Ibrox View: Kris Boyd comments surely illustrate key to Rangers toppling Celtic
RANGERS OPINION
A lot has been made of the fact that Rangers are in such a strong position in the title race.
As we settle into the winter break, the Gers are just two points behind league leaders Celtic with that crucial game in hand.
The thing is though, we have been here before.
Just last season, the Old Firm were essentially neck and neck going into January, only for the Bears to slip up when the campaign resumed, allowing the Hoops to steal a march on them.
Things do feel a bit different this time though, and there are some distinct reasons why.
Writing in a column for the Scottish Sun, reflecting back on Sunday’s stunning win at Parkhead, former Ger Kris Boyd said: “Rangers didn’t allow them to play because of the way they were set up, and because their players all worked harder all over the pitch.
“Rangers looked fitter and sharper too. Remember, Celtic had the luxury of qualifying for the next round of the Europa League with two games to spare. Gers didn’t.”
This really is the heart of the matter.
The reason that things feel different is because for the first time in a long time, the Bears look to have devised a way of besting the Bhoys.
This isn’t pot luck or the hope that pure passion will carry them through, this is the repeated evidence of matching the Hoops step for step all over the park.
We saw it in the Scottish League Cup final, when the Gers were pipped to the post, and we saw it again at Parkhead last weekend, when they travelled across Glasgow and had the same amount of shots on and off target as their rivals, as per Sky Sports.
No longer is there that disparity between the two sides, and now that has been eliminated, the Gers look more like usurpers than they have done in ages.
In other news, Report – Injured Rangers player set to leave Ibrox for free at end of season.