Why Celtic fans ignored Remembrance silence and the Rangers formation struggle

GlasgowWorld

Ben Banks and Lewis Anderson of Glasgow World review Kilmarnock vs Celtic and Rangers vs Hearts, alongside each club's European exploits in the past week.

Transcript

00:00Hello and welcome to Glasgow World's Fitbit Talk, a weekly round-up on Rangers and Celtic action,

00:06both of which commenced on Sunday this week. Celtic away to Rugby Park and Rangers at home

00:14to Harch, off the back of a busy schedule and now we're going to the international fortnight.

00:19We'll start with the early kick-off-ish, earlier than Rangers-Harch anyway, at 3pm at Rugby Park.

00:26Celtic winning 2-0, albeit the champions weren't at their sparkling best as they have been,

00:32certainly as they were in the midweek game against RB Leipzig in the Champions League,

00:35which I'm sure we'll touch on in the course of this round-up, but Nicholas Kuhn's goals

00:41and a Callum McGregor goal as well was enough to seal victory at Rugby Park. Lewis, you were there

00:47just on the game itself, a win for Celtic but perhaps one they had to dig out rather than maybe

00:53play the way they have been this season. Yes, they had to dig deep. It was a gritty performance.

00:59You kind of expected it on the back of the week they've had, coming into the rout of Aberdeen in

01:06the League Cup last weekend and then obviously a massive Champions League game on Wednesday night

01:12that was bound to be a bit of fatigue sitting into the players' legs, you'd imagine.

01:17Kilmarnock will feel aggrieved, Ben, that they didn't get something out of this game,

01:23a flurry of chances missed, some top goalkeeping from Kasper Schmeichel,

01:28really outstanding. I think that's nine clean sheets and a living for him now. He's been

01:34tremendous and this is arguably one of his busiest days I think he's had in over a decade.

01:39A couple of us were talking about post-match, so yes, they had to work hard but again,

01:45it's the sign of champions, isn't it? When you're not playing at your best, you manage to grind it

01:49out. A bit fortuitous with the goal just on the stroke of half-time. Cal McGregor, it was clearly

01:56an attempted cross towards Ead at the back post and the big striker doesn't get a touch on it and

02:03the bounce of the ball has fooled McCrory. So, yes, fortunate to go in ahead at the break and

02:10then second half. Kilmarnock, again, well in the game, had a couple of decent opportunities.

02:16Matty Kennedy, one-on-one with the goalkeeper. Schmeichel makes an outstanding fingertip save

02:22to push that round the post. He was really busy, as I said, all afternoon and then Kilmarnock

02:28punished again ruthlessly. Another moment of magic from Nicolas Koon. What a week it's been

02:34for the German winger on the back of his exploits against Leipzig in midweek. Another moment of

02:41individual brilliance to skip away from two Kilmarnock players. Koulis slot low past the

02:47keeper. So, yes, less than convincing but Brendan Rodgers praises players given that

02:57the difficulty of the last three games, they've had to face three different challenges almost

03:02in terms of the approach from each team they've faced over the last couple of days. So,

03:09he'll be absolutely delighted to go into the international break now,

03:13sitting top of the table on goal difference.

03:16Obviously, as we've alluded to, Celtic won 3-1 in the Champions League. That's the other game

03:20that's happened between sort of our last record and a 3-1 win, a very impressive one. One of the

03:24better Celtic performances and results at Parkhead in Europe of probably the last decade or so,

03:30really. So, a very impressive win and as you say, Nicolas Koon with two goals there. Rio

03:36finished off that to leave Celtic in a strong position for progress from the Champions League.

03:40Can't not talk about the Celtic-Kilmarnock game without at least mentioning some of the pre-match

03:45stuff which has dominated a lot of the post-match discussion on the Celtic fans' disturbance of the

03:51minute's silence Kilmarnock were holding. It's divided opinion. It's not always at this time

03:57of year. It's a debate that comes around and it's a very difficult subject to talk about because

04:07the opinions on both sides are so fierce. But just without delving into the political

04:16phrase and things like that, you can get into this. What was the general atmosphere like

04:20in the ground when that was happening, Lewis? Yeah, as you said, it's quite a divisive one,

04:25isn't it? I think the general consensus was Kilmarnock fans were absolutely livid

04:33by it and Derek McInnes, absolutely furious in his post-match interview as well.

