By Alistair Aird
When we don the slippers and puff on the pipe in our armchairs in a few years from now, we won’t look back with any semblance of fondness on season 2024/25. It is a campaign that will belong firmly in the cataclysm alongside seasons like 1979/80, 1985/86, 2003/04 and 2005/06. The latter featured a sequence of nine games without a win, but even that was gazumped in the current campaign by an unprecedented run of five straight home defeats. Indeed, prior to this match, the last time Rangers had won a match at Ibrox was against Ross County on 2 February.
The season has also featured dreadful away form and defeat at home in the Scottish Cup against lower league opposition for the first time in our history. And today offered the current squad a crack at another record too.
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Since the inception of the Premier Division in 1975, Rangers have never won three Old Firm league games and not won the title. Indeed, they have only twice boasted a better head-to-head Old Firm in those 25 campaigns.
The first of them was in season 1997/98 – two wins at Ibrox, a draw at Parkhead that featured a late equalizer from Alan Stubbs and a 2-0 defeat at New Year – and the second came almost 20 years ago. In season 2006/07, we lost 2-0 at Parkhead – the infamous match in which Kenny Miller celebrated his goal and pumped the Celtic badge on his chest – and drew 1-1 at Ibrox thanks to a late Brahim Hemdani goal. And after Walter came back to rescue Rangers, Ugo Ehiogu scored an overhead kick to secure a 1-0 win at Parkhead before Kris Boyd and Charlie Adam sealed a 2-0 win at Ibrox in May.
Aside from the first encounter at Parkhead, this season’s Old Firm games have been among the rare shining lights in the gloom. At New Year, no one gave Rangers much hope as we came into the game off the back of defeat in Paisley and a draw at Fir Park. But captained by Nico Raskin, goals from Hagi, Propper and Danilo sealed an emphatic 3-0 win. And fast forward to 16 March, Hamza Igamane scored late to secure a tremendous 3-2 win, our first at their place since the 55 season.
When the team lines were handed in 75 minutes ahead of the high noon kick off, there was a return to the starting XI for Nedim Bajrami. The Albanian hasn’t set the heather ablaze during his debut season at Ibrox, but he must get credit where it is due as he nullified the threat of Callum McGregor in the League Cup Final and at Ibrox in January.
Bajrami was joined in midfield by Player of the Year Nico Raskin, Connor Barron and Mo Diomande, and Leon Balogun, who broke his cheekbone in Bilbao, was at the heart of the defence wearing a mask that Zorro would have been proud of.
With change afoot in the summer, this was likely to be Barry Ferguson’s second and last Old Firm game as Rangers manager. It was contested on the 23rd anniversary of Ferguson’s finest hour in a Rangers jersey, the magnificent 3-2 win in the 2002 Scottish Cup Final. A similar scoreline and dramatic conclusion would at least give the crumbiest crumb of comfort for the Rangers support.
Although the spring sun was trying to shine through the puffy white clouds, there was a chill in the air as the teams emerged. But that soon dissipated as both sets of fans welcomed their respective teams to the arena. The atmosphere was white hot.
This was the first time fans of the other mob had been inside Ibrox since Aaron Ramsey opened the scoring in a 2-1 defeat in April 2022. Although they came intent on rubbing noses in their success, there is no doubt that the absence of away fans has taken something away from the spectacle of this ancient rivalry. And whether it was perceived as a ‘dead rubber’ or otherwise, there is very little that can provide the stimulus you get when you score and net a victory when you have interlopers in your house.
Flares were let off as the teams lined up creating a malodorous miasma. In fairness, it wasn’t a surprise as odour and the other mob are inextricably linked.
Raskin got the ball rolling two minutes after the allotted 12pm kick off. And Rangers were on the front foot from the off, Bajrami forcing a corner inside the opening 60 seconds. From Tavernier’s flag kick, Balogun rose and powered in a header the kissed the top of the crossbar. It was matter of inches from being the most perfect of starts.
The forward forays towards the Broomloan Stand continued. A deep Tavernier free kick was hacked away. But back came Celtic and after seven minutes, they forced their first corner. Balogun did well to clear the delivery from Engels, and the veteran Nigerian intervened again shortly afterwards, his outstreached leg thwarting Forrest.
It was then the turn of Rangers to break and when Raskin picked out Cerny, the Czech’s shot was deflected, forcing Sinisalo to tip the ball over the bar. And in the action that followed, Raskin had a header that the Celtic goalkeeper dived to hold.
After a frenzied 15 minutes, the stats showed that Rangers were in the ascendancy. They had created one big chance and had had three shots at goal. The other mob had yet to register anything of note in and around Liam Kelly’s goal. And when they eventually did set their sights, a lunging Souttar blocked the shot from Idah.
Souttar had to step in again after some hesitancy in the Rangers defence and Kelly had to emerge to halt Maeda. The raised flag of the assistant referee rendered that a moot point though.
The Rangers centre back was being relied upon a little too much at this juncture. He had to knock the ball away after Forrest’s low cross threatened to create an opening and after a promising opening gambit, Rangers had lost their rhythm. But suddenly the tide seemed to have turned back in their favour in emphatic fashion.
