Leaderboard

This was a tough month of matches. December fixtures are horrible at the best of times, but we've also had to play the majority of our games away -- compared to them having the majority at home -- and only dropped 2 points. That's tremendous. We've shown real desire and mental toughness to grind out these results -- and we've actually played some good stuff in there too. We need to come back after the break better than we did last year; kick on and make a statement of intent. Kris Boyd said 4 our of the next 5 are at home, so we must take advantage of that.

Last August I wrote a thread outline called “The Weight of Expectation” that Frankie turned into a Gersnet article. In that I tried to sum up my thoughts about Stephen Gerrard becoming manager of Rangers, his motivations for doing so and where it could ultimately lead us. I thank Frankie for spreading that further than I intended and for everyone who commented on and responded to what I wrote. One paragraph stood out for me when I sat down to write it and I want to reflect on that now after today’s 2-1 win against Celtic in the last Old Firm game of this decade. This is it: “For the first time since Walter was manager I feel like we have someone at the helm who understands tactics and has a vision beyond the next crisis. For the first time since Souness arrived in 1986 I feel like we have a manager who feels comfortable with the grandeur of Ibrox and the history of the Rangers that the building embodies to us all. McCoist, Warburton, Pedro and Murty all looked too small for the Rangers manager’s suit, the arto deco furnishings made them look uncomfortable and somehow less. But from the day he walked in Gerrard looked like, not only was he comfortable with it, he understood the importance, he intuitively knew what a big cub expected and what its manager must be.” Nothing that Gerrard has done over the last 15 months has done anything to shake that impression. Last season was ultimately unsuccessful and we fell short in the league and in both cups. The chasm between us and Celtic that existed when Gerrard took over was too great to bridge in a single season and while all of us would have sorely loved an instant title to wipe the smug smiles off the faces of Lennon, Brown and all the others across the city, it was too much to realistically ask. Gerrard’s inexperience as a top-flight manager and his tactical inflexibility were exposed at critical times but he delivered two vitally important league victories to end a terrible barren run against Celtic and he planted the seeds of what we saw on show in today’s game. I think most would agree that this season Stephen Gerrard has put an extra level of determination and a steely edge to grind out results when they really matter into his players that was not there before. That steely edge extends beyond the dressing room into the wider sphere beyond. What passes for a media in Scotland are in awe of Gerrard because of the peaks he ascended as a player but loath him because he is Rangers manager in equal measure. They just can’t help themselves. I love the fact that he is taking a stand and calling out some of the ridiculous decisions that have gone against Rangers; pointing out how ludicrous they are and asking the assembled hacks how they would justify them. Gerrard probably wasn’t expecting the degree of hostility from the media that he and his players have received but he hasn’t let it affect him in the way that it crushed his predecessors. But the thing I love most about him and the thing that fans of other clubs probably most dislike about him is the way he understands and communicates with us, the supporters. I said above that from the minute he walked through the door Gerrard intuitively understood what and who he was dealing with. As Liverpool captain and a Liverpool supporter in a period where Liverpool couldn’t win the league title they desperately craved and as a man seeking redemption for a mistake that snatched away a chance at a title Gerrard could instinctively see and empathise with our pain, our frustration and our desire. Now you can argue that Ally McCoist as a Rangers legend had the same empathy but he wasn’t able to communicate it and transmit it in the same way that Gerrard has. That’s what makes him the leader he was at Liverpool and he is now to Rangers. Look at his reaction to today’s win. In those few seconds of undiluted joy when he screamed into the TV camera at the end of the game he wasn’t just Stephen Gerrard. He was every single one of us. I bet everyone watching that felt something and saw themselves in that instant. It was spectacular in its intensity and unexpected but all the more powerful for it. The mask of dignity that Gerrard usually wears so well fell away completely for a second and he was a fan, he was one of us. You would expect it if that victory was Liverpool's but it wasn't them it was Rangers and it is a measure of how much he has invested in our club and its supporters. His words tonight when he had calmed down and was being interviewed about his reaction to the win are worth repeating: “I’m not going to apologise for that. This means a lot to me. I came here for a reason because I want these players to be successful. I want this club to be successful and I want the supporters to be successful. That’s what it means to me. That’s what myself and my staff are putting into this job. We’re living it. And we’re doing everything we can.” “These fans have been through enough, and they’ve been through enough in this stadium. Tonight should be all about them. And I’m going away tonight smiling inside, for them.” Those words inspire me and make me feel proud of my club and connected to my team and manager in a way that feels different to anything I’ve felt before as a supporter. It’s not logical or something I can rationalise but that’s the way it feels. I hope today’s result is a massive turning point for Rangers. From miles behind 18 months ago we have shown Celtic we can beat them at the Piggery. We should have won the League Cup but for inspired goalkeeping, incompetent refereeing and huge slices of luck that handed them the win. Last season Gerrard and his players gave me a hope that change was going to come but ultimately that hope couldn’t be sustained. This season we are stronger and hungrier than them. There is a fear in Celtic that wasn’t there before and I hope it’s enough to take us to the title. Stephen Gerrard is special. We took a gamble on him and he took one on us but it is paying off and he is reinventing what it means to be manager of Rangers for me. The weight of expectation still hangs heavy around Ibrox and the media would love to see us fail again. They have become so used to kicking us they can't perceive of a time when Rangers are back on top and the look on their faces when 55 comes will be all the sweeter for all the lies and hatred they have thrown at us. Time will tell just how phoenix-like Gerrard’s Rangers will be but by goodness it’s been an incredible transformation so far and hopefully a title for him and for us is close at hand. I don't think Gerrard expected this himself and is probably surprised by it. Liverpool will always be his true love and it’s not unfair to say that his ultimate redemption must lie there somewhere in the future. Rangers could have simply been seen as his first real job before carving out a CV elsewhere but you sense now that it holds something more for him than he expected. This rebuilding of Rangers fits perfectly with the arc he wants to follow and he can achieve glory and learn the skills he needs for his ultimate test in a place where it doesn't hurt Liverpool (Champions League ties notwithstanding - we can dream..). So much for logic but there is heart as well and Gerrard's heart is now bound with Rangers and the club's revival in a way nobody could have foreseen. He gets and understands us as supporters. He gets and understands what our club is. He is proud to be our manager and utterly unapologetic for it, as so many in the media would somehow want him to be. He isn't going to play their game. He's playing his game and that means making us the best. He was never a Ranger as a player but boy does he exemplify everything I would want my ultimate Ranger to be. There’s a job still to do and a title to win. Let’s go!

