History can lead us to victory: Celtic v Rangers Match Preview

[der Berliner 3,234]

Good to see Mr Mundie was forced to change his new club nonsense from earlier.

 

I would still like to see our club take note of this and stop giving press accreditations to trolls like these for some time to come.

Edited September 9, 2016 by der Berliner

[SteveC 150]

............ and missed Little Feat!!!!!!!

 

To be fair, I was corresponding last evening with a few old mates, and we reckon a pint was still under 30 pence in '75. Probably, 27/28p in the Union.

 

Mates with better memories also revealed the six bands in order of appearance that day were : Widowmaker(fronted by the Love Affair's Steve Ellis), the Streetwalkers, the Outlaws, Little Feat, Alex Harvey, and the Who.

 

Yes, I am only admitting to this here due to internet anonymity - it is not a tale I often tell! In my defence I got absolutely blootered and had a rerr old time and never set foot in the midden that day.

[BlackSocksRedTops 3,473]

I for one would keep Kranjcar's passing and O'Halloran's pace for later in the game, same with the Old Fox.

 

Agree with regards to Nico coming on later in the game but for me O'Halloran is a must to start this game. This will be the first game in a long time were the opposition will come at us in numbers and for me an outball and a player with pace could be crucial. If O'Halloran can't find a start in this game, I would start to wonder about the reasons for signing him.

[craig 5,195]

I for one would keep Kranjcar's passing and O'Halloran's pace for later in the game, same with the Old Fox.

 

Agreed dB. I think that playing Kranjcar from the start is a risk. Undoubted though his quality is I think this game would have the tendency to pass him by

[compo 6,109]

Play this game the way Liverpool played in the 70s four at the back four in the middle two up front one with speed the hooped mob will start at 100 mph hit them on the break a second will come as they go mad chasing an equalizer then we can all burst into song , nothing naughty now then take a walk down london road to Bridgeton cross and wet your whistle , enjoy .

[der Berliner 3,234]

No matter what happens at the back, I hope that we take most of the chances we create. Perfect time for Forrester find his right angle, a couple of pile-drivers from Tav and Waggy, plus a tap-in for Garner and a late penalty from Barton (that never was a foul). The cries of anguish will be heard even here.

 

BTW, I have no problem with O'Halloran, but I simply reckon that we will start with Waghorn on the right and either Miller (80 %) or Garner (20 %) in the middle. should we score early, the Yahoos will open up and then it would be time for Kranjcar and O'Halloran to open them up with guile and pace.

[der Berliner 3,234]

One of my e-mail providers (a US one) had this to say ...

 

Old Firm reunited: Celtic, Rangers renew rivalry in Scotland

 

It's a new start for the Old Firm. One of the most iconic fixtures in world football returns on Saturday when Rangers and Celtic, bitter rivals from the Scottish city of Glasgow, meet for the first time in the country's top league in four years.

 

September 09, 2016

 

And it is putting Scottish football back on the map. The two foes, who have a combined 101 top-flight league titles, were temporarily separated when Rangers was demoted to the bottom tier of the Scottish game in 2012 for financial mismanagement. Celtic fans greeted the implosion of their neighbors with derision, with one banner at Celtic Park reading: "You'll Not Be Missed."

 

There's unlikely to be a soccer-loving Glasgow household that isn't tinged with excitement at the renewal of the Celtic-Rangers rivalry. The clubs will also be delighted, too — Celtic chief executive Peter Lawwell has said Rangers' demotion has cost his club 10 million pounds ($13.3 million) a year in revenue.

 

As Rangers scrambled back up the four-division league pyramid, the teams have met twice over the last four years in cup competitions, with each earning one win on neutral territory. Saturday ushers in the start of a new era of the Old Firm in the Scottish Premiership.

 

"The significance to the city must never be forgotten for both sets of fans," Rangers manager Mark Warburton said. "Fans around the world look at this fixture." Expect passion, a hostile atmosphere and plenty of full-blooded tackles inside Celtic Park. And, invariably, fan clashes and violence in and outside the stadium.

 

Matches between the two sides run deeper than football because of the volatile mix of religion, politics and sporting history. Rangers has a traditionally Protestant fan base, while Celtic's supporters are more likely to be Roman Catholics — and it can be a recipe for trouble.

 

There were even calls for the Old Firm fixture to be scrapped after an infamous match in 2011, when three players were sent off, the two managers squared up to each other at the final whistle and 187 fans were detained by police on the day of the game.

 

Both clubs are calling for calm and composure, but the presence of two tenacious midfielders — one Scottish and the other English — going head to head raises the possibility of another heated match five years later.

 

In Celtic's Scott Brown and Rangers' Joey Barton, both teams have hotheads who never take a backward step. Barton, who has nine red cards in his career, arrived from England's Burnley in the offseason and immediately began taunting Brown.

