Kris Boyd blasts Rangers title chances while taking aim at Celtic fans
Rangers will find it “very difficult” to win the league title this season following their Old Firm loss on Sunday afternoon, according to Kris Boyd.
On Sky Sports (3 September), Boyd pointed to statistics that reveal the unlikelihood for an Old Firm side to claim victory in the league if they don’t win these fixtures, while there have been no “signs of improvement” at Rangers despite a busy window.
Boyd also took the opportunity to have a dig at Celtic fans, noting that Celtic fans were quick to boo their side after their 0-0 draw at home to St Johnstone on Saturday (26 August).
Speaking on Sky Sports, Boyd said: “Rangers’ objective was to get to the Champions League, failed. You’re then looking at today, first Old Firm game of the season, it’s at Ibrox.
“You’ve got to at least not get beat. Rangers got beat. It’s very difficult to lose the Old Firm games and win the league. Statistics tell us that. It’s very difficult because you’ve now got two games at Celtic Park, very difficult to go and get points there.
“For me, you heard the boos when the fans were leaving the stadium. There was a lot of people unhappy. Michael Beale has been backed by the club and I don’t see signs of improvement.
“What I will say is, Rangers got beat and were booed off the pitch. Celtic got booed off the pitch when they drew last week!”
From bad to worse
Rangers hadn’t even recovered from their Champions League heartbreak when Celtic made the trip across Glasgow to put perhaps another nail in Beale’s coffin.
The Gers have “failed” their first two big tests: get to the UCL group stages and beat Celtic. Now, perhaps their league aspirations are over with Boyd suggesting correctly that it is tough to get their hands on another elusive title.
According to The Athletic (15 April), on only seven occasions have an Old Firm side “picked up fewer than half the available head-to-head points and still won the league”, the last being Rangers themselves in 2010/11.
Rangers and Beale will hope they won’t have to repeat this history and will look to beat Celtic in their next encounter. While that’s much easier said than done, Beale will need to do it if he wants to keep his job, if he’s there to get the chance at all.
Boyd couldn’t resist the chance to have a dig at the Hoops too. While echoing boos were the last thing Rangers players would have heard as they went down the tunnel at full-time, the fans’ outrage and disappointment was understandable.
But Boyd, with a discreet smile and glare towards Chris Sutton, emphasised Celtic fans’ reactiveness after boos were heard at Celtic Park in their goalless draw against St Johnstone.
Tensions are rising in Glasgow, but Rodgers has gifted Beale a big share of the pressure he was under in his hunt for a third Scottish title.
In other Rangers news, Chris Sutton and Kenny Miller were at odds amid a “ridiculous” incident in the Old Firm.