Stewart not even on the bench. But Barker and Ojo, neither of whom I see as better choices in games such as these ... IMHO.

Massive kudos and appreciation to Gerrard and his coaching staff. That was coming and should have come sooner but Celtic had some massive luck today and we could have been on the wrong end of crap refereeing and injustice again. Heads could have gone down and we could have slipped up even more after the Aberdeen game and the League Cup final but they didn't let that happen. They have found a system that works and the players have dug in and ground out the hard results like the one against Killie when it really mattered. We can go into the New Year with some real hope of making it 55 but we have to hit the ground running again much better than we did after the last winter break. Gerrard seems to have learned a pile of lessons from his mistakes last year and let's hope he fixes that as well and we kick on through to the season's end. Loving my team tonight.

Rangers travel to Celtic in the Old Firm derby on Sunday looking for a first Parkhead win since 2010. Sky Sports News reporter Charles Paterson analyses who will strike a winter blow in the title race. New Year is always a special time in Scottish football. It is a chance to pause for reflection and look forward to a well-earned break - but not before a catch-up with the neighbours. On Monday the Scottish Premiership heads into cold storage for three weeks. Celtic and Rangers are bound for warm weather training camps in Dubai but before then they meet one last time in 2019 at Celtic Park on Sunday, with the hosts looking to open an eight-point lead at the top and land a massive psychological blow in the title race. It is not just a new year on the horizon - Rangers supporters will gladly wave goodbye to the decade ending next Tuesday. The club's financial meltdown nearly seven years ago led to years in the wilderness and, as they floundered in the lower divisions, Celtic racked up the silverware. In this decade Rangers have won just once at Celtic Park - in October 2010, when Kenny Miller scored twice in a 3-1 victory. That season Walter Smith's side went on to win the league championship on the final day; Rangers have not won a major trophy since. Their best chance to end that barren run was just a few weeks ago at Hampden Park, but despite dominating the League Cup final Rangers could not find a goal and 10-man Celtic took home the glory. It was a thoroughly dispiriting day for the men in blue, in particular Alfredo Morelos, who passed up numerous chances, including missing a penalty. Fraser Forster was outstanding in goal for Celtic but the Colombian's profligacy was extraordinarily uncharacteristic. Morelos has been sensational for Rangers since his arrival two-and-a-half years ago. With 28 goals in just 34 games this term he is already on the verge of surpassing last season's total of 30. It is a massive return on the minimal outlay to bring him from Finland in 2017, yet in 10 games against Celtic across three seasons he has never scored. Morelos is in the form of his life. There is an argument - which Steven Gerrard dismissed last season, but which is rearing its head once more - that Rangers are overly reliant on him. Jermain Defoe has scored 11 league goals this season but the pair rarely play together; the next highest scorer in the squad is Joe Aribo, with six. Rangers have lost just one domestic game under Gerrard when Morelos has scored - against Kilmarnock on the final day of last season. Sunday represents his latest opportunity to break his Old Firm duck; if he doesn't, his side's chance of victory significantly diminishes. If he does, Rangers may finally lay to rest their Celtic Park hoodoo. This season the home of the champions has been an ominous venue for any visiting side. Celtic's record in their own stadium is outstanding - only one defeat, in a Champions League qualifier to Cluj with a last-minute winner - with 18 victories in all competitions, scoring 59 goals and conceding just 12, four of those to Cluj. "Relentless" is a word Neil Lennon has repeatedly used to describe Celtic's drive for results. Eleven successive league wins since mid-October display an unmatched hunger and steely mentality during a punishing fixture