Ryan McDonald was tasked with handling your calls in the aftermath of Celtic’s 3-1 Old Firm win
Rangers players surround Nick Walsh(Image: Kirk O’Rourke/Rangers FC/Shutterstock)
It’s been a miserable week for Rangers fans.
Out of the title race, beaten in the Old Firm and condemned to a third-place finish. Danny Rohl is getting it in the neck, with seething punters ready to pack the German’s bags.
But he isn’t the only one in the firing line. Step up Nick Walsh – who is really in the bad books. The whistler and VAR John Beaton have come under fire for allowing Yang’s equaliser to count – with Benjamin Nygren allegedly blocking Jack Butland’s view from an offside position.
Then there’s Alistair Johnston’s crunching tackle on Mikey Moore which saw the Celtic defender escape with just a booking. And let’s just say Ibrox diehards are far from happy as their bitter rivals moved within two wins of five-in-a-row.
Craig Wilson, Kirkintilloch, raged: “Yet again another VAR decision going Celtic’s way. How on earth isn’t their right back sent off for a horrendous tackle on Moore. It’s IDENTICAL to the same player for Celtic who was on the receiving end of it at Easter Road. Also their first goal is clearly offside and obscuring Butland. Yet again, Maeda is untouchable and allowed eight fouls before he’s booked. The game’s a bogey here. Hearts will NOT be allowed to win this league.”
Scott Gowers from Edinburgh blasted: “If Rangers were given the goals for offside that Celtic get then Rangers would be 20 points clear of Celtic. Nygren less than a yard in front of Butland clearly in an offside position when Yang scores and goal given. Why were the correct IFAB rules not applied once again when Celtic are concerned?”
Stuart McLeod bemoaned: “Can’t complain with the result, the team that wanted it more deservedly won the match. Huge questions must be asked of the leadership on and off the park. The captain was again wandering through the game with no knowledge of what was happening and Rohl seems to be unable to make a substitution or tactical change that improves the team.
“I would like to highlight the continuing trend of referees who can’t officiate either. Johnston should have seen red not once but twice. After bottling it in the first half, Nick Walsh decided to book Tierney instead of Johnston after a tussle with Rommens, despite Tierney trying to break things up.
“We also witnessed three jersey tugs – Engels, no action. Maeda, no action. Then, eventually, Trusty – who received a yellow. Chermiti received a first-half yellow correctly, but a similar tackle from McGregor minutes later was only deemed as a free kick and no card, absolutely no consistency.”
Devastated Rangers boss Danny Rohl(Image: SNS Group)
Beleaguered boss Rohl also came in for some stinging flak after Gers crashed to three league defeats on the spin for the first time in 26 years.
Willie Mercer from Dumfries said: “Once again, Rhol fails to react to what is happening to his team. Tav getting run ragged in the first half and his defensive frailties shown up big time. Second and third goals come from his failures to defend and then Rohl makes the changes. Sterling should have been brought on at half-time with Tav pushed forward and the empty jumper that was Antman replaced.
“Rohl is more influenced by what the result is, irrespective of how the game is going, as witnessed by his failure to make the changes that were so obviously needed, until it was too late. This is the reason his credit is fast running out with the Rangers support.”
Russell Black, Banchory, insisted: “Danny Rohl has to take responsibility for yet again getting his team selection wrong and changing when it was so obvious that Antman was just not up to it. I was also a bit surprised Sterling wasn’t on from the start! Yet again Rangers not able to hang on to a lead never mind increasing it, he desperately needs Neil McCann at his side.”
Jamie Thompson from Glasgow pulled no punches as he seethed: “At the start of the season, we had useless manager and sub-standard team. We ended the season with another useless out-of-his-depth manager and a gutless team, plus a non-existent captain who contributed nothing. Rohl has to go lot of these players have to go. It has been mistake after mistake, embarrassing performances week in and week out. 14 years of hell for all these Rangers supporters.”
Rangers may be in the middle of a second decade of doom but one Bluenose is convinced the glory days will return next season.
Joe Graham, Garrowhill, said: “Being a regular Hotliner, I have been very quiet recently thinking the mighty Glasgow Rangers still had a chance until this weekend. Sunday’s result proved otherwise. The start was good and maybe could have been better with another goal added to the first, but it was not to be.
“Rohl has turned this team around to get to this stage, but I think he lacks the urgency to go forward and push his team. He is too much a nice guy and technically a first class coach, but we need a brute in the dug out. Having said that we need more players playing for the shirt at Glasgow Rangers and get back to the good old days. No disrespect to the professionals playing now, we need a majority of homegrown players in this team and get back to playing for the jersey.
“56 is another season away but could still be on the cards. Keep believing we will be there very soon.”
Regular Alan Flett fears it’ll be Celtic who get their hands on a record-breaking 56th title first: “When you consider the awful start we had under Martin, Rohl did well to get us into the title race. Having said that, we should have won the league! When playing well, we’re better than both Hearts and Celtic, but we can’t put a good 90 mins together. Not ruthless enough in attack and concede too many silly goals. We can now only hope that Hearts get the job done, as it would be a horrible look for Scottish football is this Celtic team win the title.”
Derby slayer Daizen Maeda celebrates(Image: SNS Group)
Across the city, some excited Hoops supporters are already popping open the champagne.
Gordon Ashley, Ayr, said: “Hugh Keevins is spot on, there has been a shift in the balance of power in Scotland. Hearts are now the second force behind the world’s most successful football with Rangers now firmly in the shadow of the champions, where they always have been and always will be. That was easy!”
Michael O’Leary from Glasgow wrote: “Oh well… we can confirm that Rangers will finish third this season after losing their third successive post-split fixtures. I wonder if Gary Stevenson still thinks Rohl is a ‘class act’ and that his team is a ‘brilliant watch.’ I certainly enjoyed their performance yesterday at the home of the champions. I’m already looking forward to next season to see if Danny Rohl can improve things and beat Hearts into second place.”
Daizen Maeda’s iconic overhead kick was up there with Henrik Larsson’s famous chip in the 6-2 demolition derby.
Stephen Mulhern, Glasgow, said: “I almost hit the panic button after witnessing Rangers take the lead, but just as in previous games, Rangers crumbled. And Maeda’s unbelievable finish must go down as the finest goal I’ve seen in the fixture in supporting Celtic over fifty years.”
Kenny Wilson from Moffat said: “Another huge win for the champions and ran out deserving winners, showing great mentality to come back from losing an early goal. Far more like a Celtic team with hunger, passion and great intensity. Once again, Maeda scored the important goals, and his second was stunning. Same needed at Motherwell now to take it to the last game.”
Finally, Robert Burns had a message for leaders Hearts – who remain in the driving seat to be crowned champions: “Looks like the time capsule in Tynecastle, aka the trophy room, will be kept hermetically sealed for the next millennium with Celtic on the ascendancy.”