The manager resolved one problem by removing Ricksen after 23 minutes, but that still left Konterman in a centre-back partnership that was intimidated and mastered by Chris Sutton, the scorer of two goals.Īfter his debut for Celtic, away to Dundee United, Sutton, with studied provocation, stated that ``the important thing is to put Rangers in their place.'' As a comment, it was unhelpful to civic relations in Glasgow and, at a personal level, put severe pressure on himself. Worse still, the greatest culprits were Fernando Ricksen and Bert Konterman, on whom Dick Advocaat spent a total of stg£10m in the summer. Rangers are left to deep reflection, because, while the skill of the team was obvious, its significance was undermined by a collapsing defence.
This is not to be confused with a random eruption by Celtic, since it follows a run of four victories in the Scottish Premier League. Some will recall that the Ibrox side lost 5-1 at this venue in 1998 and still won the championship, yet, while they may do so again, there is no real parallel. This result equalled Celtic's record victory, in 1938, over Rangers on their own ground. Since O'Neill has so far signed just two players, it made one wonder what lies ahead as his reshaping of the squad proceeds. When the chances came to establish the early ascendancy, the execution was sharp. ``The players are all delighted, but there is no feeling of euphoria because a few of them have been here a couple of years and they know not to get too carried away with anything. But at the end of all this Rangers are still the benchmark and are a top class side. They got back to 4-2, and I think the only time I ever really felt comfortable was when Sutton put the sixth one in. Even at 4-1 I was thinking there is a long, long way to go.
It is too early to know if the balance of power has changed, but Martin O'Neill made Glasgow's footballing order shudder with this result.Īfterwards, the former Leicester City boss was delighted with the performance, but insisted nobody at the club will be getting carried with the result. The men who established a 3-0 lead in the opening 11 minutes will be celebrated and there were songs, too, for Henrik Larsson, who checked a stylish comeback by the visiting side.īut one individual's influence permeated the match.
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