Our bad start has cost us
ALLAN MCGREGOR
Leigh Griff iths insists Celtic won’t give up the title chase while there’s still points up for grabs.
But the striker admits the Hoops are counting the cost of several slips-ups earlier in the season.
Griff isn’t ready to lob in the towel despite Celts falling 19 points behind Rangers in the title race.
It’s not the defeat in Govan that has left Celtic’s campaign in near ruin though – it’s the brutal run of form in the autumn that has done the damage.
Griffiths added: “We will keep fighting until the end, until it’s mathematically impossible for us to win the league.
“We will go away, we will reflect on it, work hard and prepare for Hibs.
“The first half was the best we have played all season. I don’t think have Rangers had a shot on
target all game. But if you don’t take your chances, you don’t win.
“It’s disappointing but it’s the games at the start of the season that have killed us, to be honest.
“The start of the season was not good enough. If we’d put in performances like that we would not be in this position.
“It’s not just the first-half performance today, we have been playing really well in the past few weeks.
“First half we were unlucky not to be a couple of goals ahead.
“We regrouped and went out to play the same way. I think the red card changed the game.”
Gers keeper Allan McGregor saved brilliantly from Griff and the striker admitted: “I thought it was in. But he is a world-class goalkeeper.
“That’s what he brings you – he wins you points.
“I couldn’t have hit it any sweeter. But he got his fingertips to it and it’s hit the post.”
There must have been a wry smile on the face of Walter Smith up on the Ibrox TV gantry.
Seeing Allan McGregor fly through the air to pull off an Andy Goram-like save to deny Celtic striker Leigh Griffiths and keep Rangers in an Old Firm derby, must have warmed his heart.
Make no mistake, this hard-fought victory for Steven Gerrard’s team would have been one former gaffer Smith would have been proud of.
When his own Ibrox side dominated Scottish football in the 1990s, winning nine titles in a row, they were often under the cosh in games against Celtic.
But their resilience shone through, as well as their ability to nick a goal and – crucially – rely on their keeper to make huge saves.
Goram is simply referred to as ‘ The Goalie’ by Rangers fans.
But after yesterday’s performance in their 1- 0 win that moved Gerrard’s men 19 points clear in the title race, McGregor showed he must be pushing Goram for the mantle of the club’s best ever.
He was outstanding in the first half as Celtic piled on the pressure, pulling off a trio of stops to deny Hoops strikers Griffiths and Odsonne Edouard.
McGregor played under Smith, winning three titles in the manager’s second spell in charge.
And the 38-year- old admitted that yes t erday ’ s per f o rma nce wa s reminiscent of the kind Smith’s teams were renowned for.
McGregor wasn’t pleased at how poor Rangers were in the opening 45 minutes but in typical Smith fashion, declared that winning is all that matters.
After Callum McGregor’s own goal handed Gers what the Ibrox keeper hopes will be a huge win on the road to the title come May, the Light Blues star said:
“Hopefully in four or five months’ time that will be a huge win for us.
“It was weird because I thought we were really poor for the first half and the minutes leading up to the sending off.
“We were a bit better after that but I say it all the time – the win is the most important thing.
“I was annoyed at how bad we were but again, the win is most important.
“The boys dug it out well. You go back to Walter’s era and he was obviously really good at that.
“But that comes from the players and the messages that the manager gives us. “The players then have to carry it out.” McGregor’s saves and performance were summed up by his current gaffer Gerrard.
When asked about McGregor’s contribution, he replied: ‘ Wow’.”
He was a key signing for Gerrard when he took over two-and-a-half years ago – and now knows just why McGregor is a modern day Ibrox icon.
He said: “He was outstanding. Allan’s a world-class goalkeeper and the couple of saves he made to keep us in it were superb.
“If you’ve given him man of the match it’s a good decision. He’s reliable and trustworthy.
“I knew already but I know even more now why he’s been so successful at this club, because he’s bailed us out on a few occasions.”
The Gers gaffer admitted his team played second fiddle for large spells before Nir Bitton was given a straight red card for wrestling Alfredo Morelos to the ground.
He urged them to show more hunger and desire after half-time and praised their ability to stay in the game, take an opportunity and see out the derby for a vital three points.
A year past in December, Rangers were excellent in the Old Firm Betfred Cup Final at Hampden – only to be denied by an inspired keeper in Fraser Forster and a sucker-punch winning goal.
The roles were reversed yesterday with Celtic on top, McGregor the hero and Gers nicking a priceless win. Gerrard’s
men are still unbeaten in the league and have only conceded five goals.
The title looks theirs to lose now – but he’s adamant his only focus is on the trip north to face Aberdeen at Pittodrie next Sunday.
He said: “It’s another big three points for us and another clean sheet. So I’m really proud of the team in terms of their efforts.
“In the first half we weren’t good enough. We weren’t ourselves and were second best in a lot of areas.
“But there was a massive improvement in the second half. We were getting up to people, we were more aggressive, more physical and were believing in ourselves in terms of how we were trying to play.
“So I was more pleased from 45 minutes to the sending of f in terms of improvement . The sending off is obviously a major incident in the game and from there on it looked like there was only one team going to win it.
“I just asked them at half-time how much they wanted to win a derby. That was the only question that needed to be asked. If you want to win a derby at Ibrox, where we’re protecting our stadium and our supporters, you can’t be passive. You can’t be second best.
“We had to let Celtic know they were in a game.
“But credit to them, I thought they played really well in the first half.
“Look, we were outstanding for 90 minutes in a cup final not so long ago and got nothing for it. It’s about the end result.
“We’ve won the game, we’ve stretched our lead, we remain humble and move on to Aberdeen now.
“You’re not always going to be pretty on the eye and be able to show your style.
“You have to credit the opposition. They set up really well, started on the front foot and we couldn’t really get a foothold in the game for the first 45 minutes.
“But it’s about the outcome and I’d have
Goram denied Hoops certainly signed up for us not being at our best today and winning the game because it was all about the three points especially at this stage of the season.” Celtic still have three games in hand over Rangers, but the Premiership leaders are now in pole position to be crowned champions come May.
They have also won the last three Old Firm derbies and, crucially, have the points and goal difference in the bag. But Gerrard is refusing to accept that the title race is over.
He said: “We don’t look at the 19-point lead. It’s only about Aberdeen now and another three points available. “There’s 48 points still to play for so there’s a lot of challenges and tough obstacles for us to get over.
“Today was big in terms of making a statement and proving that we can win our second derby out of two. “But we don’t look at leads or where we are. Our season starts now.”