Trivia
- Celtic now go two behind in the league with little time left having been around 7pts in front at one pt. The game that likely lost us the league title.
- Scott Brown suspended.
- McGeady on the bench with Maloney starting (!) for the first time in starting line-up after months injured!
Review
The game that lost us the league title? Likely. We have thrown away a 7pt lead at one pt in the season against a poor poor Rangers side. First half was generally equal but Rangers got a good move and a goal which meant they sat back for the rest of the game as Celtic took most possession and could do little with it. A good save from Boruc saved us going further behind but it all wasn't enough. Gutting.
Teams
Rangers: Alexander, Dailly, Bougherra, Weir, Whittaker, Davis, Mendes, Edu, Steven Smith (Lafferty 69), Boyd (McCulloch 85), Miller.
Subs Not Used: McGregor, Novo, Velicka, Fleck, Wilson.
Booked: Steven Smith, Miller, Lafferty.
Goals: Davis 37
Celtic: (4-4-2)
Boruc,
Hinkel, Loovens, Caldwell, O'Dea (Naylor 81),
Nakamura, Hartley, Crosas, Maloney (McGeady 62),
Vennegoor of Hesselink (Samaras 76), McDonald.
Subs Not Used: Mark Brown, Misun, Flood, Robson.
Booked: Hartley, Caldwell, Naylor
Att: 50,321
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RANGERS v CELTIC
Possession
Shots on target
Shots off target
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Advantage Rangers; Graham Spiers watches Smith's side give themselves a great chance to win the title
11 May 2009
Provided by: The Times
Rangers 1 Davis 37 Celtic 0 Referee C Thomson. Attendance 50,321
There have been some unnerving finishes in the Clydesdale Bank Premier League in recent years but, that said, the 2009 title is now only there for Rangers to lose. Walter Smith's men surely only have to close out the deal, as the business brokers like to say, after this resilient victory over Celtic in the final Old Firm match of the season on Saturday.
A typically packed and tribal Ibrox watched this predictable Glasgow derby, in which the fever and hectic pace always came before exquisite football. Celtic, however, who are now two points behind Rangers with three games to go, may think themselves unfortunate, having had most of the play without being able to prise open the Rangers defence.
If Smith and his players can now hold their nerve they can surely put to bed one of the most blasphemous sequences in Rangers' recent history.
Two titles in eight years is not something this club is proud of, and, among some of their more rabid elements, is a source of unending agitation. Putting it more bluntly, Smith may even have to grab the 2009 flag in order to save his own job, so much pressure is there around Rangers to put an end to Celtic's domestic tyranny.
On Saturday, Rangers were surely aided and abetted by a strange decision by Gordon Strachan, the Celtic manager. The omission of Aiden McGeady from his starting XI caused intrigue among many and even foaming resentment among others. The vast Celtic support at Ibrox were not 50 minutes into this game, by which time Steven Davis's first-half goal had given Rangers their lead, before they were chanting McGeady's name and demanding his presence on the field.
Only Strachan can explain why he chose not to play Celtic's most gifted player before introducing him as a substitute after 61 minutes.
Even in this context the Celtic manager provoked consternation, reserving the right not to explain his McGeady decision at the press conference afterwards. Asked outright why McGeady had not started — the most obvious question of the day — Strachan duly got off about a manager's prerogatives and privacy. "If I have to explain that, then I have to explain why I left out Jan Vennegoor of Hesselink in the League Cup final, or why I left out Shunsuke Nakamura against Hearts, or why I left out Scott McDonald at the beginning of the season," Strachan said. "I'm not here to explain every decision I make." Few people have sympathy for a whining media, demanding answers to every question. Yet the wider Celtic support, as was obvious from some of the radio phone-ins later, were not satisfied with Strachan: neither with his original omission of McGeady nor with his pleading of the Fifth Amendment over it. Such a big decision, for such a big game, it was argued, deserved a public explanation. The irony is that, when McGeady did finally come on, he failed to make an impression, though what can be read into that is anyone's guess. Strachan's decision remained baffling.
With Christian Dailly filling one full-back area and Steven Whittaker the other for Rangers — neither has looked comfortable in such a position recently — the home side were surely relieved to see McGeady sitting on the bench. It left Celtic with plenty possession but without a cutting edge, which, having grabbed their goal through Davis, Rangers could happily live with.
