Ben Banks and Lewis Anderson of Glasgow World review Kilmarnock vs Celtic and Rangers vs Hearts, alongside each club's European exploits in the past week.
Category
🥇
SportsTranscript
00:00Hello and welcome to Glasgow World's Fitbit Talk, a weekly round-up on Rangers and Celtic action,
00:06both of which commenced on Sunday this week. Celtic away to Rugby Park and Rangers at home
00:14to Harch, off the back of a busy schedule and now we're going to the international fortnight.
00:19We'll start with the early kick-off-ish, earlier than Rangers-Harch anyway, at 3pm at Rugby Park.
00:26Celtic winning 2-0, albeit the champions weren't at their sparkling best as they have been,
00:32certainly as they were in the midweek game against RB Leipzig in the Champions League,
00:35which I'm sure we'll touch on in the course of this round-up, but Nicholas Kuhn's goals
00:41and a Callum McGregor goal as well was enough to seal victory at Rugby Park. Lewis, you were there
00:47just on the game itself, a win for Celtic but perhaps one they had to dig out rather than maybe
00:53play the way they have been this season. Yes, they had to dig deep. It was a gritty performance.
00:59You kind of expected it on the back of the week they've had, coming into the rout of Aberdeen in
01:06the League Cup last weekend and then obviously a massive Champions League game on Wednesday night
01:12that was bound to be a bit of fatigue sitting into the players' legs, you'd imagine.
01:17Kilmarnock will feel aggrieved, Ben, that they didn't get something out of this game,
01:23a flurry of chances missed, some top goalkeeping from Kasper Schmeichel,
01:28really outstanding. I think that's nine clean sheets and a living for him now. He's been
01:34tremendous and this is arguably one of his busiest days I think he's had in over a decade.
01:39A couple of us were talking about post-match, so yes, they had to work hard but again,
01:45it's the sign of champions, isn't it? When you're not playing at your best, you manage to grind it
01:49out. A bit fortuitous with the goal just on the stroke of half-time. Cal McGregor, it was clearly
01:56an attempted cross towards Ead at the back post and the big striker doesn't get a touch on it and
02:03the bounce of the ball has fooled McCrory. So, yes, fortunate to go in ahead at the break and
02:10then second half. Kilmarnock, again, well in the game, had a couple of decent opportunities.
02:16Matty Kennedy, one-on-one with the goalkeeper. Schmeichel makes an outstanding fingertip save
02:22to push that round the post. He was really busy, as I said, all afternoon and then Kilmarnock
02:28punished again ruthlessly. Another moment of magic from Nicolas Koon. What a week it's been
02:34for the German winger on the back of his exploits against Leipzig in midweek. Another moment of
02:41individual brilliance to skip away from two Kilmarnock players. Koulis slot low past the
02:47keeper. So, yes, less than convincing but Brendan Rodgers praises players given that
02:57the difficulty of the last three games, they've had to face three different challenges almost
03:02in terms of the approach from each team they've faced over the last couple of days. So,
03:09he'll be absolutely delighted to go into the international break now,
03:13sitting top of the table on goal difference.
03:16Obviously, as we've alluded to, Celtic won 3-1 in the Champions League. That's the other game
03:20that's happened between sort of our last record and a 3-1 win, a very impressive one. One of the
03:24better Celtic performances and results at Parkhead in Europe of probably the last decade or so,
03:30really. So, a very impressive win and as you say, Nicolas Koon with two goals there. Rio
03:36finished off that to leave Celtic in a strong position for progress from the Champions League.
03:40Can't not talk about the Celtic-Kilmarnock game without at least mentioning some of the pre-match
03:45stuff which has dominated a lot of the post-match discussion on the Celtic fans' disturbance of the
03:51minute's silence Kilmarnock were holding. It's divided opinion. It's not always at this time
03:57of year. It's a debate that comes around and it's a very difficult subject to talk about because
04:07the opinions on both sides are so fierce. But just without delving into the political
04:16phrase and things like that, you can get into this. What was the general atmosphere like
04:20in the ground when that was happening, Lewis? Yeah, as you said, it's quite a divisive one,
04:25isn't it? I think the general consensus was Kilmarnock fans were absolutely livid
04:33by it and Derek McInnes, absolutely furious in his post-match interview as well.
