ian1964 10,448 Posted March 16, 2009 Share Posted March 16, 2009 Lindsay Herron reports from Hampden WALTER SMITH insists his players can recover from losing the Co-operative Insurance Cup Final and focus on bringing the Championship back to Ibrox. The Rangers manager and his players were obviously bitterly disappointed to lose out at Hampden when a Darren O'Dea header and then a late Aiden McGeady penalty gave Celtic a 2-0 win in extra time. Sasa Papac and Andreas HinkelHowever, he believes that the squad can be galvanised in the coming week as they get ready for Hearts next Saturday and the final 10 SPL matches of the season. Smith said: "We will have to get the players back up and get ready for the run-in to the Championship. "Of course we can bounce back from this. "There was not much between the teams. That was said before the match by both myself and Gordon Strachan and that's the way it turned out. "There were not a great deal of opportunities for either set of strikers and as the game was going on it looked as though maybe a set piece could be the way that one of the sides would get a goal. "Unfortunately for us we gave it up in the first minute of extra time and it never really gave us a chance to get started in the additional period. "So therefore it is disappointing to lose in that manner. "You are always disappointed to lose a goal from a set play."Steven Davis and Aiden McGeady Chances were few in the game. Artur Boruc had to make good saves from Kyle Lafferty and Nacho Novo while Allan McGregor blocked efforts from Scott Brown and Georgios Samaras. However, O'Dea headed home Shunsuke Nakamura's free kick in the first minute of extra time and Rangers found it hard to recover. The game was effectively lost when in added time in extra time Kirk Broadfoot was sent off for a last-man challenge on McGeady who scored with the penalty. Smith added: "You can't criticise the players. I felt they worked very hard in the game. "There was maybe a bit of nervousness in the players in the early part of the game but after that they put a lot into the game and there was not a lot to show for it. "You are always disappointed to lose a final especially in a final like today's when there was so little between the teams. "If you are beaten when the other side is better then that's different but I didn't feel there was much between the two sides and that's what makes it so disappointing." 0 Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Norris Cole 0 Posted March 16, 2009 Share Posted March 16, 2009 Fukk off Smith. 0 Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
craig 5,199 Posted March 16, 2009 Share Posted March 16, 2009 I will say again, I am not a Smith hater - but I am sick to death of the number of times he says "there was not much between the teams". Why am I sick of it ? Because he is actually RIGHT in that there was not much between the teams. But why am I sick of him continually stating that ? Simple, because this is the worst Celtic team in a decade, if not a whole lot longer !! So effectively Walter Smith is saying "they are pish, but so are we". Walter, FFS, can you not realise that what you should be doing is putting this piss-poor Celtic team to the sword and showing them that they are utter, utter pish ? This is the same Celtic team that lost last weekend to St Mirren FFS - and they never looked like even getting close to scoring. Yet here we are, defeated by a team who were "not much better" than us. Smith, Celtic are SHITE and your statements show that you are happy to be "close" to a shite team. Sorry but it most definitely is time for Walter Smith to GO. 0 Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gazza_8 233 Posted March 16, 2009 Share Posted March 16, 2009 I say maybe we won't recover! 0 Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
maineflyer 0 Posted March 16, 2009 Share Posted March 16, 2009 Fukk off Smith. No credible manager would appear in the rags the day after he'd failed so badly and spout that nauseating pish. Does he honestly believe nothing has changed and it's business as usual? Can he possibly think we are that gullible? He's finished. I predicted when he came back that he would leave with his reputation in tatters. It is. 0 Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
johnnyk 158 Posted March 16, 2009 Share Posted March 16, 2009 If he wins the Scottish cup I actually think and fear he may well be here next season again, god help us!! 0 Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gers4Life 0 Posted March 16, 2009 Share Posted March 16, 2009 We need to recover, but I feel another defeat is not far away and should we get to the split and still be near Celtic or above them,then surely he must throw everything at them?but knowing smith he will set us out to avoid defeat and we all know what happened at the last old firm game at ibrox, another point here, this Celtic team were defeated by at mirren and yet they beat us FFS smith!!!! 0 Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Norris Cole 0 Posted March 16, 2009 Share Posted March 16, 2009 If he wins the Scottish cup I actually think and fear he may well be here next season again, god help us!! The anti-Smith sentiment currently being aired on internet messageboards will soon be vented directly towards Smith from the stands if he is here next season. I can almost guarantee that. 0 Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
johnnyk 158 Posted March 16, 2009 Share Posted March 16, 2009 The anti-Smith sentiment currently being aired on internet messageboards will soon be vented directly towards Smith from the stands if he is here next season. I can almost guarantee that. i agree with that..... he should've left at the end of last season m8, but we don't seem to have any ambition anymore within our club....... 0 Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Norris Cole 0 Posted March 16, 2009 Share Posted March 16, 2009 we don't seem to have any ambition anymore within our club....... I can cope with being shite, I can cope with not winning the league, but for Rangers as a club to have such a lack of ambition that they have now is completely unforgivable. 0 Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
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