Celtic keep their head to progress
Rangers implode through a lack of discipline
Another crazy night in Glasgow and a game where Celtic’s match-winning full-back Mark Wilson managed more shots on target in one passage of play than Rangers managed all night.
The talk will be of the scuffles, the red cards and the controversy but Celtic were clear winners on an evening when Rangers offered little but aggression. If a Rangers fan had been at the two Cup games, they would have spent close to £80 on match tickets alone and apart from a thrilling opening ten minutes of the first game, the Ibrox side offered very little in these games.
In the early stages, the Rangers 5-4-1 seemed to puzzle Celtic, who had plenty of the ball but couldn’t quite work out the best way to unlock that defence. At this point, the Rangers fans and backroom staff were probably confident in their game plan, which had worked in Europe on numerous occasions.
Then Steven Whittaker threw it all into disarray. His first booking may not have merited a yellow card for the challenge alone but the fact that he had committed a number of fouls by this point, which ref Calum Murray pointed out, meant it was a justified yellow card. Compare and contrast to Scott Brown’s booking for the collision with Davie Weir and it’s obvious that Whittaker has little to complain about.
The thing is, for all that Scott Brown is labelled as being ‘not quite right’, he knows if you are on a booking in this game that you cannot fly into challenges in a reckless manner. Whittaker did and picked up a stupid second yellow, sending him off and giving Celtic the initiative.
There was quite a delay in getting the game started with El Hadji Diouf getting involved, allegedly barging the Celtic physio and then remonstrating with the Celtic bench, who gave him the reaction he craved.
Celtic nearly scored immediately when Samaras capitalised on a poor backpass but Alan McGregor saved and it headed to half-time goal-less. More scuffles followed on the way to the tunnel.
Celtic started brightly and they grabbed the goal that was to prove to be decisive. Izaguirre now had the freedom of the left hand side and again in this Cup round, fired a cross in which reached Mark Wilson. The full-back fired a thunderous shot towards goal which Sasa Papac bravely blocked. The ball bounced off Weir and fell back to Wilson who sclaffed the shot into the ground, where it bounced and spun over McGregor and beyond Bougherra into the net.
Given the tremendous shot he had just hit previously, the second one was a tame effort from Wilson but that doesn’t matter when it goes in.
Hopefully Sasa Papac will recover from the blow he took in keeping the first effort out, it was quite a powerful shot. There was a lengthy period of stoppage time to ensure the defender, who had not descended into the madness like many on the park, was okay and then strapped in securely before being escorted off the pitch.
Rangers could have equalised at the re-start when a Mulgrew header looped over Zaluska but the Polish stopper managed to double-back on himself and stop the ball before it cross the line. El Hadji Diouf tried to shove the keeper over the line but it was a fairly half-hearted attempted.
From there, Celtic kept possession well and drew foul after foul from Rangers. Bougherra was booked for a brutal foul on Gary Hooper, the Algerian stopper was late and made sure his studs went firmly into the back of Hooper’s legs.
The English striker was lucky he was not severely injured and Bougherra was lucky it wasn’t a straight red card. Bougherra had been at the centre of some controversial moments, most notably when he put his hands on Murray to stop him flashing a red card at Whittaker but this was not to be his last act of petulance.
In the dying moments, just after Diouf hit a tame free-kick straight at Zaluska to give Rangers their first effort on target, a ball up the touchline saw Hooper and Bougherra give chase with the Algerian launching himself at the ball. He got the ball but was off the ground and took a lot of the man.
That is a bookable offence but again, the stopper tried to prevent Murray from flashing the inevitable red card. It had been a night of indiscipline from Rangers but given the pre-match threats made by Kyle Bartley, it was obviously something Rangers were planning to do.
It is one thing to go head to head and toe to toe with the opposition but there needs to be a calmness and reason in your actions, this is something too many Rangers players lacked. Even the normally mild mannered Davis showed moments of madness with late reckless challenges and notable dissent.
That should have been it but Diouf needed his name in the morning papers and set off on a crusade to get himself sent off. As the Celtic fans and players celebrated, the Senegalese player harangued the ref, applauded him and gave him verbals.
