The truth is non-negotiable
Steven Gerrard summarised the day, and the immediate future, best when he said “Desire is non-negotiable.”
Steven Gerrard summarised the day, and the immediate future, best when he said “Desire is non-negotiable.”
So is the truth.
Rangers’ win over their greatest rivals was the equivalent of a torch being shone into the corner where Celtic’s problems lie.
The support are deeply divided over who should be the permanent successor to Brendan Rodgers in the manager’s office.
A director of recruitment urgently needs to be found to refurbish a squad that has run out of steam and needs to be stripped of players who have nothing to contribute to the club.
The longed for Ten in a Row will not be achieved unless the right decisions are made now because Sunday at Ibrox suggested there might not be Nine in a Row.
It was bizarre to watch a side who have had another trophy-less season, and couldn’t even make either of the domestic cup finals, leave the field to a standing ovation from inside Ibrox while the one who could have a treble treble by May 25 trudged disconsolately from the pitch.
But it would be delusional to suggest other than Sunday was a watershed moment for Celtic, the signal to re-evaluate and re-structure.
Rangers’ performance was indicative of a team who are a good idea in the making. Another transfer window for Gerrard could move them to their strongest position in a decade.
There is no point in anyone mocking that statement. The Celtic supporters’ time for mocking everything that happens “Across the road” has come to an end.
At the weekend they got what Rangers got for two years of Rodgers’ rule. And the comfortable sense of certainty they were able to feel during that time has now been replaced by a hope that their club’s hierarchy make the right decisions over the coming weeks
There was one angry and agitated Celtic supporter who called Superscoreboard after the final whistle to say he wanted Neil Lennon replaced straight away in the build up to the Scottish Cup final against Hearts.
That will not happen for the simple reason the club would not embarrass and dis-respect someone of Lennon’s stature within the place by doing something as crass as that. But it is equally undeniable he would not get the unanimous, non-negotiable backing of the Celtic support if he went from interim to permanent manager.
It is a difficult one for Dermot Desmond, the principal shareholder and king maker at Celtic, to negotiate.
Lennon chose a bad day to pick the wrong team and employ the wrong tactical formation to begin with against Rangers on Sunday.
The cup final against a less than formidable Hearts team is now a far bigger challenge than it was prior to kick-off at Ibrox.
May 25 would not be the date on which to have a high profile failure on Sunday’s scale.
It was significant that Rangers’ recruitment chief, Mark Allen, was among those to embrace Gerrard on the track at full-time on Sunday. The work they’ve done together might not have resulted in trophy wins this season, but the improvement in Gerrard’s first season is a first step towards the prospect of better days being not far away.
Celtic need decisive action to be taken if their domination of the domestic game is to be maintained.
Lennon’s damning condemnation of his team’s attitude and performance at Ibrox was an honest assessment of the reasons why the club needs self-examination on a grand scale.
He used the words “re-building job.” Lennon used the words, not the despised and dreaded media who are always accused of negativity towards the club.
It was Lennon who said Celtic were “second best.” It was he who used those words, not some imagined group dedicated to denying Celtic credit and fomenting trouble.
Time to wise up. The truth is non-negotiable.
Rangers have stability behind the scenes and have started to build for next season with the signings of Jordan Jones and Jake Hastie.
Celtic’s last transfer window brought loanees in the shape of Oliver Burke, Timothy Weah and Jeremy Toljan. All of whom, and a raft of others, will be gone by the start of next season.
Who decides who’s going and who’s coming in to replace them has yet to be decided.
A hierarchy who have not put a foot wrong in recent years are now in the middle of the dance floor with everyone looking at them.