GLASGOW, SCOTLAND - FEBRUARY 25: Celtic's Daizen Maeda scores to make it 1-0 during a William Hill Premiership match between Celtic and Aberdeen at Celtic Park, on February 25, 2025, in Glasgow, Scotland. (Photo by Alan Harvey/SNS Group via Getty Images)
A quarter of an hour into last night’s game at Rugby Park, I thought we were going to witness something extraordinary.
I thought we were about to see an Ibrox manager have a full-blown meltdown on the touchline. Little Barry’s face was contorted with rage—rage at his team, rage at life, rage at himself for ever being stupid enough to take on such a job. By full-time, he was being hailed as a hero. His side was being praised for having come back from the dead. Some people thought he had proved something.
But all this episode really proves is that we continue to have a media that is about as gullible as any on the planet and an Ibrox support that is about as easy to please as a prostitute taking your £50. And I find myself marvelling at these people and wondering—why do they never learn? Why don’t they get it? Why are they so stupid? Why don’t they see that last night almost went the other way?
I’ll talk more about Ferguson, about last night, and about the Ferguson experiment as a whole a little later on. I wrote about it the other day, and there’s a lot I didn’t get into. But there must already be a collective understanding at his club that he’s in charge of a side that just isn’t that good. A side that simply isn’t blessed with all that much talent.
Kilmarnock took their foot off their throats and let them back into the game. Their players actually seemed more rattled than the Ibrox players did when they made it 2-0. They missed a plethora of chances at that point that would have put the game out of sight and then Ibrox got its goal and they collapsed.
Derek McInnes can complain about the corner before the Ibrox club got a goal, but the simple fact is that his own tactical approach was badly skewed. In the end, all Ferguson had to do was tweak things slightly, and he got the result.
McInnes should carry the can for his own failings. He shouldn’t be pointing the finger at anyone else. He allowed the game to drift out of his team’s control before he started making changes, and by the time he did, it was too late.
A lot of managers do this, and they pay a high price for it. He won’t because he’s at one of those mid-table clubs that are happy to wallow in mediocrity. But it’s exactly why he’s not cut out for a bigger job.
Ferguson, on the other hand, is currently in a pretty big job—at least compared to his stature in the game. And watching that match, two things came to mind. First, if Kilmarnock can do that to them in the first 25 minutes—be 2-0 up and unlucky not to be 4-0 up—then Fenerbahçe in the Europa League are just going to score for fun. And second, if they don’t do it, then Celtic certainly will when they come to Parkhead.
Because that Ibrox backline and midfield are about as weak as I have ever seen. And that makes what happened to us at Ibrox all the more inexplicable, because they are not a good team by any stretch of the imagination. They are not a good team in any way you look at them or by any definition you care to use.
I think about Daizen Maeda running through the middle at that defence, and it makes me feel all warm and happy. I think about Jota and Kuhn terrorising them. I think about big Adam Idah, who’s already proved he likes a goal against them, bullying and harassing those pitiful defensive players. And I think we can give Ferguson a day he will never forget—a day that will expose, fully and in horrifying terms, the scale of the job he has. Or rather, the scale of the job his successor will have.
And that will have knock-on effects, of course. It will affect the takeover. It will affect their summer recruitment and their efforts to entice a halfway decent manager. If we rip them to pieces—as I fully expect—then a lot of what they think they know and a lot of what they think they’re sure about will suddenly be in doubt.
Because I watched that team last night, and that team doesn’t need small tweaks. It needs ripped up and rebuilt from the ground up. And the money for that just isn’t there. I don’t care how many so-called football finance experts crawl out of the woodwork to say otherwise—there is no way to fix this mess without serious cash, and they don’t have it. That club is in real trouble.
Kilmarnock should have beaten them last night, and they should have beaten them comfortably. For reasons beyond understanding, they stopped playing football just when they could have really, really done some damage. But Ferguson shouldn’t be kidding himself, and neither should any Ibrox fan, because their team is a shambles. Their team needs the kind of serious surgery they cannot afford. And they can run from the lessons, but they can’t hide. Those lessons are coming.
Fenerbahçe first. Then Celtic Park. And Daizen Maeda will be waiting.
Photo by Alan Harvey/SNS Group via Getty Images
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Spare a thought for the poor, disappointed, hapless James Tavernier, no one would’ve been happier than him about Maeda being converted to a central striker then, if Ferguson’s first game, he moved Tavernier to centre back….
*In not if
Yip Kilmarnock started well then mcinnes remembered who they were playing and told his boys to sit back , let rangers get the 3 points and as the commentator said, let them try to salvage their season.
