It will also be Rodgers’s first Glasgow derby since he joined the Hoops in pre-season and the Northern Irishman said Friday: “When you are Celtic and you play every game, especially at home, (winning) is what is expected of you”. Sometimes he will play, sometimes he won’t.
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The most notably performance was that of former Fulham man Moussa Dembele, who claimed three of the Bhoys’ goals on the day.
This afternoon, he will return to Parkhead and look to upset the odds once again as Mark Warburton’s side bid for another triumph over Celtic. I guess we’ll find out just how long ago when Brendan Rodgers’s side face the rather more formidable talents of Barcelona on Tuesday. To incorporate that number of players into a style and system and to get us all to play it flawlessly as we did when we hit the ground running last season is harder.
‘We’d like to have 12 or 13 but the fact of the matter is we’re still gelling.
Senior insiders from Rangers’ period in the wilderness say that it was the smaller clubs, angered and irritated by the perceived arrogance of the Celtic/Rangers duopoly, who were determined to punish the Ibrox club.
That was painful blow for the visitors and for Warburton, he added: “It was our best spell and I think they were frustrated that we were getting second ball as well”.
Rangers lost Rob Kiernan to injury with 20 minutes left. Midfielder Andy Halliday replaced Kranjcar for the start of the second half and it was Rangers who came close to levelling when Barrie McKay curled a shot past the far post. They put the extra man up and we didn’t pick him up. Apologies to the support because they were magnificent.
Mark Warburton has backed his Rangers players to handle the heat of an Old Firm derby atmosphere when they face Celtic on Saturday.
“But goals change games and it was a poor, poor goal to lose, to give it away from our attack”.
The victory extends Celtic’s lead over Rangers in the Ladbrokes Premiership to four points having played a game fewer.
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However, the Ibrox side has struggled this season, drawing with Hamilton and Kilmarnock (last season’s second and third worst sides in the top flight) and narrowly scrapping a win over Motherwell with a last minute Kenny Miller goal, something that will only benefit Aberdeen. “But there’s no major gulf”.