Calum Murray did his best to avoid sending the striker, no doubt the ref was aware of the insanity of the night but Diouf was not taking no for an answer. Red card duly received, he trotted off to the Rangers end to throw his top and under-garment into the crowd. The Rangers end roared their approval of this act but you wonder how many would have preferred if the player was noted for impacting on the football game as opposed to the ancillary stuff.
As for the McCoist and Lennon spat – until you know what was said by McCoist that caused Lennon to react, you can only criticise both parties. It is obvious that Lennon remains public enemy number 1 and will be slated by the media but McCoist, usually seen as the cheeky chappie the media love, was equally to blame and if any team had a complete lack of indiscipline, it wasn’t Lennon’s side.
As usual though, too many people are blinded with so much hatred of Lennon that they are unable to see anything remotely close to the truth with him or look at both sides. Lennon should be criticised for reacting, let’s not be unclear about that, as the victor Lennon should have risen above it but you have to wonder what he reacted to.
So there you go, it’s been a long time since a big fight night gathered so much of a crowd in Glasgow. In case you missed it, there was a bit of a football game in there which Celtic won 1-0 and progressed to the quarter final of the Scottish Cup.
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Frankly, Rangers players and management lost the plot and deserved nothing from the game. Celtic played great football in spells amongst a plethora of spoiling tactics from their rivals. Whittaker’s first booking was not a yellow but he had made 3 previously so persistent fouling? Bougherra should have seen straight red for that cowards tackle on Hooper ( a tackle as disgusting as Lafferty’s on Hinkel). Their players man-handled the ref on more than one occasion and they behaved like spoiled brats throughout. Neil Lennon while no angel reacted to Diouf’s behaviour. Why was Diouf over at the dugout while every other player was over at the Whittaker incident? He caused that and set the tone for the fraca which took place. Lennon was angered by McCoist at the end and only they will know what was said at such close quarters but it must have been something bad for that reaction. Celtic players did not charge around the pitch acting like a bunch of thugs whereas the Rangers players did and this lost them the match. They played for set pieces and cheap free kicks as they had nothing else in their locker. The pendulum has swung.
Rangers at times last night lost their cool, that can’t be argued. What can be argued is the way in which the Referee handled the game. Waiting so long to make the first booking most definitely had an impact on the game and he was clearly rattled by the crowd in both sending off incidents in the 90 minutes. Celtics early season officials harassment campaign has certainly paid dividends in recent weeks.
As for the game itself, well the injuries that Rangers have sustained in recent weeks had meant that there was no other option than to set up the way they did last night, I’m sure the game plan would’ve worked had Whittaker not been sent off so early in the game. Having said that, Celtic played for 60 minutes against 10 men and barely made a chance of any note other than the flukey goal that they scored, indeed you could argue that play shouldve been stopped as soon as Papac was lying on the ground knocked out, but I suppose the referee only had a split second to judge that one before Wilson scored.
As for the manchilds behaviour last night, not surprising to be honest. It was mentioned above what was Diouf doing over at the touchline? He was called over by McCoist in the aftermath of the sending off to discuss the shape and tactics, even if he did ‘barge’ the Celtic physio, why is Lennon getting involved? He can’t help himself and has said something nasty to Diouf that got McCoist so incensed, something that was again brought up at the full time whistle.
I’m sure we will all have a different stance on the game, personally it’s gone now and so is the chance to win the Scottish Cup. For me the biggest match of the season will be the CIS Cup Final, neutral ground 50/50 support and Rangers will hopefully be back to some kind of strength with Jelavic and Naismith and possibly Broadfoot to return.
Rangers simply must win that game and deny Celtic a treble as well as stopping the recent rot in OF games. I’m backing Smith to do just that and then we can all move onto the SPL.
I only hope that the players and management of both teams, can all accept their responsibilities in the white hot atmosphere of the final as the last thing we want to see is more violence spilling on the streets of Glasgow and beyond.