There was a comic irony on the Rangers side as well. A section of the Ibrox support had loathed the arrival of Kenny Miller at the club last summer, and had even made faintly pompous public declarations intoning their disapproval of the signing of the former Celtic player, all of which Walter Smith simply ignored. At the start of this season there were still sections of the Rangers support booing Miller's name whenever it was read out.
Well, in that effortless way in which supporters can swing from one position to the other, those same Rangers fans were toasting Miller's name on Saturday. Smith has always argued that the striker's energy and diagonal runs can give his team a greater menace, and it was just such qualities that led to Rangers' goal. Darting to the byline amid confused Celtic defenders, Miller's low cross was thrashed home by Davis, just as Celtic were asserting control of the match.
Nakamura was excellent for Celtic — so strong and skilful over the ball for such a frail-looking character — but he and others produced a series of hoists into the Rangers area that failed to cause hurt. The closest Celtic came was a Vennegoor of Hesselink header that Davis scrambled off the line, yet even then, Rangers might have scored a second had Kris Boyd's shot not been adeptly charged down by Artur Boruc.
Strachan remained insistent that
Celtic deserved better. "I was proud of my team," he said. "To come here and play as bravely as that was excellent.
When Rangers scored we were well in control. And even after that, we didn't panic, we didn't thrash the ball about. We played well but we just couldn't finish Rangers off." Smith was modest in his enthusiasm for the two weeks ahead as Rangers close in on a long-awaited title, while especially praising Maurice Edu, who turned in yet another fine midfield performance for the club. "It is a very good feeling — we have put ourselves in a position where we have a very realistic chance of winning the title," the Rangers manager said.
"I've said on many occasions that Edu would be a really good player for us. He is still a work in progress but he's a boy who I think has nearly everything to be a top player." 4-4-2 N Alexander 7 C Dailly 6 M Bougherra 7 D Weir 6 S Whittaker 6 S Davis 7 M Edu 7 P Mendes 5 S Smith 0 5 K Boyd 6 K Miller 0 6 Substitutes K Lafferty 5 0 (for Smith, 68min), L McCulloch (for Boyd, 84). Not used A McGregor, N Novo, A Velicka, J Fleck, D Wilson. Rangers ratings 4-4-2 A Boruc 7 A Hinkel 7 G Caldwell 0 7 G Loovens 5 D O'Dea 5 S Nakamura 7 P Hartley 0 6 M Crosas 6 S Maloney 5 J Vennegoor 6 S McDonald 7 Substitutes A McGeady 4 (for Maloney, 61min), G Samaras (for Vennegoor, 76), L Naylor 0 (for O'Dea, 80). Not used M Brown, M Misun, W Flood, B Robson. Celtic ratings
(c) 2009 Times Newspapers Limited. All rights reserved
The Times
Ibrox support still singing racist and bigoted songs; And another thing…
11 May 2009
Provided by: The Times
It used to be said, with some justification, that it was only media comment and pressure that really led to the bigotry problem at Rangers being addressed by the club and the football authorities. In which case, on the basis of Saturday at Ibrox, it is time for that period of scrutiny to re-commence.
A couple of years ago some of the truly offensive chants from the Rangers hymnal were expunged following Uefa's intervention, but after Saturday's Old Firm experience, the Rangers problem is evidently boiling away again. Recurring bigoted or racist themes were all too apparent in many songs sung by a section of the Ibrox support, and it looks like this is set to embarrass the club all over again.
Rangers — yes, with Uefa holding a bayonet to the club's head — took strong action over its fans' singing a couple of years ago, but both the club and the Scottish media have held back since in a joint effort which, it was hoped, would help the problem to ebb away.
It was Rangers who specifically asked that we in the media co-operate with this "cooling off" period, and most of us have happily gone along with it, to a degree. I'm afraid, however, that the policy appears doomed.
On Saturday thousands of Rangers fans even hijacked their club's own pre-match anthem, The Best, to pollute it with sectarian language.
Throughout the game, with the Celtic supporters' Irish flags goading them on, much of the dreaded pre-Uefa repertoire of bigoted dirges were unleashed. For some reason the phrase "fenian bastards" remains much cherished in chant and song at Ibrox.
Sir David Murray, the Rangers chairman, and Martin Bain, the club's chief executive, and Kenny Scott, the club's head of security, have all summed up this type of singing in one word: "embarrassing". Walter Smith, the Rangers manager, and Ally McCoist, the club's assistant manager, have also made statements pleading with Rangers supporters to stop singing such stuff. Much of this has been in vain.
