The two watershed moments that have turned Rangers and Celtic's season
Lisa Gray, Chief Scottish Football Writer at the Press Association, writes exclusively for The Away End, and points to where this season's title race may well have been won and lost.Remember, remember the 5th of November? Hardy souls gathered in Glasgow Green for the annual pyrotechnics display to mark Bonfire Night and, elsewhere in the city, Rangers served up a cracker of their own when victory over Dundee United saw them open up an incredible 15-point lead at the summit of the SPL. Hard to believe now but, not so long ago, the champions' form was lighting
up the title race in the same way those fireworks lit up a black, winter's night. Ally McCoist's men appeared to be an unstoppable, invincible force hurtling towards a fourth successive championship.
up the title race in the same way those fireworks lit up a black, winter's night. Ally McCoist's men appeared to be an unstoppable, invincible force hurtling towards a fourth successive championship.
Then, just like the biggest, brightest firework, that title charge began to fizzle out. Within weeks, Rangers would mark the end of 2011 with a whimper, while Celtic celebrated with a bang. The trailblazers had become the trailers.
So why did it all go wrong for Rangers and where did it all go right for Celtic? In a nutshell: Steven Naismith and Kilmarnock.
Saturday, 29th October, Pittodrie. Naismith collapsed to the turf clutching his knee and one look at McCoist's face said it all. The player was in trouble and the inevitable was soon confirmed: out for the season with cruciate ligament damage. What wasn't quite so obvious in that moment was that Rangers were also in serious trouble.
There are those who will argue that football is a team game, that championships are not won and lost by individual players. McCoist, himself, has stated on a number of occasions that Naismith's absence simply provides the opportunity for others to stake a claim.
But it's hard to argue with the facts. With Naismith, Rangers clocked up 11 league wins, two draws and zero defeats in the early part of the season. Without him, they have managed five wins, one draw and, most worryingly, three defeats - including the loss at Celtic Park last month that finally saw them surrender top spot in the table.
Naismith, of course, was already resigned to months of rehab on the day Rangers celebrated moving 15 points clear but the full effects of his loss had simply not hit home yet. Since then, it has become all too apparent that the spark provided by such an instrumental player is still missing and the likes of Gregg Wylde, Sone Aluko and the now stricken Kyle Lafferty haven't quite been able to bring it back yet.Saturday, 15th October, Rugby Park. Celtic experienced their own watershed moment for the campaign. Defeats to St Johnstone, Rangers and, most recently, Hearts, meant the pressure was already weighing heavy on the shoulders of Neil Lennon as they made the trip to Ayrshire - and events were about to take a turn for the worse. The Hoops were in disarray as Kilmarnock raced to an astonishing three-goal interval lead. Around the country, comparisons were being made with the 4-0 rout by St Mirren that had ultimately spelled the end of Tony Mowbray's tenure as Celtic boss.
Then something quite remarkable happened. Lennon produced the half-time team-talk of his life, challenging his players to "find the belief, the will and the guts" to get something out of the game. And that's exactly what they did. Three goals in six minutes rescued a point and saved a season. It was a comeback even Take That would have been proud of. Other than a draw against Hibs, Celtic have not looked back since, notching up 11 victories in the SPL to move into pole position.
As the Old Firm rivals prepare to return to league business this weekend after seeing off Arbroath and Peterhead in the Scottish Cup, both clubs continue to face their own challenges.
While Celtic are coming to terms with the news that Beram Kayal's season is over, Rangers face a battle to keep top goalscorer Nikica Jelavic at Ibrox beyond January, while financial issues persist with the announcement that trading on their shares has been suspended because of failure to submit
audited accounts.
audited accounts.
As for what happens next in the title race? Like the famous Old Firm derby, only a fool would attempt to predict the outcome.
Comments
Now Celtic have lost Kayal, not the end of the world as celtic have (as any fool can see) much more depth to their squad.
This is the point that you seem to be missing in your article.
Oh! and I will predict how things will work out...., Celtic by a country mile.
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