‘Battle of infirm not Old Firm as Celtic & Rangers limp into derby’

Rangers and Celtic’s biggest domestic game of the season, the bunfight at the Not OK Corral of Ibrox on Sunday, is almost unapologetically closer to a meeting of the infirm than a battle of the Old Firm.

Rangers and Celtic have their own unique Newton’s Law, which states that when one is up, the other must be down, but this is not the case. For once, there is harmony. They will not survive, but they will still be in the horrors side by side after their humiliations in Europe this week.

It’s difficult to recall a time when both clubs were simultaneously in such a grim state with their supporters furious and their respective boards under siege.

You could spend the night deliberating whether the outcome was worse, Celtic falling to a team that is 255 places below them in the Uefa club coefficient rankings, or Rangers coming off with their worst ever European performance in Bruges.

It’s probably Celtic’s fault. In the Uefa rankings for Larne and Linfield, Shamrock Rovers, and St. Patrick’s Athletic on Tuesday, Kairat was placed second. Since they lost 5-5 to Artmedia Bratislava 20 years ago, it was their most harrowing failure.

The two gol & soulless games saw Brendan Rodgers’ charge sheet extend throughout Europe. Unarguable, he once more discussed the club’s lack of “agility” in the transfer market on Friday. Of course, his own errors in player evaluation and those of his head of football operations, Paul Tisdale, were not fully exposed.

By finally signing some players in the same manner as someone arrives at the airport after their plane leaves the tarmac, Celtic have handled their disappointment at leaving the Champions League. Why didn’t Marcelo Saracchi and Michel-Ange Balikwisha arrive in the building in time for the Kairat Almaty games?

Kasper Dolberg, a striker for Anderlecht and Denmark, and Sebastian Tounekti, a wing for Toulouse, are both rumored to be available. The delayed signing policy, which allows players to arrive in waves after the Champions League’s damage, really adds to the brains.

At the top of the Premiership, Celtic at least has the comfort of a six-point cushion. Both teams are limping into Sunday. They were only required to be half-decent in establishing that lead.

They have been fine, but nothing more. Rangers, in contrast, have been terrible. They have drawn three games, each 1-1, against Motherwell, Dundee, and St Mirren, and they have had some success.

Without a reliable striker but with a point to prove, Celtic could potentially run amok because of how terrible their defense has been. The farrago around Nico Raskin continues, and the Rangers midfield has been a disorganized mess.

On Friday, Martin and Raskin were confronted with a ton of questions regarding their relationship and whether the midfielder would make his Sunday squad. No, it appears to be the solution.

Rudi Garcia announced Raskin’s inclusion in his squad for the upcoming World Cup qualifiers against Kazakhstan and Liechtenstein the day before. Raskin is therefore deemed capable enough to make an international team with honorable mentions from Napoli, Arsenal, AC Milan, Aston Villa, Brugge, and Brighton, but for some reason his face doesn’t fit at Rangers?

The Rangers attack has also had little impact overall. According to Opta’s “big chance” statistics, St. Mirren and Motherwell were matched by Rangers 3-3 on that front, while Dundee and St. Mirren were matched by 1-1 and 4-1 respectively. Miovski needs to alter everything.

Russell Martin, the manager, is requesting more time to fix things, but it might not be enough. You’ll find that the toxicity in the Rangers scene to be unmatched by experienced observers.

The managers have been counted in, they have been counted out again, and their patience has vanished. Martin was a controversial choice in the eyes of many fans, so Martin had to hit the ground running. He has instead fallen to the ground and fallen.

On Sunday, the club’s owners will visit Ibrox. The Rangers’ supporters will undoubtedly take advantage of this as a pre-game message. That message will grow even more vicious if Martin’s team ultimately loses the game. At that point, they will have a nine-point gap with Celtic. After four games? It’s a grisly thought.

The goalkeeper given the hospital pass at a media conference, Jack Butland, a Rangers beacon in the dark, made the speech on Friday. He made the wise decision because he is a rare Rangers player in good form. Outstanding Butland.

The power of sport can surprise you, which is its greatness. Rangers have won four games without losing against Celtic, which is a dominance for the longest time in terms of trophies.

A 3-0 victory was one of those games in January. Despite Celtic’s terrible failure on Tuesday night, few people saw it coming, just as few people saw anything positive happening for Rangers on Sunday.

Butland emphasized the importance of holding themselves accountable and feeling proud of their work. He praised the manager and said the players were with him. When you violate the rules, he said, “The manager can’t control things.”

Although defeat has to hurt, it must be taken on the chin. You must thrust your chest in and move on. It’s always a must-win [against Celtic]! Although we are aware of this, it also provides the best chance to display character or to demonstrate something that most people have doubts about. It’s a chance to put on a show.

It’s about attempting to regain some self-assurance, allowing some people to express themselves and emerge from their shells a little bit more, and trying to rebuild some people’s confidence. Characters and experienced players can raise their voices in the game. That is what we need to do over the weekend.