04:38I could understand why. Obviously, Celtic fans, it was only a small section. I must say it wasn't

04:47as if the full stand were chanting and booing throughout it but there was certainly a large

04:54section of them that didn't cover themselves in glory in my opinion and that I felt was the

05:01general consensus sitting in the main stand there at Rugby Park. I think obviously they had a banner

05:08display as well to try and back up their point as to why they were maybe doing it. But a minute's

05:17silence is a minute's silence. It's a moment of reflection. I understand people have different

05:26views on things like this but at the end of the day, I don't think there was a great need for it

05:33and certainly I could understand the frustrations of Derek McInnes post-match. Brendan Rodgers was

05:41similarly in agreement. He felt that it was something that didn't need to happen but as he

05:50said, Ben, it's a topic that rightly or wrongly, some people just have their own views on this type

05:59of situation. We'll move across to Ibrox. That was the one I was at, Rangers vs Harch. Also not a

06:06classic, a serial death goal after six minutes. Sealing that one for Rangers but the more that

06:11game got dragged on, the more the animosity grew. Certainly the anxiety I would say was a word that

06:19was used in the press conference and the clone was asked about grew in terms of the frustration

06:25because again, it was a similar story for Rangers. Yes, they got over the line and they got three

06:31points and ultimately, you need to be doing that by any matter of means but the performance again,

06:38leaving a bit to be desired. I thought against Olympia Aikos which was Rangers' European result

06:43during the week, a one-all draw away in Greece in a hostile venue. I think that can be seen as a

06:47positive result and a positive performance in terms of an away performance in Europe but I don't know,

06:53do you feel like almost that style, that more rigid defensive style, it doesn't really translate to

06:59domestic football when you need to be going after teams a wee bit more, especially at home and

07:03especially, albeit Harch finished third last season but currently a side that are second bottom in the division?

07:09Yes, I think if you were to ask the majority of Rangers fans at the moment, they would say to you

07:13that this 4-2-3-1 formation, they don't have the players necessarily to play it.

07:19I think, having spoken to quite a few Rangers fans over the last couple of weeks, I know

07:25that they're at the end of their tether with Comand at this point and performances certainly don't seem to be getting any better.

07:35Obviously, a couple of strange decisions as you touched on there, Ben. In particular, the call

07:41to take off Conor Barron, who is probably one of Rangers' better players by all accounts,

07:45it sounded like Mohamed Diomande, but was pretty poor and he should have been the player.

07:52Team selection as well comes down to it. James Tavernier, everyone's got their own

07:56opinions on Tavernier at this point, whether or not he should be starting games going forward.

08:04I think as well, the goal comes after six minutes and it's as if they retreat

08:11into their shell and invite pressure on. This is a Harch team languishing down at the bottom of the table.

08:16You're sitting there, you're playing the two defensive-minded midfielders as well,

08:23albeit Barron and Raskin seem to be striking up a decent partnership between the two of them.

08:29It was quite concerning, wasn't it, because it didn't seem as if Rangers were ever going

08:34to really score a second goal. As much as Harch had their moments and passed up that

08:40great chance in the second half to level it up, I think Rangers fans will actually be looking

08:49forward to this international break now, Ben, which is not something that you would necessarily

08:55associate when it comes to Rangers.

09:01That's the end of the Premiership and domestic football. We go into our final

09:07international break of the calendar year 2024. Scotland, first of all, at home to Croatia on

09:14Friday night before the Nations League campaign finishes off our way to Poland on Monday the 18th

09:20of November. After that, it'll be a jam-packed calendar of domestic action, action in Europe

09:27as well as we go into the busy Christmas period. Rangers will return to league business on the 23rd

09:32at home to Dundee United while Celtic face a trip to Tyne Castle to face the opposition. Rangers

09:38just beat on Sunday there in an unusual night-time kick-off on the Saturday night, a 7.45 against

09:45Harch. So we will catch up with you probably next week to reflect on the Scotland game in

09:50Mount Florida at Hampden and any other news that breaks from Rangers and Celtic over the next week.

09:55Until then, take it easy.

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