It was only a few weeks ago that new Rangers appointee Michael Beale came out with some big talk about Ange Postecoglou’s Celtic and the 2021/22 title race.
We will all get the chance to see if he can back up his outspoken words now that he is a manager in the Scottish Premiership.
He gave an interview to BT Sport’s Currie Club podcast earlier this month about his time at Ibrox and the position he left the club in as Steven Gerrard’s assistant moving to Aston Villa, stating with certainty that Celtic wouldn’t have won the title last season had he stayed.
Beale said: “Do I think we could have taken it forward? I definitely think we would have won the league. When we left, we were still four points in front. There is no way they would have come past us.
“We hadn’t lost in eight or nine Old Firms (it was actually seven). The next one was maybe in the post because in a two-horse competition anyone can win in any derby. But the games weren’t particularly close. They might have been in the scoreline but when you were in the stadium, we were very much in control of every game.”
Everyone knows that Celtic had a poor start to last season, chiefly because an entirely new squad had to be built after a manager walked in the door on his own from across the world.
But the unbeaten run the Bhoys went on from September onwards was remarkable and would have been hard for any team to cope with.
It’s a complete myth that Rangers would have withstood that pressure. There is little evidence for that. They were already regressing by the team Beale and Gerrard left, with Celtic getting better and stronger all the time with fresh, emerging players.
Today’s announcement of Beale as their new manager gives Celtic the opportunity to bury this narrative once and for all. If we can follow up last season’s title win with another, I think it will become quite clear who is in control.
For me, it’s a misstep to discredit a rival’s achievement shortly before stepping into a job directly facing them, especially when they have a points lead, better resources and a more talented squad, but some pundits and journalists seem to think Beale is some sort of genius so maybe this is all a ploy beyond my comprehension. We’ll find out.
In other news, Celtic launch class Christmas foundation appeal tribute to club legend.
Receive a digest of our best Celtic content each week direct to your mailbox
