Rangers have a new man in the dugout, and Celtic have another trophy in the cabinet.
This has been rinse and repeat in Scotland for a very long time, as Russell Martin has been confirmed as Rangers’ new manager.
The former defender spent a small stint on loan at Rangers in 2018, and to nobody’s surprise, he was humiliated by Celtic.
But now the task for Martin is far greater because he is tasked with trying to stop Brendan Rodgers’ juggernaut winning team.
There has been a lot of noise around the new investment coming into Rangers, as well as the appointment of a new boss at Ibrox.
It has resulted in a lot of interesting takes, including some Rangers fans being unhappy with Martin’s arrival, but Kris Boyd was rather upbeat, despite watching Celtic win another title this term.
- READ MORE: ‘Lots of trophies’ – Russell Martin’s past comments on Celtic won’t sit well with Rangers fans
Kris Boyd reacts to Celtic and Rangers gap after Russell Martin’s appointment
Rodgers has won more Trebles than Rangers have titles during his time in Glasgow, and the signs suggest that trophy-laden run won’t end any time soon.
But Boyd noted how he has ‘seen it before’ and bigger gaps than the one Celtic had over Rangers this term have been overturned, as he reacted in a positive manner to Martin coming in.
What’s laughable about Boyd’s comments is that he is using examples from 25 years ago, as he shared on Sky Sports.
“I don’t think with this squad,” responded Boyd if Martin can turn Rangers into title challengers. “I think there will be a lot of new faces arriving at Rangers over the summer.
“In terms of the league, listen, it didn’t make for good reading for Rangers last year once again.
“We have seen it before. You go back to Dick Advocaat’s team. Totally wiped the floor with Celtic, then Martin O’Neill arrived, and they wiped the floor with that Rangers team, which was a good Rangers team.
“You look at Rangers’ problems. It didn’t come against Celtic. It was against everyone else. If Rangers can eradicate the results against everybody else, and start to build momentum early, and start winning the games against the rest, then the Glasgow derby will take care of itself.
“I have seen bigger point gaps than this turned around. It’s not like England, where you might have one big team who struggling, but there are another three or four who are doing okay, and you need to overturn the three or four.
“For Rangers, they only need to overtake Celtic for it to be a success. But it’s going to be a lot harder than you think.
“With Celtic and Brendan Rodgers, they have been a well-oiled machine for a number of seasons. They do look like they will strengthen again in the summer. They have the opportunity of Champions League football again.”
Respect Celtic and Brendan Rodgers
Nobody is disputing that Glasgow is one of the very few footballing cities in the world, alongside Istanbul and Buenos Aires, where the heat and intense nature of the rivalry is like nothing before.
But the example Boyd has used is from the last century; since then, Celtic have wiped the floor again, and again, including winning four titles in a row since Steven Gerrard stopped the ten.
If anyone, in recent times, has shown that they can overturn a big points gap, then it’s Celtic and not Rangers.
Perhaps some respect needs to be put on what Celtic have done, not just in recent years, but for nearly three decades now, because it’s beyond ridiculous.
- Celtic’s trophies since 2000 – (41)
- Rangers’ trophies since 2000 – (16)
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