Said at break fired up Gers
OLD FIRM derby showdowns always get tongues wagging and yesterday was no different.
Rangers outmuscled Celtic and won thanks to Filip Helander’s secondhalf header, and the pundits were having their say on the big game...
DEREK FERGUSON
Former Rangers star Ferguson commended Steven Gerrard’s side for a much better second period performance.
He said on BBC Sportsound: “Rangers will be delighted.
“I thought Celtic had the better of the first half. Edouard has that glorious chance he should put away, I think it is a sign of a striker lacking confidence.
“Whatever Gary McAllister said to Rangers at half-time fired them up, they were much better in the second half.
“Barisic was a bit indifferent with his deliveries but he delivered a great ball in for Helander, who finished with an excellent header.
“Putting Kyogo for Celtic through the middle, his movement is brilliant. Helander and Goldson found it hard to deal with him, with one he should have crossed and he shot.
“But we have to give a lot of credit to McCrorie in goal. He was asked to produce a couple of times and he managed that.”
MICHAEL STEWART
The former Hearts and Manchester United midfielder insisted on Twitter that there was little between the teams.
He wrote: “Fine margins in a very close game between the two Glasgow clubs. Stephen Welsh is the man who was picking up Helander at corners and lost him at the vital moment.”
MARK WILSON
The ex-Celtic defender reckons Ange Postecoglou will be irked by his team’s defending for Helander’s winner.
He said on Clyde 1 Superscoreboard: “When Ange analyses the game, sits down and watches the game, he’ll be frustrated at bits. But the main thing is the goal.
“It was someone’s personal responsibility to pick up a man, match him, and do their job and they failed. That is what cost Celtic.”
JOHN HARTSON
The big Welshman was also critical of Celtic’s defending from the set-piece that allowed Helander to head home the winner.
Hartson told Sky Sports: “I don’t think they’re marking. Celtic are zonal marking because if you’re man-marking, you can’t let Helander get a run from the edge of the box.
“The defender’s got to go close to him.
“If you look at Helander, he runs from really deep and he arrives. So how Celtic don’t see Helander on the edge of the box, nobody marking him, is beyond me.
“Someone’s got to block his run and be cleverer. Starfelt’s come in, alright it’s early in his Celtic career, but it’s happened too many times. That’s about the fourth or fifth bad call Starfelt has made.
“It’s in his zone, and when the ball comes into that zone you show responsibility and character and you go and head it. That’s the type of defenders I’ve always played with, both down south and at Celtic.”
KRIS BOYD
The ex-Rangers striker reckons the result was a reality check for a Celtic team well fancied heading into the game.
He said on Sky Sports: “In terms of Celtic, people have been getting carried away. They beat St Mirren 6-0, they beat Dundee 6-0. They’d lost the same amount of games to Rangers before this game started but Rangers were the club in crisis.
“Only in Glasgow that would happen. Four games played in the league this season and Celtic have lost two of them.
“They are the ones who have got the problems.”