Ranger 1 Celtic 0THIS WAS a match which should have been dedicated to absent, and semi-absent, friends. It is rare for those not involved in an Old Firm match to prompt as much debate as those who were, but that was exactly the case this weekend.
Rangers’ revival without Barry Ferguson and Allan McGregor – they have now won seven matches in succession – continues. Celtic’s manager, Gordon Strachan, who was already without the influential Scott Brown through suspension and his captain, Stephen McManus, due to injury, paid the price for his baffling decision to name Aiden McGeady, arguably the most creative player in Scotland, as a substitute.
That move seemed even more bizarre given that the winger’s replacement, Shaun Maloney, had started only one match in five months before Saturday. The Rangers defenders, still probably enduring dizzy spells after McGeady’s showing against them in the League Cup final in March, could have slept easy on Friday night; the Republic of Ireland international was afforded only half an hour to run at the 35-year-old Christian Dailly.
“I’m not here to explain every decision I make,” was Strachan’s reaction to questioning about McGeady’s reduced role. The manager may not have to explain his decision but he must live with its damaging consequences. The championship is now Rangers’ to lose. Scriptwriters would have dismissed such a notion as fanciful after Celtic won at Ibrox on December 27th to move seven points clear, but a nine-point swing means Rangers are three wins away from winning the Scottish title for the first time since 2005.
“This season there have been periods when I didn’t think we were going to get to this stage but from what I see of the lads that we’ve got I’m confident they can handle the situation,” Smith said, before making a reference to the events which led to Ferguson and McGregor being banished from his team.
“We have worked so hard to get to this position and now we must show that we can close it out,” he said. “It has not been an easy season for me but it has not been easy for the players either and it is a credit to them how they have approached things. We lost two regular players and a lot of the lads have been asked to come in who hadn’t played as often – or even for most of the season – and they’ve adapted to it. So tremendous credit to them.”
Games against Hibernian, Aberdeen and Dundee United will determine Rangers’ fate, and not only in a football sense. Given the club’s much-publicised financial troubles, speculation has been rife regarding the possible impact of failure to win the title and thus qualify for next season’s Champions League. “I am aware of the situation at the club, everyone is,” said Smith. “But you cannot let it burden you. We just have to concentrate on the football and hope that we are good enough.”
Smith had made a surprising choice of his own, opting to leave out Andrius Velicka despite his having scored four goals in as many matches. Unlike Strachan’s decision, though, this proved an inspired move. Velicka’s replacement, Kenny Miller, supplied the pass for Steven Davis’s goal and proved a menace throughout.
“It would be unforgivable if we throw it away now,” said Davis, demonstrating the overstatement which encompasses matters Old Firm. The former Fulham midfielder’s goal came from close range, in front of the watching Alex Ferguson. Celtic dominated for long spells thereafter but they lacked potency, a matter due in no small part to the sterling work of David Weir and Madjid Bougherra at the heart of the Rangers defence, which almost proved that proceedings were not entirely dominated by peripheral figures. Weir, who turned 39 yesterday, again belied his advanced years.
Guardian Service
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.
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.
Referee:C Thomson (Scotland).