Celtic were simply superior in every department. Not only did we outplay rangers tonight, we outclassed them on & off the park. Rangers quite simply lost their disipline, mainly due to the fact that they have been totally dominated in previous encounters & the same was happening again lastnight, that in turn leads to the realisation that your bigger rivals are very very simply BETTER!…and some rangers players/staff members very obviously couldnt handle it!…Walter smith may be tactically negative by nature but he is a man of class as he showed once agaon last night…He will do well to sit down with diouf, bougherra, whittiker, mccoist, etc & explain the meaning of class, as neil lennon’s celtic have got it stamped all over them!…;)
Quags usually enjoy reading your view of the games but I think you hurt is tainting your view point. Whittaker was lucky not to be booked on 40 seconds for a bad foul on Izaguirre. He then had two or three other fouls before being book. If you look at the booking the ref points out that it was for persistent fouling. To go in like he did for his second was just madness and he was obviously wound up from the start. Maybe Smith and McCoist should look at them selves for the way they sent their team out to kick and complain at every turn from the word go.
Diof the innocent… first time I’ve heard that. I find it incredulous how the Rangers fans have taken to him like a new messiah. He is going to cost Rangers the league with his pantomime sideshow and his lack of real input into any game.
To have a go at Lennon without mentioning McCoist’s part is beyond belief.
All this make the CIS Cup Final quite a tasty one.
Shocking behaviour from players,staff and fans on both sides. Sooner this pair get their move to Engurlund the better.
numpty… what shocking behaviour from Celtic players? Not scoring more goals.
Are the possession stats doignt he rounds? That must be the most one-sided derby ever, Our visitors anti-football has scunnered far better teams than Celtic so it’s no wonder clear cut chances were relatively few. Their conduct, however, is borne out a certainty of ‘gettng away with it’, honed over generation after generation, but the signs are showing that the tide is turning. Celtic didn’t ‘harrass’ officials as the aptly named Quagmire claims, we just reached breaking point with the corruption of the SFA and it’s employess. Their shameless assistance to the establishment club in it’s darkest hour is scandalous and beyond any justification, and Celtic stood up to it. Fair play on and off a level playing field is the demand, for the good of the game.
Given that Bougherra twice manhandled Murray last night, grabbing him on both occasions when a red card was produced during the game, the refs will surely strike this weekend?
After all, that was the biggest lack of respect shown to officials at any point in this campaign.
Nah Mate, I think there has to be a ‘death threat’ before they call a strike. You know, the unverified, anonymous phone call which the apparently terrified recipient strangely chooses not to formaly report to the police. That kind of death threat…
Yawn…. How dull, predictable and frankly embarrassing this all is. Let’s disband these 2 horrible institutions with immediate effect and form a new city club in Glasgow that all citizens can support with pride rather than shame. All Scottish football would benefit from this as would Scottish society.
Haha, you cheeky scamp TBA.
Yes, fully aware that you do 100% believe in that statement (well, apart from the utopian dream that everyone would get behind a new Glasgow City club) but I’m sure there are some tasty moments in that Falkirk / Dunfermline rivalry. I heard once that a Falkirk fan threw a half-eaten bridie on the pitch and the Dunfermline fans rioted because that was the biggest insult you could deliver to someone from Fife. If only the numbers were bigger there would be carnage at they games too.
Yes, the famous bridie incident. You’ve got to do something to entertain yourself at the football these days, it’s so crap that throwing foodstuffs at each other is a more satisfying pursuit.
a gangster in a tracksuit
With the price of food at football these days, I’m surprised anyone can afford to chuck away food they buy at games.
There is a scary level of admiration for food at some stadiums though. Obviously everyone goes mad for Killie pies (vastly over-rated) and I recall one trip to East End Park where people were buying bridies in 5s and 10s to take home.
Which is an astounding thing…surely there is not a place in Scotland where bridies are so hard to come by that football fans have to bulk buy at stadiums? Of course, a ten minute detour in and out of Dunfermline high street would probably have got the same bridies for half the price charged at the game!
Jaz…this guy?
that tracksuit would be to tight on the other gangster
Pure class from dignity FC all the way. Anyone any comment to make on Uncle Watty’s views on the refereeing last night? It surely wouldn’t happen at Owebrox now would it? I thought it was only the undignified tims who played the blame game.
