The title race between Celtic and Rangers could be a closely run one this season.
Not because Rangers have got stronger, but because of Celtic’s shambolic transfer window, which allowed the squad that Brendan Rodgers has to get weaker.
The Celtic first-team have lost top talents like Kyogo Furuhashi, Nicolas Kuhn and Adam Idah and the club has failed to replace them.
And that has led to Peter Martin having words with Tam McManus after the former Hibs man cast ‘doubt’ over Celtic beating Rangers to the Scottish Premiership title.
Peter Martin slaps down Tam McManus’ ‘doubt’ about Celtic winning the league
Celtic are top of the league with a six-point gap over Rangers after four games played and without a goal conceded.
But it seems that after the 0-0 Glasgow Derby draw between Rangers and Celtic and the Parkhead club’s summer transfer activity, McManus appeared to annoy Martin as he doubted the Bhoys’ chances of winning the league.
Martin said on PLZ Soccer, “I can’t see anything other than, if Brendan stays, I don’t think he’ll leave, that’s my personal opinion.
“I think he’ll stay, and I think Celtic will win the league. I just do not see Brendan Rodgers being beaten by Russell Martin.”
McManus replied, “There is an element of doubt now, Peter. You can’t say that for certain, can you? I think the last two or three seasons you could say for certain, Celtic will win the league.”
Martin: “Wait a minute, Tam. Give me the evidence of what you’re witnessing at Rangers? The Rangers fans are looking and saying, we don’t want that manager. They come out of an Old F-rm game with no shots [on goal] against Celtic.”
McManus: “But they’ve strengthened their squad. Peter. Celtic haven’t.”
Martin: “Before the game, they wanted him out the door. If he’d lost a goal in that game at Ibrox, they’d have been battering down the marble staircase and saying he’s got to go.
“And now you’ve got an international break, Hearts come calling at Ibrox, and he’s got to get Raskin back on side, and he’s got to show the Rangers fans, and this switches the attention here, because never have I witnessed a situation where there’s going to be a title race, and the two sets of fans are absolutely raging about the whole thing.
“But there’s Rangers fans out there looking and saying, Russell Martin is not the man for the job.”
Celtic’s next fixtures compared to Rangers before the October international break
With league business starting this week, the race for the title resumes for Celtic and Rangers.
Here is how both clubs’ next fixtures pan out before the Scottish Premiership shuts down before the next international break in October:
- Sunday 14th September: Kilmarnock vs Celtic
- Saturday 13th September: Rangers vs Hearts
- Saturday 27th September: Celtic vs Hibernian
- Sunday 28th September: Livingston vs Rangers
Tough fixtures await both clubs but there is a very real possibility that Celtic’s gap at the top of the Scottish Premiership table could increase further, which could make McManus’s title race comments look a wee bit silly.
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