Former Bhoys attacker Kris Commons has provided a brutal assessment of the gap between Celtic and Rangers right now, feeling Michael Beale’s side are one bad result away from ‘things really blowing up’ at Ibrox.
Celtic’s win over the Ibrox side in last week’s Scottish League Cup final has prompted an outpouring of discontent from Rangers supporters and pundits, even though Beale is only a few months into the job.
There were even banners unveiled at Ibrox on Saturday protesting the board in place and their lack of trophies over the last few years.
Celtic have pushed Rangers into a corner with recent success
For Commons, the gulf is so big that Rangers are now playing with fire in terms of results. If something doesn’t go their way again in upcoming matches, it could bring the fan rancour to new levels. The former Scotland international also reckons that Celtic’s squad depth is so great that Postecoglou’s fringe players would easily get a game in Beale’s eleven.
Writing in his Scottish Daily Mail column [06/03 print edition, Verdict supplement, page 16], Commons said: “Even Celtic’s subs would walk into this Rangers team at the moment. The gulf in quality and depth between the two squads is massive. Postecoglou has built a ruthless machine at Celtic, one which is now relentlessly hunting down another league title. After the demolition in Paisley, Celtic have now scored 250 goals in just 99 games under the Australian.
“There’s some serious unrest at Ibrox at the moment. We’ve seen it with some of the banners unveiled by fans in recent weeks. They can see how far their club is behind Celtic on and off the pitch. Recruitment is key to success in modern football, but it’s an area where Rangers have faltered badly since winning the league. By and large, they’ve signed a load of dross whilst also allowing key players like Ryan Kent and Alfredo Morelos to run down their contracts.
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“Celtic’s stance on things like that is night and day. As soon as anyone shows any indication they won’t commit to a new deal, they’ll be out the door. Postecoglou is ruthless about it, as we’ve seen with Josip Juranovic and Giorgos Giakoumakis. Rangers, on the other hand, allow players to dilly-dally. Given the unrest among supporters, it feels like Rangers are just one result away from things really blowing up. It’s impossible to avoid the feeling that the past week has really put into perspective just how far they are behind Celtic.”
First and foremost, we have to celebrate Celtic doing so well. It’s an absolute pleasure to watch Postecoglou’s team at the moment. As Commons notes, the attacking form is ridiculous with a number of club records coming into view.
However, it is also always a good laugh to see things spin out of control across the city – especially when it’s because of what the Bhoys are doing.
It’s hard to say how their domestic form will go from this point but there are big matches ahead and that nine-point gap to Celtic only looks bigger as the number of games left in the league reduces. Hopefully it all turns out as entertaining as Commons ‘blowing up’ assessment.
In other news, Ange Postecoglou’s quality praise for Aaron Mooy demonstrates his true Celtic worth.