Tavernier’s free kick was inch perfect, picking out Raskin whose firm header eluded the gloves of Sinisalo. The inevitable VAR check followed, though, and the goal was ruled out for offside.
The pace of the game didn’t relent and after 31 minutes, Rangers forced another corner. Tavernier took it but Carter-Vickers cleared emphatically. Play swung to the other end and Celtic won a corner of their own. Carter-Vickers rose again to meet the delivery from Engels and Kelly had to stretch every sinew to tip his header onto the crossbar. Bajrami then fizzed a ball across the box looking for Dessers, but Sinisalo slid out to intercept.
Connor Barron had had an impressive match. Boasting 100% passing accuracy, he hustled and bustled and scurried around. Possession had only been surrendered once. Two tackles and two interceptions had been made. He has a topsy turvy first season as a Rangers player but he couldn’t be faulted for his display in the opening 45 minutes.
As half time approached, Souttar sent a header wide of the far post and Cerny wastefully curled the ball high and wide when well placed to execute a cross.
Two minutes from the interval, Kelly did superbly well to stop Idah breaking the deadlock. It was a timely intervention as moments later, Rangers were up the other end, and their number nine did what his opposite number couldn’t. Dessers, the much-maligned Dessers, danced his way into a shooting position and fired a left foot shot into the net.
Love him or loathe him, his numbers are excellent with this marking his 25th goal in 52 appearances this season. Overall, Dessers has 47 goals in 106 appearances in a Rangers shirt, averaging one every 141.2 minutes. There is no compelling argument for him being the first-choice striker – he’s too ragged for that – but there is no doubt he can add value to the squad going forward as an impact sub or backup.
Celtic forced an early corner after the restart when Ralston’s cross was deflected wide by Jefte. It came to nothing as did Tavernier’s attempts to engineer an opening when he found himself in space on the right-hand side of the box. And Dessers then made a mess of a three-v-two after Raskin had broken up a Celtic attack.
Rangers were probing and poking. Raskin, mightily impressive again, wriggled to the line and forced a corner kick. It came to nothing, but any hope of a follow-up was thwarted when Nick Walsh penalised Tavernier for winning the ball.
Idah had the ball in the net after 57 minutes. Tavernier was caught out by Maeda – for about the umpteenth time in this fixture – and when the ball broke to Idah, he swept it into the net. His initial celebrations were cut short by the offside flag, but after consulting VAR, the goal stood.
Rangers responded and Cerny won a free-kick on the right. Tavernier’s delivery didn’t beat the first man and when the ball landed at Cerny’s feet, he carelessly gave it away. That allowed Celtic to break and although they couldn’t profit, the goal seemed to have put the wind in their sails.
To wrestle back control of the game, Ferguson made his first changes of the afternoon. Off came Bajrami and Cerny and on in their place came Hagi and Igamane. It was a straight swap, with Igamane playing wide right and Hagi assuming the number 10 position.
After 70 minutes, Igamane jinked into a shooting position but tugged his shot from distance across goal and wide. He was then slow to release the ball after Raskin broke forward although in hindsight, the better option for the pass from Raskin was Hagi.
As the game entered its final 15 minutes, both sides looked for a winning goal.
Raskin had a weak header at goal following a long throw from Tavernier and Hagi was wasteful when in a good position to dig out a cross. The effervescent Raskin then buzzed into the box but slashed his shot wide. The Belgian then slipped when he was found at the far post which allowed Sinisalo to make the save. In the ensuing melee, Hagi went down which prompted howls for a penalty kick. It wasn’t forthcoming.
Hagi was hurt in that incident, so he was replaced by Bailey Rice. And just prior to the change, Dessers had a swipe at fresh air when the ball came to him in the box. Our version of Jekyll and Hyde indeed.
Fourth official Kevin Clancy announced there would be seven minutes of additional time. Could we eke out a winner?
Diomande went down injured which would another minute or so. He was replaced by Danilo whose first involvement was to spoon a lovely pass wide to Igamane. That should have created an opportunity, but Jefte’s cross was poor, and the danger was averted.
Tavernier’s free kick, awarded after a tug on Danilo’s jersey, presented another chance to call in the cavalry, but Balogun found himself in an offside position. And the captain was almost punished with the last kick of the ball when he inadvertently played Maeda in on goal. Mercifully for him, Kelly, who once more vindicated the decision to stick by him after Jack Butland was dropped, came out and made the save.
Raskin was announced as Player of the Match – deservedly so – but Rangers were also well served by the imperious Balogun and Connor Barron. Ferguson was complimentary about Barron in his post-match reflections too.
There was a feeling like a damp squib at the end of the game, but that I guess is simply a microcosm of this season. Too often it has been anti-climactic, which is why this group of players will be disbanded in the summer. Once again, they showed at times that they can compete with Celtic and match them. It’s the other games in which points have been frittered away that are the source of much frustration.
Incoming investment will be welcome. That will be spent by a new manager, but Barry Ferguson must be thanked for his contribution in his short tenure. Unfortunately for him, you can only work with the tools you have at your disposal and many of them lost their sharpness a long time ago.