This afternoon, even the most delusional, the most bitter and twisted amongst the Ibrox club’s fanbase can clearly see what many of us have recognised since pre-season. Although we may not have strengthened the squad as much as we would have liked, this Celtic team looks immeasurably stronger. It appears entirely different in its approach, determination, speed, and fluidity of movement and thought.
Listening to Kris Boyd after the match yesterday was revealing. For once, we’re not going to bestow upon him the title of village idiot, because, on Sky Sports, amid his obvious anger and frustration at having to endure an almost effortless Celtic victory, he did something I haven’t seen in quite some time. The bombast was gone; the artifice was stripped away. You saw the real, raw Boyd – a man who understood exactly what he had witnessed and what its implications were, and who didn’t like any of it one bit. He allowed his raw emotions to pour out.
His acknowledgement that the two clubs are miles apart in every area, both on and off the field, is nothing but fact. And for once, we saw a broadcaster with pro-Ibrox leanings make no effort to sugarcoat, gloss over, or obfuscate what was right in front of him.
We saw an honest, pained assessment of where the two clubs stand in relation to one another, but also of where his club is on its own.
I found little to disagree with. Boyd understands that the gap is vast and that it will take more than money to bridge it. The desperation in his voice, and the fear beneath every word, came from the knowledge that the thing they need most is the one thing they have the least of right now: time. Philippe Clement won’t get time.
The Ibrox boss talks about building a team, marshalling his forces, and evolving from the squad he has now to the one he wants. But Boyd isn’t interested in that, and he knows the Ibrox fans aren’t interested either. He’s questioning both the present and the future, and he doesn’t like the answers.
I thought his assessment of their team’s standing in relation to the rest of the league was as accurate as I’ve ever heard from him.
Among the most insightful things he’s ever said was that they currently don’t look better than the Aberdeen’s of this world – and they don’t. One thing I’ve long argued on this blog is that if you strip away all the years of financial doping, they would be on a par with Aberdeen. They are on that level in terms of finances, spending capacity, and almost every other operational aspect. Without director loans and years of financial manipulation, they would be a shattered institution, almost on its knees, perennially locked in a battle for third place.
For once, I’ve heard this come out of a broadcaster’s mouth, and I’m amazed that the broadcaster who finally said it is this guy – the man we’ve mocked so relentlessly, who always seems to be searching for some angle to cling to, some hope to spin from nothing. But there was none of that yesterday. He just sat there and told it straight.
What interested me most was when he talked about how they should stop thinking about Celtic for a while. Again, that’s a mantra we’ve been pushing for a long time. What’s in the best interests of that club over there is simply to stop looking across the fence at us and to become the best they can be on their own terms.
But it’s nearly impossible. They are judged, in no small part, by what we do. And when we are this far in front, everything they see and do is viewed through that prism. Boyd identified the crucial element in any improvement they might make: to stop worrying about Celtic, to fight on their own terms, to focus on the teams around them, and to be the best amongst them right now. In short, to accept that second place is as good as it gets at the moment.
Even as he says these words – and even though we know they are sensible words that represent reality and their only real hope of closing the gap – he knows, and we know, that it won’t happen that way. Because he knows, and we know, that a fanbase brought up to believe that winning is its entitlement will never settle for second place. Even if it’s in the long-term interest of the club, even if it’s the only way to muster enough strength to mount any sort of challenge for first place.
You’re asking a fanbase which, against all evidence, believes it represents the biggest club in the country. You’re asking a fanbase which, against all evidence, believed they had an opportunity to push on after winning the “Covid title” and dominate Scottish football. This is sheer nonsense, and it has been demonstrated time and again that it was a one-off and did not represent a realignment of the game. Yet Boyd was still pushing that fiction – the only part of his interview where he clung to an obviously discredited narrative as if it were real.
It’s precisely because of this belief that they continue to flounder and cling to fantasies instead of dealing with the reality they are in. It’s because they cannot deal with that reality – and because Boyd himself struggles to face that reality – that it will be nearly impossible for them to make the shift in mindset he is talking about, where they focus only on being the best team they can be, without worrying about catching Celtic or winning trophies for a while.
But at least now, the words have been spoken out loud by the most unlikely source imaginable. It represents a at least an effort to grapple with hard truths that have eluded that club so far. It might signal a shift in mindset, although not enough of one to turn words into deeds. But for today, they know who we are, and they know who they are. In short, they know their place, their limitations, and, after a long period of denial, they must now acknowledge the size of the gap.
When your rivals achieve a statement win over you, that will shake things up a bit.