list. Perhaps the most impressive achievement has been to top their Europa League group but their domestic dominance remains absolute. As talismanic as Morelos is for Rangers, so too is Odsonne Edouard for Celtic. His presence as an attacking focal point was sorely missed in the first hour of the League Cup final; once on the pitch, Celtic got a grip on the game as Rangers' threat diminished. Unlike Morelos, Edouard has consistently delivered in the heat of Old Firm battle, scoring five times in the fixture including the opening goal at Ibrox in September. The Frenchman is not a pure goalscorer like the Colombian but offers something Morelos does not: the ability to influence the players around him. When he is on song, James Forrest, Ryan Christie and Callum McGregor thrive around Edouard's link-up play; Celtic's Scottish triumvirate have scored 35 goals between them this season. The striker who prospers on Sunday may well decide the game but Celtic, five points clear, begin the afternoon with the stronger hand. Rangers dare not let the gap stretch any further despite their game in lieu, but the psychological advantage to be gained from a victory before the league pauses is not necessarily clear-cut. A year ago Rangers won this fixture at Ibrox to send the teams into the winter break level on points. They then lost at Kilmarnock upon the league's resumption and drew at home to St Johnstone a few weeks later, while Celtic won eight successive league games to create an insurmountable cushion. Rangers have proven in 2019 they are closer to Celtic, and at times capable of outplaying them, but their only Old Firm win this year came in a largely meaningless match in May. Once again it is Gerrard's team who have the bigger questions to answer on Sunday. Celtic, time and again, have proved to possess a mentality for the big occasion. As they chase nine-in-a-row and a possible quadruple-treble, Lennon will be sure to prime his squad for one last push before the bells toll for 2020. It promises to be a fascinating encounter. Team News Jonny Hayes returns to the Celtic squad for the Premiership clash with Rangers at Parkhead on Sunday. The left-back has recovered from a shoulder injury and is back in contention. Boss Neil Lennon has no fresh injury worries after the 2-1 Boxing Day win over St Mirren, with Mohamed Elyounoussi (foot), Hatem Abd Elhamed (abductor) and Jozo Simunovic (knee) still out alongside Daniel Arzani (knee). Rangers will be at almost full strength for Sunday's Old Firm clash at Celtic Park. Midfielder Steven Davis made his return from a foot injury against Kilmarnock as a late substitute while Jordan Jones was back on the bench after recovering from the knee injury he sustained against Celtic back in September. Only defender Filip Helander (foot) remains out for Steven Gerrard's team. https://www.skysports.com/football/celtic-vs-rangers/411340

VAR is awful. I hope we never see it in Scotland. I have no idea why any football supporter who attends matches would want it.

https://twitter.com/James_Tavernier/status/1211309158231891968 Love this picture!

Agreed. My heart was going like the clappers through out that second half. Going to my brother in laws tonight who is a big Tim. Couldn't be arsed this morning but I'll be skipping over the threshold later tonight!

If this was a boxing match we’d need a KO to get a draw. Unbelievable decisions going against us.

Should ask him why there wasn’t a retake in the final seeing as Forster was off his line ??‍♂️

Me & johnnyk have a £5 each bet on the 2 CB to score at anytime every week, today was a good day, Katic 20/1

Not got a fucking clue what the fuck you are going on about!!!

Turns out your one vision was spot on ????

Has to be Barisic for his assists but Goldson and Davis were equally fantastic. Allan McGregor also a key performer again...

Today was the day we had to take points off them as no-one else looks like doing it....and we did For the first time, many of the green and grey will actually be looking at each other wondering if they are going to let it slip away. Everyone who played and the coaching staff deserve huge praise for that performance today. There was Prso the warrior, now we have Barasic & Katic . By far our most significant win in recent history.