And what about the gers legend Joof? The lad must surely be due a testimonial soon for his contribution to the cause.
Gloating aside, I sincerely hope Papac is ok. There was one man who was prepared to fight for the jersey for all the right ways. Credit to him for his real bravery in taking a k.o blow trying to stop a goal, unilke others who shame, shame, shamed the famous royal blue jerseys. Oh, I forgot, it’s all Lenny’s fault.
I could go on all night but life is much too short to harang hurting bears.
you could go on all night ,mrs stark bheggs to differ
As more of the story starts to drip out, it’s becoming ever clearer that the manchild has been at it for a few games with ‘extreme verbal abuse’ of certain Rangers players. My info is that it was Weiss & Diouf at Ibrox and now Diouf again at Parkhead.
Rangers lost their discipline at Parkhead, that cannot be argued, Celtic and mainly the manchild are complicit in the whole sorry mess at the touchline and tunnel and for me that cannot be argued and will come out in the wash at this forthcoming summit.
Had to laugh yesterday when Diouf was being slated for throwing his jersey to the Rangers fans at the end of the game, ‘could have started a riot’ was one of the lines trotted out in the media. Funny when the manchild ran to the Celtic fans fist pumping at Ibrox in the first tie, it was ok as the manchild often does that.
An odious man with no class in defeat or victory as he has shown in his short time as manager of Celtic. Whilst never loving any previous Celtic manager, I can honestly say I have had some respect for their position and the way in which they conducted themselves in the media etc. As for the manchild, it will all in end tears and I for one will be laughing loudly when his day comes.
Haha “manchild” – I think most people are laughing now Quags, laughing at the wonderful names and terms that are being used to describe Neil Lennon.
As for all this “extreme verbal abuse” – why did it not have an impact on the game two weeks back – that tends to blow apart that line of reasoning – so Weiss and Diouf got abused at Ibrox at the start of February….no one was annoyed at Celtic Park by mid February but by early March, permarage had hit 10. Whats the reason for that? Did it take so long for this “extreme verbal abuse” to sink in? Were the players acting shy and reserved and when finally questioned during counselling did they admit to having suffered this “extreme verbal abuse” and it’s all came to light now?
If it happened then Rangers should come out with the proof and if it did happen and it went beyond the normal level of what goes on in the game then yes, people should be carpeted. However, until then, it is just the same old crap that people come away with to justify bad behaviour.
As for the bad blood – Diouf sticking the shoulder into the Celtic physio started it – the video evidence is on YouTube – there’s visual proof of this. If you are a Celtic fan and you’ve seen this footage, you’d be annoyed with the backroom staff for not having a go at Diouf for that – you can excuse the officials, there was so much going that you can’t see everything and there isnt any need to be looking out for the physio running on…..but with TV evidence of Diouf giving him a dunt….well, it’s an incredibly low thing to do but no doubt something else that increase Diouf’s legend status in the eyes, minds and hearts of Rangers fans.
As for the criticism of Diouf at the end – Rangers fans are still spluttering over the time Martin O’Neill led Lennon to the Broomloan as an act of defiance after a terrible day at the office for Celtic. Rangers fans are still spluttering over Lennon walking to the Broomloan in January and pumping up the crowd.
The same Rangers fans were loving the attitude shown by Diouf in marching to the Rangers fans, throwing his top and Kenny McDowall pumping his fist and geeing up the fans. The difference is the colour of the strips, the scarves and the people involved.
However if any media outlet said that Diouf’s action could have started a riot they were very wrong….think the reaction in the home stands was one of laughter about the growing relationship between Diouf and club.
Criticising the refs and calling their integrity into question? Bad form and one that you oppose vehemently Quagmire – you’ve said it many times this season, many times. It’s strange how its not the big issue now it was in October and November. And the best thing is, back in October and November, even for all the lack of “respect” Celtic showed the officials, not once did a Celtic player grab a referee or try to hold his arm to prevent them showing a card. Not once did a Celtic player applaud the referee in a sarcastic manner.
As is usually the case, neither side comes out with much credit from these type of games but the rush to paint Celtic for being as bad as Rangers were on the night is ludicrous….but such is the way of Scottish football.
