Alan Shearer criticises low-quality Rangers and Celtic as Old Firm standards fall amid verdict on Cyriel Dessers controversy
The “standard” from Rangers and Celtic has “certainly dipped in recent years” based on the Old Firm derby at Ibrox on Sunday, according to Alan Shearer.
The English Premier League’s record goalscorer said on The Rest is Football podcast with Gary Lineker and Micah Richards the following day (4 September) that he had watched “bits” of the 1-0 Hoops win and didn’t agree with the controversial decision to disallow Kemar Roofe’s opener, but felt the overall quality “wasn’t great at all”.
A VAR review saw the Jamaica international’s first-half striker ruled out for a perceived foul by Cyriel Dessers on Gustaf Lagerbielke before Kyogo Furuhashi again scored the decisive goal.
Shearer told Lineker and Richards (44m 55s): “The standard from those two has certainly dipped in recent years. I watched bits of it and I was thinking yeah the atmosphere is amazing but the standard wasn’t great at all.
“Rangers scored and then [it was] disallowed again, VAR intervened, said it was a foul. I wasn’t sure, didn’t agree with that one either.
“But then Celtic just before half time, Kyogo, what a finish it was, and that was it. But yeah that standard’s not great.”
Scathing
Well, Shearer’s name can be added to the list of football figures unimpressed by the refereeing decision that has dominated the focus since the derby.
But neither side has come away unscathed by his verdict as the quality of both Glasgow giants was given a less than glowing assessment.
With Michael Beale’s side performing well below standard as they went down to a weakened and stuttering Celtic under Brendan Rodgers that is perhaps no surprise.
It was only two seasons ago that Rangers showed they could produce a standard that multiple top European sides couldn’t live with on the way to the Europa League final, but domestically it has been all too rare since the title win that they have reproduced that level under three successive managers now.
The Hoops may be trying to adjust to life without now-Tottenham boss Ange Postecoglou but Beale’s project was supposed to be that much further along by now.
It some ways it is unfair to expect fireworks after such a large-scale overhaul but the manager didn’t start most of his new arrivals on Sunday and yet, whether they’ve been in the side or not it is hard to escape the feeling that so far this team has taken a step back.
Assuming Beale’s job isn’t actually under threat with the board yet he is going to have to up the standard’s significantly in order to get the fans back onside, even if Shearer isn’t impressed.
In other Rangers news, a Sky Sports pundit noticed proof of the wrong decision in Old Firm footage of an “absolutely ballistic” Celtic player.