Correct. Bolingoli was on a yellow when he hauled down Morelos.

Absolutely magnificent against 12 men , Clancy was a disgrace , couldn’t wait to book Morelos yet leaves Bolingoli on for a pull back when he hauls Morelos back , give a penalty for a pull but ignores the pull on Aribo , we need to call these decisions out big time .

What a performance - what a win! Despite more disgraceful refereeing, justice is done as Rangers claim our first win at Celtic Park in almost ten years. Fantastic from so many players and even a late red card and bizarre added time didn't stop us getting a well deserved three points.

Can only assume Stewart is injured. Disappointing

A lot of reporting online that Morelos is going to be in trouble for a cut-throat signal to the celtic supporters after being sent off. Fortunately the sportscene commentator has cleared this situation up , and confirmed exactly what i, and most others thought, that it was in fact just an indication by Morelos that the game was over anyway.

I was desperate for that today. Very well done to the team They had to beat 12 men to get there. Quite the worst refereeing performance I've seen in an old firm game. Apart from the red card he got every major call wrong and missed so many things in Celtic's favour. Aribo was fouled twice in the box and Julien should have gone for the last man challenge on Morelos. Outrageous to give that the other way. It is no coincidence that every wrong decision favoured Celtic.

One would hope all of our squad realise, if they stay until the end of the season, they could be part of something very special.

Rangers fans worrying about Morelos being a transfer target, well Barisic will most likely be the centre of transfer activity first!

Had the misfortune to listen in on the Radio for ten minutes today. Tom was very positive about Rangers and seems happy to admit what is happening. Dick Gordon sounded like he was at a funeral.

There was some debate whether today was actually the "last game of the decade" ... and be that as it may, an alternative timescale would have this year as 2772 ab urbe condita, i.e. the foundation of the city (of Rome). Suits me just fine ?

I am sending back my Mark's and Spencer's store card

Saint Michael the Archangel didn't work out for priest Vallon in gangs of New York. Didn't work out for them either. Hail Bill the butcher.

And the wonderful BBC has updated the league table but still shows Celtic 5 points ahead. The pettiness goes on.

I agree but what seems more obvious is that they are learning from their mistakes. There have been bumps along the way but the players are buying into what we are trying to do and adapting better to what's required (as a Rangers player)

We arra peepil

Ecstatic with the win but our club must come out with some sort of statement about the refereeing in that game.

I can’t watch it. I just can’t. Keeping up to date on this as the nerves are X10 when your not there?

Kris Boyd on Sky telling it like it is. “Once again Rangers are undone by poor refereeing decisions”.

I'm at the stage where I expect us to be on the (wrong) decisions going against us, that's why it is harder for us to win these matches. However I do believe we have the beating of them, Kent, Aribo and Jack need to up their game for us to do that though. Boyd just called it out on Sky, ''once again Rangers on the wrong end of a refereeing decision''.

If we didn't have bad luck, we'd have no luck but our decision-making at times has to be better. We've controlled that game for long periods with a well thought out system but trying to be too clever - both in attack and defence - has cost us a few times as we either delay the pass too long or try to make one where it isn't on. That uncertainty has allowed Celtic back into the game and it's been too open for our liking after the penalty. However, to say we were unlucky to concede is an understatement as McGregor's shot his Eduard's hand and deflected in. That after a brilliant penalty save from McGregor and a superb opening goal from us afterwards. All things considered though, we're still in the game and we need to find our positional discipline once more, regain the upper hand and try to create more chances to win. A huge 45mins ahead!

Jack has been poor this game so far. That strange tackle was just one of many poor decisions he's made. Hopefully he gets it together for the second half because we need him.

Keep doing what you've been doing Rangers. You can bloody win this

I’d rather we sent Docherty on loan to Hearts than Shrewsbury in EFL1

He isn’t going to get game time at Rangers. And hivs have sent him back. So where does he go now? myview is he’s too lightweight

We'll end of decade for me and a very good result. Now no difference re goals and two points behind but virtual top due to game in hand. Looking forward with even more optimism. HAPPY 2020 TO ALL NETTERS.

He does his best work in and around the box on tighter pitches against defensive opposition but might have still been a decent option today depending on how the game plays out.

No surprises really with that team but I did think Stewart had shown enough lately to make the bench. In saying that, if we're chasing the game then I think wider players with pace may be a better option on what is a big pitch. It's arguably our best XI so let's get out there and do the business!

Only way to beat them is to take the game to them. FC Cluj did it in the CLQ 2nd leg at the giro dome early in the season where they had to beat them after drawing the first leg 1-1.