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Fear, Loathing At Ibrox: Liverpool Slap The Swagger Out Of The Abject Home Team.

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Let the scribes write what they will about Celtic’s Champions League campaign from Hell; not one of the nights, as disappointing as they have been, comes close to the epic beating Ibrox’s team took tonight from a Liverpool side who aren’t nearly at their best.

They might as well surrender the points in Naples right now, because anything other than another proper doing will be a mercy killing. Celtic fans did not kid themselves about beating the likes of Madrid. Our disappointment comes from knowing we should have done better in Germany and then last night at home. We did not delude ourselves about being an elite club.

For most of the last two months of last season, as we watched incredulously as a side winning seven games in total in Europe got to a final I tried to tell people that it was a consequence of two things; luck and a poverty of genuine Super Clubs at that level. When Ibrox drew three of them in this group I knew it would be brutal for them and all the delusions of grandeur were going to be smashed on the rocks of teams which would consider them cannon fodder.

Tonight should be the low point. Napoli could yet make that look like a Swedish massage. The Ibrox club is reeling tonight in a way Celtic are not. Our fans have responded in a measured way to what happened last night because we’re still a work in progress and didn’t try to convince ourselves that we would march all the way to the final.

Ibrox fans just never listen though. They never comprehend that outside of their bubble is a harsh reality which will not forever be kept at bay. They are an ordinary team, one we swatted aside earlier in the season with measured ease.

The biggest moment tonight, more even than the humiliations heaped on them by the goals, may yet turn out to be the injury to Connor Goldson. Whereas Celtic look as if they could cope with the loss of key players because of our squad depth they are down to the bare bones of theirs, especially at the back. An injury to their best defender could be critical.

They are in big, big trouble and taking a beating like that is demoralising for any group of players. This is our advantage and we simply must press it. They don’t play until Sunday; on Saturday we must go out and smash Hibs aside and re-state our intent.

All over Ibrox is shrouded in fear tonight. Fear that this result will send shockwaves through their club. Fear that it could yet be repeated, and even bested, in Italy by a side who look as if they are capable of going the full way. Fear that their domestic season may yet unravel completely as their squad struggles to cope with the schedule.

The loathing? Go online and read it for yourself. The list of people they hate grows ever longer. It must be exhausting to be them. I’ll never know, and I’m thankful for it.

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  • John Copeland says:

    Steven Thompson on Sportsound at half time said ,Liverpool were definitely there for the taking ! Oops ! At full time Thommo ,MC Cann , McIntyre were on the verge of blubbing into the mics .

  • John says:

    They can still qualify for the EL. If both Ajax and them lose their next game. They just need to thrash Ajax by a better score than they lost in Holland?

    Tall order!

    We could win next week, get 4 points and still fail to qualify.

    That could be one more point than them!

  • Frankie says:

    Well James they have got a record , fastest hat trick in champions league EVER

  • Dora says:

    I know we can’t hit a barn door in Europe but Fk me the rangers really are shite-almost felt sorry for them but at least it wasn’t double figures for the sevs, maybe a full strength Liverpool side could have reached that milestone..

  • bottle green says:

    Motherwell can smell blood . . .

  • harold shand says:

    Tav hiding after the game again,,

  • SSMPM says:

    The rangers 1, Liverpool reserves 7

    At the end of last season, the huns were saying they’re a top team in Europe and now, they’re the new Dundee United (soz utd)

  • Martin says:

    “Plucky Rangers* undone by Goldson injury. Teenager King performs bravely but Liverpool scrape to 7-1 victory, a score which flatters them and doesn’t reflect the tight game” is no doubt the narrative the media will push in Scotland. In truth, 10-1 wouldn’t have been a shock. Had Liverpool turned up for the first 45 minutes it could’ve been even more. Lots of good will come if this, not least the loss of the idea of Ibrox as a fortress. Maybe other teams will try to win there now.

    Whereas Celtic have mainly come undone due to a lack of chance taking and finishing prowess, the Ibrox club have simply used up all their luck and are being dealt the sort of results their crap negative play deserves. And they are suffering from a slew of well trained impartial referees with access to VAR. The poor dears.

    A friend described it as his “worst beating in my lifetime” but I was able to cheer him up by reminding him that sentence should end “so far” because things can always get worse.

  • Martin H. says:

    Could have been the same last week if not for their keeper, the scribes this morning to try and deflect by saying it’s embarrassing for scottish football, no it’s embarrassing for that shit from the other side of the city.

  • Patrick says:

    And their fans claimed united and motherwell were an embarrassment.deserve all they get and once again their bigoted chants are referred to as ibrox rocking by the commentators.embarrassment on both counts.

  • Kevan McKeown says:

    Whit a kick in the hee haws. Remember fuckin balloon jackson referrin tae the ibrox side as ‘European specialists’ just before this campaign started. Never learn humility dae they. Another thing, don’t see anythin in their ‘reports’ on the clowns that ran up tae the top tier tae throw missiles at the Liverpool support, ( who were hemmed in by seats and stewards of course ), after the game. Weird that !

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