Dermot Desmond called out for Celtic calamity after what Andrew Cavenagh has done at Rangers
Rangers have had a dismal few weeks, but across town, Celtic are not faring much better as they are in a crisis of their own.
The two sides played out a dismal 0-0 draw in the Old Firm before the international break, in which Rangers and Celtic both came off badly.
Rangers had huge changes at boardroom level, as Andrew Cavenagh and 49ers Enterprises completed a takeover, with Kevin Thelwell arriving as a director and Russell Martin taking the reins as manager.
While there have been calls for Rangers to sack Martin, Celtic's board are coming under direct fire themselves, and the situations have been compared.
Andrew Cavenagh gave speech to Rangers squad
The Rangers board have always been a key target for criticism in years gone by, but with new owners now, fans are not yet calling for another takeover.
Thelwell has come under scrutiny after backing Martin and making some questionable signings, but the leaders above his head have escaped major criticism for now.
It is different at Celtic, with Brendan Rodgers still admired by many fans, but the board heavily criticised after a woeful transfer window left their squad weaker than before, and majority shareholder Dermot Desmond has come under fire.
- Nicolas Kuhn and Adam Idah are among the key players who departed for Celtic.
- They have been criticised for failing to strengthen their squad beyond free transfers such as Kieran Tierney.
Writing in the Daily Record, Hugh Keevins revealed that Cavenagh gave a speech at Rangers' training ground last week, after their winless start to the league season.
"If Desmond were to go to Lennoxtown to deliver a motivational speech, as 49ers Enterprises leader Andrew Cavenagh did at Rangers’ training complex last weekend, what would he say to the players?" Keevins questioned.
"Celtic have taken to gambling in the big moments and have never landed a winning ticket."
Rangers need to capitalise on Celtic failures
Celtic are in their weakest position in years, with several key players departing and not being replaced properly.
Rangers have had a better window, with Bojan Miovski a better signing than Kelechi Iheanacho, but are yet to perform well under Martin, and could still be set for another disappointing season.
If Celtic limp towards a league title despite their mess at the top, it would be a monumental failure from Rangers not to capitalise on their struggles to overtake them, in a year where new ownership should have inspired significant improvement.
There is still plenty of time to turn things around.
Sign up for the Ibrox News WhatsApp channel and turn on notifications to have all the latest, breaking Rangers news sent straight to your phone.