Rivals' narrative that they've ended Celtic careers is utterly laughable

By Euan Davidson

May 12, 2021

One of the very worst things about Celtic losing the title this season isn’t the obvious fact that our team is worse than it used to be.

It’s maybe not even the more difficult Champions League route. Or the squandered 10IAR, or that some of our biggest assets have floundered. No, it’s the horrendous patter we’re being subjected to from south of the Clyde.

If you’ve on Twitter over the last few months, and God help you if that’s the case, you’ll have noticed an odd trend. It’s also true of YouTube comments sections, or wherever “discourse” takes place online. It’s a myth, an unfounded yet popular idea that Rangers have “ended” some prominent Celtic careers.

Certainly, we have a bunch of players who have let us down in various ways this season. However, that has nothing to do with Rangers and everything to do with actual, real life factors. The prime examples are obviously Neil Lennon and Scott Brown.

The latter’s move to Aberdeen makes sense on every level. Nearing 36, he probably isn’t at a Celtic standard any more. He is interested in coaching, and has the softest landing spot imaginable, working with his pal Stephen Glass while still getting game-time for the Dons. To most, this is entirely understandable. Yet the prevailing myth from our rivals is that his career decisions were impacted by Ryan Kent, somehow.

Neil Lennon, too; a historically notable Celtic figure, no doubt. But it was a fractured dressing room, uninspired tactics and a lack of accountability that saw his time end badly. It so happens that Rangers were in the ascendency as all this happened, but it’s not the direct cause and effect.

Our rivals have a bizarre need to insert themselves into every Celtic narrative.

Brown had plenty of fun afternoons at Ibrox / (Photo by Mark Runnacles/Getty Images)

Celtic rivals’ ceaseless cries for attention

It goes further back, too. When Mikael Lustig appeared on Celtic’s Twitter feed yesterday, you wouldn’t have to have waited long to see someone of a Blue persuasion claiming Rangers ended his career, too. It wasn’t that he was a 32-year-old right back who was becoming injury prone, no; it was them, somehow.

You’d have thought winning a title would be enough. Of course, rival supporters are going to rub salt into the wounds whenever they can, and make no mistake. We’ve done it too; it was especially funny when Joey Barton came up the road and was unceremoniously told to sit doon.

However, there’s a difference between an egomaniacal English midfield jobber coming up the road and getting seen to, and a club legend of many years “fleeing” at a resurgent Rangers. These things just aren’t correlated, and it’s a sad thought to have that be the prevailing story around some of these players.

The fact is, Broony saw off Rangers more times than not [Daily Record]. Broony led a Celtic team so rampant against our rivals, that our ticket allocation at Ibrox was cut. It was Scott Brown who helped take Celtic to their second 9IAR, something that’s only been done twice by a club in Scotland.

It must’ve hurt to watch, and I get that.

But the idea that Rangers “finished” Broony? It’s absolute nonsense. Ditto Lennon, who saw off Rangers plenty as a player and a manager. There were far more reasons than Gerrard’s lot for Lenny having to cut his losses.

As football chat goes, it’s about as intelligent as calling Bruno Fernandes ‘Penaldes’, or fighting over Messi and Ronaldo with anonymous accounts on Twitter.

I.e., it’s a waste of literally everybody’s time.

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