As crass as it sounds, now we hear reports of fans' campaigns on one or two of the demented internet sites to have The Billy Boys brought back at Rangers games. Apparently, the song is alive and well on the trains and buses going to matches.
Rangers FC need to be on guard against this whole embarrassment re-surfacing again. Evidently, the club still has this choral poison in its midst..
(c) 2009 Times Newspapers Limited. All rights reserved
The Times
Rangers 1-0 Celtic
By David McDaid
BBC
Rangers took a two-point advantage in the SPL title race with three games to play thanks to Steven Davis' derby winner over Celtic at Ibrox.
As the game was settling after a hectic start Kenny Miller crossed for Davis to score from close range on 37 minutes.
Davis then stopped an equaliser before the break by clearing Jan Vennegoor of Hesselink's header off the line.
Celtic had the better of the second half, but Rangers' Kris Boyd was superbly denied by keeper Artur Boruc.
The visitors began the match with a one-point advantage at the top of the table.
But, despite the stakes in terms of the title race, neither side showed signs of apprehension in the early stages as play raged around the slick Ibrox pitch at an astonishing pace.
The commitment from both teams was exemplified by Nakamura, Pedro Mendes and Vennegoor of Hesselink tracking back to unfamiliar positions deep in their own halves to make tackles and break up play.
And, with less than two minutes on the clock, Celtic's Paul Hartley was cautioned for a challenge on Miller, despite – Darren Fletcher-like – getting a touch on the ball before he took the man.
Celtic were the first to call the opposition keeper into action, when Neil Alexander had to tip an audacious Nakamura free-kick from a tight angle over the bar.
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Then, on 20 minutes, Rangers full-back Steven Whittaker whipped in a dangerous cross that foxed Artur Boruc before coming off the upright and the visitors scrambled the ball away to safety.
Celtic's Scott McDonald had a penalty appeal waved away when he went down in the box with Whittaker in close attendance.
Just as the match seemed to be settling, with Celtic enjoying more possession and slowing play down in midfield, Rangers took the lead on 37 minutes.
Miller was the creator, taking the ball away from goal to the bye-line before producing a perfect cut-back across the six-yard box, where Davis beat Shaun Maloney at the back post to slam in his first Old Firm goal past Boruc.
As the visitors pressed to end the half level, scorer Davis turned stopper when he hacked Vennegoor of Hesselink's downward header off the line with Alexander beaten.
Madjid Bougherra tussles with Scott McDonald
Bougherra (left) excelled in defence as Rangers shut out Celtic
Rangers found themselves being pressed deeper into their own half after the restart, with Maloney, ineffectual in his first league start since December, beginning to swing in more crosses on top of Alexander and Gary Caldwell advancing to provide extra support in midfield.
But, for all their possession, Celtic were lucky not to find themselves 2-0 down just before the hour mark.
All it took was a simple turn and through-pass from Miller to Boyd, who skipped past the challenge of O'Dea.
But, with only Boruc to beat, the prolific striker hit his shot straight at the Pole's chest and, minutes later, Boyd fired wide when set up by Davis.
The tempo lifted and the game opened up going into the last 15 minutes and Aiden McGeady – on for Maloney – jinked past a defender to crack a shot off the outside of the post.
But, with David Weir and Bougherra resolute for Rangers in the centre-back positions, Celtic could ill-afford to pass up any glimpse of goal and the Ibrox side recorded what could prove to be a crucial victory in terms of the destination of Scottish Premier League championship.
Rangers: Alexander, Dailly, Bougherra, Weir, Whittaker, Davis, Mendes, Edu, Steven Smith (Lafferty 69), Boyd (McCulloch 85), Miller.
Subs Not Used: McGregor, Novo, Velicka, Fleck, Wilson.
Booked: Steven Smith, Miller, Lafferty.
Goals: Davis 37.
Celtic: Boruc, Hinkel, Loovens, Caldwell, O'Dea (Naylor 81), Nakamura, Hartley, Crosas, Maloney (McGeady 62), Vennegoor of Hesselink (Samaras 76), McDonald.
Subs Not Used: Mark Brown, Misun, Flood, Robson.
Booked: Hartley, Caldwell, Naylor.
Att: 50,321
Ref: C Thomson