Nothing to salvage , seasons over fir them nothing to see here
Two games coming up that will destroythe huns and that wee shite ferguson
Downward spiral and death throes to follow
I was in pub last night and two zombies were discussing bwawwy and the ebt brothers and they said they get what it is to represent R I refuse to use that word I asked what do you mean and got the usual zombies response .I told them the truth the FACTS they are sevco every player every director every fan of every club in short bread land in butchers apron UK Europe the whole planet and most importantly of all every follower of new club/team knows they are sevco and not deid club also when you zombies and media bigots say they get the club what they mean is nothing to do with football sport Glasgow or scotlane but means the poison racist sectarian bigotry of orangeism loyalism protisitem and the two zombies nearly had a ambulism and went to default position of threating violence as I laughed at them and I said I accomadate then but they disappeared like yellow streaks of pish like every other pish stained zombie scum.HAIL!HAIL!. sorry for the rant.
I was also salivating prior to the new year game expecting Celtic to win easily…………..,,
So was I. I still can’t comprehend how easily torn apart did we get in that game. I think they did to us what kilmarnock did to them last night in the first half an hour. We were harassed and couldn’t do anything. We thought we would just turn up and win with little effort. I still think James Forrest is going a little over the top with his predictions. Football is a strange game sometimes.
They came back from 2 down. Fair enough, tho very poor from Kilmarnock. Tho for me it was nothin short of a sectarian bile fest. Ye can be assured, their guardians in the media won’t mention that. Clearly a reaction from the GB’s embarrassin ‘tribute’ on Tuesday. Nae place at a football ground. The ibrox element are specialists in sectarian hate and that last night, was the clearest so far this season. It’s been noticeable for months and even tho sectarianism and political are different areas, they dont distinguish the difference and all the GB are doin, is givin them a reason tae spew their venom, when they don’t even need a reason for it and they’ll grab any opportunity tae make us as bad as they are.
They came back from 2 down. Fair enough, tho very poor from Kilmarnock. Tho for me it was nothin short of a sectarian bile fest. Ye can be assured, their guardians in the media won’t mention that. Clearly a reaction from the GB’s embarrassin ‘tribute’ on Tuesday. Nae place at a football ground. The ibrox element are specialists in sectarian hate and that last night, was the clearest so far this season. It’s been noticeable for months and even tho sectarianism and political are different areas, they dont distinguish the difference and all the GB are doin, is givin them a reason tae spew their venom, when they don’t even need a reason for it and they’ll grab any opportunity, tae make us as bad as they are. Ffs use yer heads.
They definitely ramped up their hate filled songbook last night. They probably feel that, with fellow bigots in their management team, it warrants a staunch response accordingly, and that, will it not only be tolerated, but welcomed by all and sundry. The Peepul are back in full flow and their tradishuns demand their full sectarian backing. Mind you, they did quieten down considerably when Kilmarnock went two up and I expect there will be plenty more similar subdued reactions in the coming weeks and months ahead.
On the park…. they are just as dysfunctional as off it.
Bring them on!
Look what Sir Barry Ferguson did to the young lad subbed after 28 minutes. He didn’t look at him, he avoided any type of contact. Then the young lad offered a hand shake – purely because of feeling humiliated by getting subbed so early. His confidence got a huge hit and then looking for some consolation and support he saw his manager not even having a look, let alone having a hand shake or a pat on his back!
Can you imagine Brendan behaving like that? Never ever.
Joe on video Celts put in great : Barry destroys first ibrox career.
His whole team could have been subbed but he singled out the young Frenchman.
Oh Barry Barry..
I used to rate McInnes but I think his time is up as a manager, 2 up with Rangers on the ropes his team completely lost their focus. The Rangers FC players started to get yards of room all over the park, The only decent player they’ve got is the guy on loan from Wolfsburg, Cerny, everyone and their Granny knows dont give this guy grass to run into or he can have you in trouble, on numerous occasions they gave him 30/40 yards to run into. McInnes should hold his head in shame for the way his team fell apart, whilst he just sat there with seemingly having no idea what to do.
The Rangers have reverted to their “No Surrender” mode in their Staunchness, We will have to burst that big bubble of bigotry 2 weeks on Sunday, oh what a beautiful Sunday once again that will be.
Come on james!! You dont understand what happened? Your a bright lad you know exactly what took place on that pitch.
Why don’t you comment on the article then and tell us exactly what happened instead of innuendos?
BLATENT CHEATIN took place for the Sevco equaliser for sure !!!
Hopefully it’s the Celtic support who’re singin fergusons name when we get them at CP. Ram their sectarian cesspit mentality down their necks.
They’re even callin it ‘bazball’ now. One game and against a team from the bottom 3 ! Ye will never even hear of a mob, who get so ahead of theirselves tae such a degree. Every time, it’s mental. Another big reality check in the post soon ah think.
Clubs need a mentality change toward them in Scottish Football. They aren’t Rangers & they aren’t better. They live on the reputation which puts them ahead in most games before the games kicked off.
Teams go ahead against them & they lose their steel. They expect to lose to them so they get shaky & it results in teams bottling it.
Even Hibs against us were the same, we got one & the game completely changes to where it’s them holding out at the end.
