Dogged Rangers, Toothless Celtic in Old Firm Derby Stalemate
Russell Martin's Rangers and Brendan Rodgers' Celtic served up a drab draw

Dogged Rangers, Toothless Celtic in Old Firm Derby Stalemate

Dogged Rangers, Toothless Celtic in Old Firm Derby Stalemate

In a derby to forget, Rangers and Celtic played out a shocking 0-0 draw at Ibrox — a game so devoid of quality that a seagull flipping bread mid-air was arguably the most entertaining moment of the day.

Rangers showed aggression, fight, and organisation – all traits manager Russell Martin applauded after the match. Though it’s now their worst league start since 1983, Martin saw signs of life in a side recently mocked for defensive frailty.

Celtic’s Creative Crisis

Brendan Rodgers, meanwhile, was left lamenting a performance that he admitted was “not the way Celtic play.” But the numbers don’t lie:

  • 0.00 xG in the first half

  • 0 shots on target before 60 mins

  • 0 corners before the 71st minute

A frontline of Nygren, Maeda, and Balikwisha failed to threaten a Rangers defence that had conceded six in Europe just days earlier. Even when Rodgers brought on James Forrest and Shin Yamada, the end product never came.

Celtic’s total xG: 0.17. Combined with Rangers: 0.32, marking one of the lowest expected goal totals in Scottish Premiership history.

Transfer Urgency for Rodgers

Rodgers’ recent comments about lacking creativity underline the club’s growing problem. The once-praised recruitment model now looks broken:

  • Arne Engels: ineffective

  • Adam Idah: on his way out

  • Auston Trusty: injured and out of favour

Hopes now rest on:

  • Michel-Ange Balikwisha (still adapting)

  • Sebastian Tounekti (targeted winger)

  • Kasper Dolberg (main striker target)

With just hours left in the window, the pressure is on major shareholder Dermot Desmond and the Celtic board to deliver attacking reinforcements.

Rangers’ Fight, If Not Flair

Rangers fans were braced for another meltdown, but the team showed grit:

  • Connor Barron, Mo Diomande, and debutant Mikey Moore showed fire

  • Bojan Miovski offered edge up front

  • A rare clean sheet amid a defensive crisis

Rangers are still in a precarious position, but Martin’s job looks safe — for now.

And the Seagull Wins MOTM

In a game where the final whistle brought more relief than reflection, it’s telling that a bird flipping bread may live longer in the memory than anything from 22 humans on the pitch.

Leave a Reply

There are no comments yet. Be the first to comment!