 

"People keep talking about Joey Barton versus Scott Brown," Barton said. "He's not even in my league. He's nowhere near the level of player I am. He can't get near me." For Celtic manager Brendan Rodgers, it will be a first experience of a fixture many say is unlike any other. As a former manager of Liverpool and Swansea, he has sampled derby matches in Merseyside and South Wales and expects the Old Firm derby to be "unique."

 

"I don't think anything will prepare you from watching on the television to actually being there," Rodgers said. "And this time being the first time in the number of years there has been a Celtic-Rangers game at Celtic Park, then of course that is going to add that little bit of spice to it."

 

Another reminder of the old days is the teams' position in the standings. They are the top two in the early days of the season, with Celtic ahead by a point. Some Celtic fans like to wind up their Rangers counterparts, suggesting this is a new inter-city rivalry due to the fact that the "old" Rangers went out of business in 2012 and the current team is the "newco" Rangers.

 

But when the blue of Rangers and the green-and-white jerseys of Celtic run out to the field on Saturday, all the history of the fixture will come flooding back.

 

http://www.mail.com/int/sports/soccer/4593680-firm-reunited-celtic-rangers-renew-rivalry-scotlan.html#.1258-stage-mmm1-1

[ian1964 10,409]

Old Firm predictions: Our writers on how Celtic v Rangers will pan out

 

Matthew Lindsay

 

LIKE so many supporters and pundits in Scottish football, I expect Celtic to win the first Old Firm game of the new season and, what is more, win it comfortably.

 

The Parkhead club's early season form has been good. At times, in fact, it has been outstanding. If they play to the best of their abilities they should prevail. Rangers, meanwhile, have been disappointing. They have drawn two of their opening Ladbrokes Premiership games, against Hamilton and Kilmarnock, and are already behind in the top flight table.

 

But they were written off by all and sundry before the Scottish Cup semi-final at Hampden last season and look how that turned out. If Mark Warburton gets his team selection right and his key players perform they can certainly get a result.

 

Prediction: Celtic 2 Rangers 0

 

Chris Jack

 

Anything can happen in an Old Firm game and, while Celtic are rightly favourites, nobody can be certain they will emerge victorious. Both sides are better in attack than they are defensively so it could be a cracker at Parkhead.

 

Form will mean nothing come kick-off and both managers would take a point at the final whistle.

 

Prediction: Celtic 2 Rangers 2

 

Neil Cameron

 

It is difficult to see Celtic not winning or to put it another way, Rangers will have to score at least once to get a draw.

 

I have never been one to see this match as a 5-0 to Celtic or more, even if I do think they are favourites, but they should win 2-0 at least, more if Leigh Griffiths does play and I personally would start Patrick Roberts who could run riot.

 

Kenny Miller is going to be huge for Rangers, he always is, and that back four will need to be at their best, whatever that best is. Do Rangers have a chance? Of course they do. But it’s a hell of a task for them.

 

Prediction: Celtic 3 Rangers 0

 

Graeme Macpherson

 

“I never make predictions and I never will,” is the quote famously attributed to Gazza. And a motto we should all live by.

 

But if we must, then all signs again point towards a narrow Celtic victory. If Leigh Griffiths plays then it could be more comprehensive but, regardless, it is hard to see beyond a home win given both sides’ recent form and the gulf in resources.

 

Prediction: Celtic 2 Rangers 1

 

Alison McConnell

 

It will be a comfortable victory for Celtic on Saturday afternoon.

 

What Brendan Rodgers has injected into the team is pace and belief - both will contribute to Rangers' downfall. Leigh Griffiths is highly unlikely to make it but with Scott Sinclair, Moussa Dembele, Tom Rogic and James Forrest all chipping in with goals, Celtic should have more than enough.

 

Prediction: Celtic 3 Rangers 0

 

Scott Mullen

 

Many, including this numpty of a writer, predicted Celtic would stroll the last meeting of the two teams back in April.

 

While we were wrong then, it would take an even bigger swing for Celtic not be triumphant here. Even if they do face going into the first Premiership Old Firm game of the season without Leigh Griffiths, the Rangers defence is a recipe for disaster when faced with blistering pace.

 

Just ask Kris Boyd…

 

Prediction: Celtic 3 Rangers 0

 

http://www.eveningtimes.co.uk/sport/14734151.Old_Firm_predictions__Our_writers_on_how_Celtic_v_Rangers_will_pan_out/

[calscot 0]

Wouldn't mind seeing their predictions before the last game...

 

Looks like Graeme Macpherson doesn't get the irony of the Gazza quote... Must be Celtic minded - they don't do irony.

[JFK-1 1,668]

Well as has been mentioned before the predictions of the naysayers are of little relevance to us but are simply applying more pressure on them. If it pans out that way then it's only what they all predicted, they wont get any great praise for it and we wont get any great criticism for it.

 

On the other hand if it all goes pear shaped for them the knives will be out for them and we will be lauded as having pulled off one of the greatest old firm victories. In that respect they can't win and we can't lose. We should thank the press for piling the pressure on them and for placing us in a no lose situation.