Only thing I don’t expect is us to batter them, we should absolutely destroy them player for player but we won’t. We will stick to the game plan & it will likely see us coast out 2/3-0 comfortably but not having them in complete disarray.
Ordinarily, you would say that it was a decent comeback from 2-0 down, to go on and win 4-2, but this is Sevco we are talking about.
Kilmarnock’s capitulation was almost as predictable, as the post match narrative that BF and his fellow staunch brothers, are the real deal.
At half time there may well have been one or two brown brogues hurled at the players, which must have connected, as they won! A feeling they don’t experience, too often, when the chips are down !
That abomination of a surface is not the easiest place to get a result, and the fact that they completely disappeared after half time, says all you need to know! The ripping up of those pitches can’t come quickly enough, and McInnes’s plastic warriors may struggle for a full season on grass. ( though they may have been smoking it at half time, such was the transformation!)
We will now have to listen to the many superlatives about the staunchness in the ranks and what a difference it has made already. Which is just fully augmented by the bitter and twisted hordes in their support that can go through their full catalogue, without fear of punishment. ( Sky still haven’t learnt how to silence their party tunes…do they have a mute button, or is that for Boyd?)
Again, it is vitally important that we continue our professionalism, enjoy & focus on one game at a time, and start our strongest 11, (Wed’s lineup,) unless other factors dictate that we have to change.
Let them bask in their current revitalisation ( after one game) in the hands of the Hopeium brothers, till realisation sinks in, yet again !
They can worry about us, as that is now their cup final!
We will focus on a tough away game at Paisley ! HH
Kilmarnock 2-0 up at home should be shutting up shop and playing the low block game,
The Zombies have proven in the past they have no answer to this set up with there current dross of a squad, McInnes is tactically inept!
Absolutely AVOID AVOID AVOID Clyde Superscoreboard until they get beaten again…
It will be murder tonight and I ain’t putting myself through that suffering for sure –
I’d avoid every Celtic supporter to do the same and not tune in !
Killie in relegation zone. McInnes great fit for rangers.
Ferguson will be very demanding of the players, I was not surprised with them winning last night, you tend to always get that with a new manager coming in. He was a very good player was Ferguson, but I was initially surprised that he got the job, but in hindsight I’m not as surprised, maybe it’s his way of getting back in to management, if he does a good job there. It’s a win win situation for him, as he has nothing to lose, as they have nothing to play for.
Whatever player Fergushun was just remember that his tainted medals were paid for by the taxpayer Thegoodguy….
Stolen by a serial thief of a chairman who had big thieving hands if nothing else –
And via the rancid laws of this BENT and CORRUPT football country he got to keep the sordid gongs…
How long now until he is given a corrupt and bent MBE or whatever these things are called…
The fact that a serial thief got to keep his ‘Sir’ and The now defunct RUC got awarded some ‘bravery’ medal for murdering teenage children with plastic bullets (R.I.P. Julie Livingston) – well that tells one all that they really need to knowdoes it not !
I think we will see a different animal come the Glasgow derby. The ebt brothers will ensure that. I just hope BR puts a bit of pressure on the masons in black beforehand or we could see some players with serious injuries.
Good point Jock – They will and especially Media as crippling him would leave us very light up top…
Kasper could be another target as well no doubt as he’s a key player –
They will try it early doors as ‘nothing’ can and must be done early doors in The Glasgow Derby according to that old clown on Clyde Superscoreboard that is ‘how it works in West Central Scotland’ – as anything else could provoke violence according to The Clydebank Dim ‘Tim’ –
That being the case of course then the game is clearly irregular then – Which we absolutely know to be the case anyway –
It’s also a slur on Police Scotland by that old clown that they are incapable of controlling criminals in society…
There again given the illegal march from Liebrox to George Square in 2021 where they attacked these very officers – He might have some sort of veiled valid case !
Hi James
I wish I shared your confidence re the game at Parkhead. This poor team has already scored 8 goals against us in the last 3 games. They have nothing to lose and the ‘no surrender’ mentality will be on full display against. Ferguson believes in the fundamental importance of the game for his club, for the Belgian it was abstract, for Ferguson it is elemental. So we need to prepared for mad tackles and all the rest of it. We will need to be at our very best from the first minute. It may sound pessimistic but at 70 years of age I have seen many of these fixtures when the no hoppers beat the in form or the big spenders. That was us in the 90s. So lets not be complacent and have loose talk about taking them apart. That was the view before Ibrox and look where that got us
Like James confident will win by at least 3…they are weak and no where near our quality in every position. Don’t have a system and unlike us don’t play as a team. Killie basically shat it when they scored 1st goal and it wasn’t tactical genius taking defender off and moving taverna to CB…if he watched last few games surely its obvious that having being bullied and constantly making mistakes that the CB should never have started game in first place…personally hope sms keep giving him praise then maybe get job permanently as BR will batter any team managed by him…