Sakala Wasn’t Trolling Celtic, He Was Shaming His Club. Even An Ex-Ibrox Captain Knows It.

As The Daily Record scrambles like mad to find other examples of “trash talking” before Glasgow derbies, even someone as intellectually challenged as Barry Ferguson sees the writing on the wall. What Fashion Sakala did the other day was not trash talking. It was unprofessional disrespect, and he was encouraged to do by people at his club.

Everyone knows this, and everyone knows how counter-productive it was.

Nobody believes that came off the top of his own head, so somebody, doubtless desiring to play to the Goons Gallery as much as possible, put him up to it and damn the consequences.

Ferguson knows that as well, which is why he said these things have a habit of coming back to haunt folk.

Celtic sites were pretty scornful of his behaviour yesterday, and Ibrox fan sites have had a ball saying that we’ve “taken the bait” or that we’re losing our minds. But Barry Ferguson is a former Ibrox captain. He knows when someone has made a raging clown of themselves whilst representing the club, and it’s him saying this, not us.

“I always respected, always, that went out the window when you crossed the white line but I think you have got to give respect,” he said. “If you are not respectful, nine times out of 10 you are going to get a slap in the face.”

On their forums, some of their fans aren’t best pleased by his comments. There is a general view amongst a lot of them that some of their people are “too friendly” with folks at Celtic and that because they themselves wallow in hatred that everyone at Ibrox should do the same, and clearly for some at the club that’s the way they want to go.

But I do remember a time when there were standards, some anyway, and a sort of mutual respect between the players and the management team. Hearing Sakala caustically refer to us yesterday in that derisive manner they seem a long time ago.

Yet that only reflects badly on one club, not on both.

And if you want to know who said so, look no further than Ferguson himself, who laments it and worries that it will cost them too.