Chris Sutton ‘sad’ at development ahead of Celtic v Rangers showdown
Rangers come into the contest with Celtic on Sunday on the high of securing progress in Europe.
The Gers beat Fenerbahce on penalties at Ibrox on Thursday (13 March) to secure a place in the Europa League quarter-finals.
That competition represents Barry Ferguson’s only chance of success given the dismal domestic record that he inherited from Philippe Clement.
Chris Sutton shares disappointment over Celtic v Rangers clash
The Old Firm clash is usually full of fireworks, but given the fact that Rangers are 16 points behind Celtic, it lessens the stakes.
Chris Sutton stopped short of labelling the contest as meaningless, but did share his sadness about the state of the title race.
In a column for Daily Record (14 March), he said: “It makes me sad there is nothing tangible resting on this match. I’d much rather seeing these two going at it hammer and tongs going down the stretch.
“Celtic’s incredible consistency combined with Rangers’ woeful inconsistency has left us looking for other angles of meaning. There are still some.
“The pressure is probably more on Rangers. They’ve endured a horrible season domestically and they could do with some positively heading into the summer, to go along with all the takeover talk.”
Rangers can take momentum if they beat Celtic
While there is little chance of the Gers catching Celtic if they secure victory on Sunday, it could give them momentum going forward.
If Barry Ferguson can mastermind a win against the Hoops, he may strengthen his chances of securing the job on a permanent basis, although their Europa League progress will probably make or break his hopes.
With the impending 49ers takeover, a positive result will give the Light Blues faithful hope that the gap with Brendan Rodgers’ side can be breached significantly next season.
| Scottish Premiership | Played | GD | Points |
| 1. Celtic | 29 | +70 | 75 |
| 2. Rangers | 29 | +33 | 59 |
However, it will be a long-term process to catch their Glasgow rivals. Indeed, it may take years but it starts with the 49ers making the right choice for a permanent successor to Clement and improving the Govan outfit’s recruitment once they have completed the deal.
Finding hidden gems like Hamza Igamane is all well and good, but they need to keep doing that and sell them on for heavy profits to Premier League and European clubs.
Rinse and repeat that strategy and it will eventually pay off and allow them to bridge the gap quicker than it would take otherwise with their current methods.
One thing is for sure, the new era at Ibrox will be exciting, and Gers supporters will be expecting to rival Celtic sooner rather than later.