For every 1 piegub(boyd) there’s 10 more of the delusional head melters out there pushing garbage,,about how well they played for 10mins,,,as long as that’s being pushed they’ll cling to it(hopefully) and they will die the same way as the old club did
They don’t believe they died,they are not going to believe second is their best right now
The big plus yesterday James, was the strength of our bench.
I was somewhat taken aback by Boyd’s comments. I didn’t think he had it in him to see reality and admit what he saw. When they were on top they reveled in the mantra “2nd is nothing.” They had suffered under Stein’s supremacy his regular use of that phrase, so they enjoyed their time on top. Now they struggle to admit they are 2nd, i.e. Nothing. In the same way Manneken Pis was suggesting that sevco’s EL draw was a “Champions’ League” draw. Whereas the reality is that they have been drawn against clubs who today, are not nearly as good as they once were, which is why they are in the Europa League. Their current form is not good enough for them to be in the top competition. A good few of them will back at the top table long before sevco.
Much better if they all stay in denial, which is the most likely outcome.
I honestly don’t see them as competition anymore they seem to be regressing.
Kojak won’t be in charge come their next game,he ain’t surviving that backlash from yesterday he will be gone before they take on Dundee United.
The players bottle has totally collapsed,the fear puy into them yesterday coming off that bus and out of the stadium they won’t want to be there,the place is TOXIC.
In the pub I was in last night there was a few of them (Sevco fans, not Sevco Huns) and a few of us and most were honest enough to accept the reality that they’d got a proper doing fair n’ square…
There was the usual begging and praying for ‘investment’ from a sugar daddy and I tried to explain to them that investments were to grow money, and I bitched about ma bank cutting the interest rates not that I’ve got much in (I enjoy ma life and spending and don’t wanna be the richest guy in the graveyard for sure) – But they still didn’t seem to get it that because I’ve a wee tad there I get a wee tad interest which a football club losing millions year on year certainly aren’t for sure…
Then there was another one – He’s never been to even one game ever, nor been seen in their Strip ever – But is a blowhard when they’re winning (which thankfully isn’t often in their 12 years and 35 days) who says they’ll get better as the season goes on and we’ll get worse (he quoted last season) I subsequently quoted the end results and told him that I’m still basking and glowing that we have every single record going in Scottish Football…
Took out the pocket sized screenshots of the headlines and pictures in The Rancid Record, The Scottish Sun, The Evening Times and The Herald from June 2012 when The Excise finally killed ‘Rangers’ off but I didn’t need to flash them in any faces as concrete evidence last night…
While I detest The Scummy Scottish Football Media and never tire of saying it, these headlines and pictures from 2012 have furnished me with a helluva powerful and potent weapon to use as evidence against any pathological survival lie Sevco fan perpetrators !
Remember auld dopey Heevins giving sevco now have a proper manager they even a Propper player,so how come it’s all gone wrong?
It was only a couple of years back that the THICKO(aka Tom Engliish) separated at birth from Kris Biyd was bragging about sevco having a different team for each of the 4 competitions the SPFL,the Scottish Cup,the League Cup and Champions league.
So just what happened to those 4 teams they had in their squad.
BBC radio shortbread must have a delight to listen to yesterday,no doubt its been took down from their website so we can’t gloat listening to it.
It probably sounded like it was being broadcast from a funeral parlour,going by the atmosphere.
Souness doesn’t agree going by his comments on TalkShite this morning
What was the arrogant ex Hearts supporting turncoat to Sevco (Souness) saying Kevin !
Saying there’s still nothing between the teams and how last seasons games were all close. Spoke about the money we made on transfers and said if someone gave sevco £50 million pounds it would be a different story. Twat
Thanks Kevin for info !
Aye the good old clarion call and begging bowl out again then…
Just like their fans, the Calvinistic tramp makes sure that he doesn’t put one halfpenny of his own towards the SPFL Premier League’s only pauper football club !
It must be statement o’clock time coming up,maybe a severe dig at the SFA to distract away from the SCUDDING at the weekend.
What I think is the unspoken hurtful truth that Boyd didn’t want to mention and is probably driving his current short term stepping back from the challenge notion is that they that have any sense hidden behind their mask of gallessness don’t dare say what it that they’re really worried about even though it’s a wee way away; and that is how quickly we get to the 60 and TIAR.
I really enjoyed looking at the strength of our bench yesterday. We can argue all day long amongst ourselves about whether it is of improved or of sufficient CL quality or that it could have been even stronger but it is definitely stronger in depth and quality than the last few years. These bhoys would not lose 3-0 at the midden like they did yesterday or like Ange’s team did, the point I think that AP realised there little if any further support coming from the board and that his tea wiz oot. Persuading this board through a superior management example to part wi somewhere near the appropriate money to develop the squad is if anything, and there has been many, I think been Brendan’s greatest achievement
Hachet-face Rae for manager!