home win over Livingston to move them six points clear of Dundee at the foot of the table and six points adrift of St Mirren above them.
The reality is that before the identification of what they regard as useful loopholes, the Rangers board perceived and defended this scheme as a perfectly decent idea. That much raises serious questions about their judgment. Few will admit it, but that Rangers have instead stalled domestically fed into the disquiet demonstrated by their fans. A confident, strong Rangers could have relished an opportunity to take the Premiership trophy in the hold to Australia and laugh loudly at the “homecoming” of Postecoglou. Instead, Rangers are on shaky footballing ground.
A noisy section of Celtic’s support had no time for the Sydney concept, either. The very mention of Old Firm leads to this group foaming at the mouth. Even Celtic themselves refuse to use the term, in typical small-time behaviour for a supposed big club. Not only is the Old Firm an unavoidable, worldwide reference point for Glasgow’s big two, ticket prices whenever they meet – Celtic’s 700-strong Ibrox section is £52 a ticket – endorse commercial chumminess. On the pitch at least, fierce rivalry remains; this time, the outcome counts for rather a lot.
