The nature of the rivalry between Celtic and Rangers means one fanbase will always enjoy a laugh at the other club’s expense when things are going badly across the city.
This summer, Rangers haven’t had to seek out troubles. They’ve come and parked themselves on the pitch at Ibrox – quite literally.
Issues include having to move home games to Hampden, Philippe Clement admitting the situation around their ‘rebuild’ is not what he thought it was when joining the club and Todd Cantwell waving the white flag by handing in a transfer request.
It’s amusing for many Celtic supporters – of course it is. As I said, it’s a natural part of this rivalry. But it doesn’t mean that those guiding the strategy of the Scottish champions shouldn’t try to push on to new heights regardless.
Some fans have long shuddered at the thought of Rangers being a measuring stick for Celtic. Increasingly it’s a redundant bar to clear and nobody at the Bhoys should be taking comfort in what’s unfolding at Ibrox. There’s simply too much to be getting on with.
Chris Sutton on Celtic’s task ahead
It’s something that former striker Chris Sutton laid out last week in a newspaper column and his verdict – citing ‘chaos’ at Rangers – is one which I very much subscribe to myself.
He said [Daily Record]: “Every day there’s a different drama coming out of Ibrox – or maybe that should be Hampden. They’ve had the carry-on with the stadium and the lack of quality signings. Then there is the Todd Cantwell situation.
“It all just looks such a mess but, as I said, Celtic can’t just think the league is going to be a canter. They also have to think bigger. They probably do have enough, even now, to be too strong for most in Scotland. But they simply have to be thinking about Europe. Rodgers didn’t come back just to be top dog on Glasgow, no matter how satisfying it might be.
“The Champions League is more vital than every this season and there is a real danger another poor campaign could have long-lasting damage, with Scotland’s coefficient on the brink of collapse. The new format with eight games guaranteed should give Celtic more opportunity to collect points and perhaps even get to the knockout stages after Christmas.
“But the automatic spot in the group stages is about to go and if they are also-rans again then it might take a heck of a long time to come back. All that money in the bank won’t be worth much if they are locked out of the premier competition in the continent for the foreseeable future. And that’s a message the Celtic board should be hearing loud and clear.”
Celtic are in rude health and those resources should be leveraged
I think most supporters, by now, understand that the transfer market isn’t a game of Football Manager. There’s a lot of effort from multiple different people that goes into completing just one deal.
However, that is true of every club in the world. Celtic have resources – largely powered by the spending efforts of fans – that eclipse every other team in Scotland. The club have come through the rainy days of the pandemic and are arguably in the best position they’ve been in for a generation.
Tens of millions are being hoovered up. No one is using it for their own ends but it’s also true that this kind of wealth should be leveraged on the pitch with the most competitive team possibly fielded. That’s as much a duty of the board as anything.
Rodgers has again called for strong transfer action throughout August. At the time of publishing an outfield signing has yet to be confirmed. Even the ones closest to coming to fruition, Paulo Bernardo and Adam Idah, only replenish the squad from last season.
Calamities at Rangers don’t give Celtic an excuse to sit still. Far from it, in fact. It’s an opportunity to set a new bar to clear and meet fresh ambitions. Without descending into hysterics, this is an important point that Celtic fans need to discuss and push their voice on.
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