Bougherra is another who has been acting like a manchild with his antics towards referee’s and should be carpeted for holding the refs arm the other night, something that I think will happen.
To compare that to accusing the refs of institutional bias and questioning their integrity, doesn’t equal the same in my book I’m afraid.
As for Diouf, the tactics shown towards him in all three games he has played against Celtic has been very clear, the management has urged his players to wind him up at every opportunity in the hope to have him sent off, now I have no problems with that cause if the show was on the other foot I would expect my team to do the same. I wouldn’t want my management team to be indulging in that behaviour and that’s the key difference here Ed. The manchild simply hasn’t grasped his responsibilities yet and is an accident waiting to happen unless he reigns his attitude in. I’m the vast majority of the Celtic fans will no doubt love him for it and see passion that was clearly missing under Mowbray, however passion and downright childish behaviour shouldn’t be mixed up here.
sorry type meant shoe not show! oops
However…there is a need to move on and quickly – this 7 game malarkey – with 6 concertina’d into a 4/5 month spell – really doesn’t help the situation and with just over a fortnight to the next one, which has a trophy at stake, there is a need for everyone to calm down a bit.
Which is exactly what the media won’t do and it’s also what the sponsors don’t want. In the build up, players will be getting dragged out every day in their Co-operative Insurance tee-shirts and being asked questions about the game. There needs to be a focus on the media savvy players (ie no Kyle Bartley’s or Gary Hooper’s) and attention has to be made about the football.
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Onto the other posts Quags – the point about integrity and such like was two folded.
The statement prepared by Martin Bain was more of the questioning of the officials – is it really so different from comments made by John Reid?
Bougherra? He was just ridiculous in his actions – okay, there is some opinion that he can be aggrieved about his second yellow but he did the same for Whittaker and was lucky to escape sanction then. Whilst it’s laughable behaviour, part of the criticism of Lennon’s behaviour was of how visual it was and tyhe influence it would have on others – that’s the same lines of how Bougherra should be criticised.
Ideally Lennon should have walked away from it – his team had won, he had the upper hand and regardless of whether you are for or against Lennon, you have to think he should have been more savvy about it. Hopefully he will continue to learn and now that he will be sitting in the stand for the next one, he may realise he needs to be different in the dugout. Without knowing what McCoist said, it is hard to say if it was an over-reaction (well, in terms of context) but perhaps McCoist offered “extreme verbal abuse” of his own? And again, having seen Diouf dunt the physio, you can see why a backroom staff would be angry.
But you know….there needs to be a calming down there….but equally, there has to be a world apart from Tony “take it on the chin, wince when opposition players try to break your players leg, we’ll keep bending over and take whatever is thrown at us” Mowbray. Rangers fans and the media loved Mowbray because he took every bit of crap going and just ambled on. Lennon clearly doesn’t. There is an acceptance that most of the media and Rangers fans are of the opinion that Lennon takes it way too far…..but there is also the slight thought that they don’t like it because they know that Lennon will present a challenge that Mowbray never will.
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But heyho, once again, big need for calm in the build-up, during and aftermath of the final.
Good chat Quags – sure there’s a disagreement in plenty of the thoughts but that’s what it has to be about – it’s always good to volley about opinions.
I said it in an earlier post, this game means too much to too many people for the management teams to be indulging in behaviour that gives any ned with a knife an excuse to play sick games at the expense of a rival supporter. Collectively they need to sort this, draw a line under it and present the footballing world with a game to remember for all the right reasons at the Cup Final later this month.
Oooooh! Hark at jiz with the sex jokes! Isn’t he awful?
At least my Mel Sterland teddy bear hasn’t become solid and sticky with all the jiz spurted onto it like yours jiz ya wee diddy numpty!
you seem upset bhilly , they say the truth hurts if yea cannae manage send her roond il make her sticky tae
Now now Jaz cant all be a stud like you,i have heard from a good source that you make love to your wife 7 times a night 1,2,3,4,5………………..!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Jiz ejaculates through sheer excitement when he manages to spell a word correctly. Hence the reason why his dictionary is impossible to open these days.
Are you still doing my wife?