Celtic fail to turn up in Old Firm title battle

Tuesday, 02 March 2010 16:21

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Celtic's title dreams all but over in rude awakening at Ibrox

By Jamie Milligan

It was supposed to be a battle, a fight to the death between two fiercely competitive sides. But it ended up being more of an onslaught.

Celtic’s title challenge came to an end on Sunday without as much as a whimper of defiance, as Rangers eased to victory in this do or die grudge match.

It was billed as a must win game for the Parkhead club but it was Rangers who took the ascendancy and played as if their season was on the line.

Celtic quite simply failed to show up. The Hoops stirred up a war of words in the media in the build up to the game but it was the war on the pitch that they had to win and they surrendered all too feebly.

The champagne may be on ice, but Mo Edu’s last gasp goal, barring a miracle, has secured a second consecutive title for Rangers.

The Gers are now 10 points clear of their great rivals with the chance to go 13 clear if they see off St Johnstone in the rearranged match which is to be played later this month. And while the Hoops fans can pray, they now need a miracle on par with tuning water into wine.

Refereeing decisions dominated the pre match build up and after a match packed full of controversy, the post match analysis was also all about the men in black.

The now infamous source who leaked information to the media regarding Celtic’s intention to lobby the SPL with a dossier of dodgy refereeing decisions, which they believe has cost them the title, was all that anyone was talking about as kick off approached.

And after 90 minutes where referee Dougie McDonald made a number of debatable decisions against Celtic, the Hoops sense of injustice will have been replaced by anger and bitterness.

The only surprises in both line ups were the inclusions of Robbie Keane, who was thought to be unfit and Walter Smith’s decision to play Allan McGregor, who many thought would be rested after the Rangers number one made the front pages for all the wrong reasons during a traumatic week.

Within minutes of kick off it was clear that Rangers were not going to be content with sitting back and playing for a draw. Twice Kevin Thomson flew into ferocious, yet immaculate challenges on Robbie Keane which let the Irishman know he wasn’t going to have things his own way.

Much was made of Celtic’s young, untried backline prior to the match and they were under examination within four minutes. Kris Boyd burst through the Celtic backline all too easily, rounded Arthur Boruc but lost his composure at the key moment and hit his shot into the side netting. It was an early warning for the young Bhoys and one they seemed to learn from as the match went on.

Referee Dougie McDonald claimed in the media prior to the match that he would not buckle under the pressure of refereeing the Old Firm. But two early yellow cards for Madjid Bougherra and Diomansy Kamara suggested that the whistler was feeling the pressure.

Things were becoming heated and Robbie Keane in particular was given some pretty rough treatment. Keane spent more time on his backside than he did on the ball, courtesy of Madjid Bougherra who committed a series of petty first half fouls on the Irishman.

The next chance of the half fell to Kenny Miller who latched onto a superb through ball from partner Kris Boyd, the Scottish international then raced between Thompson and Rogne but hit his effort straight at Arthur Boruc who punched the ball up in the air before smothering it.

Both sides were forced into unplanned changes before the break as first Lee Mculloch, who was replaced by Mo Edu and then Celtic defender Thomas Rogne, who was replaced by Darren O’Dea, both picked up knocks.

Celtic had been all too pedestrian during the first half and seemed to lack the urgency that their situation required. They finally tested Allan McGregor ten minutes before the break when the ball broke to Robbie Keane whose sweetly struck volley was saved in style by Allan McGregor.

Marco Fortune was next to try his luck, after dancing through two challenges the big Frenchman had only McGregor to beat, but instead of taking his time and picking his spot, the forward rushed his shot and sliced it wide.

The second half exploded into life with an off the ball scrap between Scott Brown and Kyle Lafferty. Both players squared up and Lafferty collapsed to the ground after what appeared to be a head but from Celtic skipper, Brown. Referee, Dougie McDonald didn’t miss a beat and produced a straight red card for Brown almost instantly.

Lafferty is notorious for making the most out of these sort of situations and after viewing a replay, it was clear that the lanky Ulsterman was at it again.

Rangers proceeded to pin Celtic back in their own half, determined to make the most of their numerical advantage.

And they almost did so when Steven Davis broke through on goal. The pint sized Ulsterman was twice denied by a marvellous double save from Boruc. Mo Edu was next to miss for Rangers, when he volleyed over from a Sasa Papac cross.

Celtic simply could not escape their own half and were clearly beginning to buckle under wave after wave of attacks from the home side.

Rangers pressure finally paid off in the most dramatic style. Kevin Thomson whipped in a corner which found its way to Madjid Bougherra, who cleverly cushioned the ball on his chest, evading Ki, before smashing a vicious shot towards Arthur Boruc in the Celtic goal. The big Pole couldn’t hold onto it and dropped the ball and the feet of Kris Boyd, who had two desperate swipes somehow kept out by Boruc before the ball fell to Mo Edu, who gleefully smashed the ball into the back of the net.

Ibrox erupted and Edu raced away, chased by a crowd of delighted team mates who eventually caught up with the American and piled on top of him in celebration.

It was a killer blow to Celtic who looked shell shocked. Less than 30 seconds after Celtic had restarted the match Dougie McDonald blew his whistle to signal the end of the match.

The euphoric reactions among the Rangers team, as well as the look of dejection on the faces of the Celtic players, showed just how important this result was.

Celtic will no doubt feel hard done by after being the victims of yet more questionable refereeing, but the truth is, they simply failed to show up. And whereas many will blame conspiracy theories for the team’s failures, the only ones to blame are the team themselves.
　

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