04:38I could understand why. Obviously, Celtic fans, it was only a small section. I must say it wasn't
04:47as if the full stand were chanting and booing throughout it but there was certainly a large
04:54section of them that didn't cover themselves in glory in my opinion and that I felt was the
05:01general consensus sitting in the main stand there at Rugby Park. I think obviously they had a banner
05:08display as well to try and back up their point as to why they were maybe doing it. But a minute's
05:17silence is a minute's silence. It's a moment of reflection. I understand people have different
05:26views on things like this but at the end of the day, I don't think there was a great need for it
05:33and certainly I could understand the frustrations of Derek McInnes post-match. Brendan Rodgers was
05:41similarly in agreement. He felt that it was something that didn't need to happen but as he
05:50said, Ben, it's a topic that rightly or wrongly, some people just have their own views on this type
05:59of situation. We'll move across to Ibrox. That was the one I was at, Rangers vs Harch. Also not a
06:06classic, a serial death goal after six minutes. Sealing that one for Rangers but the more that
06:11game got dragged on, the more the animosity grew. Certainly the anxiety I would say was a word that
06:19was used in the press conference and the clone was asked about grew in terms of the frustration
06:25because again, it was a similar story for Rangers. Yes, they got over the line and they got three
06:31points and ultimately, you need to be doing that by any matter of means but the performance again,
06:38leaving a bit to be desired. I thought against Olympia Aikos which was Rangers' European result
06:43during the week, a one-all draw away in Greece in a hostile venue. I think that can be seen as a
06:47positive result and a positive performance in terms of an away performance in Europe but I don't know,
06:53do you feel like almost that style, that more rigid defensive style, it doesn't really translate to
06:59domestic football when you need to be going after teams a wee bit more, especially at home and
07:03especially, albeit Harch finished third last season but currently a side that are second bottom in the division?
07:09Yes, I think if you were to ask the majority of Rangers fans at the moment, they would say to you
07:13that this 4-2-3-1 formation, they don't have the players necessarily to play it.
07:19I think, having spoken to quite a few Rangers fans over the last couple of weeks, I know
07:25that they're at the end of their tether with Comand at this point and performances certainly don't seem to be getting any better.
07:35Obviously, a couple of strange decisions as you touched on there, Ben. In particular, the call
07:41to take off Conor Barron, who is probably one of Rangers' better players by all accounts,
07:45it sounded like Mohamed Diomande, but was pretty poor and he should have been the player.
07:52Team selection as well comes down to it. James Tavernier, everyone's got their own
07:56opinions on Tavernier at this point, whether or not he should be starting games going forward.
08:04I think as well, the goal comes after six minutes and it's as if they retreat
08:11into their shell and invite pressure on. This is a Harch team languishing down at the bottom of the table.
08:16You're sitting there, you're playing the two defensive-minded midfielders as well,
08:23albeit Barron and Raskin seem to be striking up a decent partnership between the two of them.
08:29It was quite concerning, wasn't it, because it didn't seem as if Rangers were ever going
08:34to really score a second goal. As much as Harch had their moments and passed up that
08:40great chance in the second half to level it up, I think Rangers fans will actually be looking
08:49forward to this international break now, Ben, which is not something that you would necessarily
08:55associate when it comes to Rangers.
09:01That's the end of the Premiership and domestic football. We go into our final
09:07international break of the calendar year 2024. Scotland, first of all, at home to Croatia on
09:14Friday night before the Nations League campaign finishes off our way to Poland on Monday the 18th
09:20of November. After that, it'll be a jam-packed calendar of domestic action, action in Europe
09:27as well as we go into the busy Christmas period. Rangers will return to league business on the 23rd
09:32at home to Dundee United while Celtic face a trip to Tyne Castle to face the opposition. Rangers
09:38just beat on Sunday there in an unusual night-time kick-off on the Saturday night, a 7.45 against
09:45Harch. So we will catch up with you probably next week to reflect on the Scotland game in
09:50Mount Florida at Hampden and any other news that breaks from Rangers and Celtic over the next week.
09:55Until then, take it easy.