Celtic V Rangers: Old Firm derby becomes double jeopardy as league leaders loom
celtic v rangers is set for Ibrox on Sunday as a game between second and third in the Scottish Premiership, and the match has been cast as a must-win that shifts significant pressure back onto both clubs. The fixture matters now because a draw is of little use to either side and points are at a premium.
Ibrox setting and Martin O'Neill's 74th birthday underline the stakes
Ibrox will stage a game between second and third in the Scottish Premiership on Sunday, and Martin O'Neill turns 74 on the day. The context around the fixture suggests candles on the cake will not concern O'Neill; points on the board will be the only thing on his mind. The commentary around the match stresses that this game demands a winner, and that if there is a winner there has to be a loser.
Rangers ownership changes, summer and January spending, and squad direction
Rangers owner Andrew Cavenagh has removed a manager, a chief executive and a sporting director, and then spent millions on players in the January window on top of the millions he spent in the summer. The club is described as having a popular manager in Danny Rohl and what looks like ambition in the boardroom. Despite that, Rangers still have an awful lot of work to do, though they are at least pointing in the right direction.
Rangers recorded a "£20m net spend" in the summer and went again in January in a major way. Over the past decade in Europe, Rangers have made close to £100m from European football, a figure used as a benchmark for comparisons with other Scottish clubs. The narrative notes that Rangers remain behind Derek McInnes' Hearts in the league table race.
Celtic board turmoil, social media anger and managerial vacuum
Celtic's situation is described as different and more fraught: most supporters are apoplectic with their board and split on the way to voice that anger. In the underworld of social media, Celtic supporters are now arguing among themselves, with accusatory language flying. Toxicity is pervasive, draining and self-defeating, and the commentary says the Celtic Way is all of those things at the moment.
Celtic are said to be directionless because there is a manager to find and the same unpopular people who appointed Wilfried Nancy are in charge of finding him. The absence of a manager to rebuild the team raises the question: what plan can they have in the badly needed rebuilding when there is no manager there to rebuild it?
Celtic V Rangers: looming threats from Hearts and Motherwell
The Old Firm look over their shoulder at two challengers. Hearts are proving stubborn at the top of the Scottish Premiership and are still ahead in the standings, making life difficult for both Glasgow clubs. When the Old Firm look over their shoulder they can also see the coming force that is Motherwell, described as winning and entertaining and almost incapable of conceding a goal in the league under the brilliant management of Jens Berthel Askou.
The piece stresses that there is jeopardy for both Celtic and Rangers, not just from each other but from Hearts and Motherwell too, changing the usual dynamic of the fixture.
