Can Rangers’ Scottish Cup win boost their bid to get back into the Premiership title race?

KEITH JACKSON: They certainly needed a shot in the arm and they got it. Also, Celtic showed on Saturday that they are still a flaky bunch. But, in all probability, Rangers have done too much self harming to get back out in front.

CRAIG SWAN: Obviously it is going to make a difference as Rangers needed a win to get back into the right mindset after a couple of poor shows.

ANDY NEWPORT: It’s a much-needed confidence booster for a team that all of a sudden has reverted to all the bad habits they developed during the Michael Beale misadventure. I suspect they’ll still need favours elsewhere if they’re to reignite their title push, though.

MICHAEL GANNON: It steadies the ship after a ropy week. Rangers still have their issues but the title is not done yet and a couple of wins can set them up for Celtic Park. There have been huge questions posed about this side and now is the time to find the answers.

What are the issues Brendan Rodgers needs to address to get Celtic over the line this season?

KEITH: He needs to get Callum McGregor back up to speed or a start. But Celtic’s problems run deeper than the fitness of just one man. Saturday’s performance merely highlighted what Rodgers already knew to be true – his side has been misfiring like this since the start of the season and some serious work will be required in the transfer market.

CRAIG: Defending has to be better. The goals lost at Hampden were poor at the weekend and Celtic need to tighten up.

ANDY: The same ones he’s been staring at all season. An imbalance at centre-back which often leaves Cameron Carter-Vickers having to do the defensive duties of two men and haphazard offerings from his wingers.

MICHAEL: The defence and wide areas remain a concern and the pair are linked as the wingers don’t offer enough protection to the full backs. McGregor building fitness will help but Rodgers should call on James Forrest more.

Were Aberdeen hard done by with some of the VAR calls at Hampden on Saturday?

KEITH: The penalty botch up was inexplicable. When mental gymnastics are required it means something has gone horribly wrong in the TV bunker.

Aberdeen appeal for a penalty after Cameron Carter-Vickers appears to foul Junior Hoilett

Ref Don Robertson certainly didn’t blow for a foul in the build up and it’s impossible to understand why he wasn’t at least asked to take another look for himself.

CRAIG: Given some of the things that have given because of VAR this season, then maybe a little, yes.

ANDY: The referees had reason enough not to award the Dons a couple of spot-kicks but the trouble – as has often been the case – is the lack of clear communication explaining those calls to the punters in the stadium and at home. It needs to be made much clearer.

MICHAEL: The two marginal calls will have been sore. The Scales handball was a matter of inches and there was a foul in the build up to the other one, so while they were harsh, VAR got them both right.

What should Dundee United fans expect from their side back in the Premiership next season?

KEITH: That’s a tricky one given that they haven’t known what to expect in the Championship on a week to week basis. But a strong Dundee United is good for the general health of the Scottish game. Fingers crossed they make a decent fist of it.

CRAIG: Dundee’s outstanding efforts to make the top six will have raised the expectations amongst the United support.

ANDY: First season back amongst the big boys is always about survival. United haven’t been a stable force in the top flight for far too long and first things first, next season should be about finding a Premiership foothold.

MICHAEL: Top six should be the target. Their chums across the street showed it can be done and United have the resources to expect to be in the top half of the table.

Celtic legend predicts more suffering for the Rangers supporters

Chris Sutton has predicted that theRangers will suffer more results like last night’s stalemate with Dundee in the post-split fixtures. The Celtic legend watched on alongside Kris Boyd and James McFadden for Sky Sports Scotland, as Phillipe Clement’s team stuttered and ultimately flattered to deceive fresh off the back of losing to Ross County in Dingwall just a few days prior.

A frustrated Rangers fan alone in the stand after the game. Final score Ross County 3 theRangers 2. 14 April 2024. Photo Stuart Wallace/Shutterstock

There has been a momentous title shift in the last few days, as Brendan Rodgers and his team look to have come alive at the correct time, peaking just as the supporters needed it most. We’ve been up and down already this season and there have been mitigating circumstances through consistent and successive injuries to key men on the Irishman’s return to Paradise.

With more stars returning now to full fitness and also looking to find top form, we are starting to appear more and more like the Celtic of old. Reo Hatate looks awesome again, despite his lengthy spells on the treatment table and with our captain, Callum McGregor, coming to the fore once again, we could really motor in the last five games of this season and make sure we end it with major silverware.

Celtic v St Mirren – Reo Hatate right celebrates after scoring his sides first goal of the game during the Premiership match at Celtic Park, on Saturday April 13, 2024. Photo Jane Barlow

Our rivals have been enjoying the usual kid gloves stuff from the mainstream media since the Belgian manager arrived on the scene back in October, and this was only further enhanced when we lost back-to-back matches in December, with one coming at Celtic Park in a lacklustre display to Steven Naismith’s Hearts team. That was a shock to the system and the other side of city were revelling in it and certain that this would be their year for the League title.

Callum McGregor during the Scottish Premiership match between theRangers and Celtic at Ibrox, on 7 April 2024. Photo Colin Poultney PSI

There’s still a way to go yet, but if these past two games have told us anything about this team, it’s that they fold under questioning and it’s been quite spectacular to watch. Chris Sutton has predicted that in the aftermath of their last two results, Clement’s side will drop more valuable points as they look dead on their feet and without a definitive plan of how to escape this malaise.

Have a listen to Sutton predicts more poor performances from the Ibrox club below…

Celtic firm favourites but Scottish Premiership title still in Rangers’ hands despite Dundee draw

Georgios Samaras reckons Matt O’Riley is definitely on his way out of Celtic this summer.

Denmark star O’Riley, 23, was the subject of a failed bid from Spanish giants Atletico Madrid in January after another outstanding season for the Hoops. The playmaker is expected to be in the running to be crowned Scotland’s Player of the Year and could add to his Parkhead trophy haul by getting his hands on a league and cup Double.

It’s understood the Scottish champions will demand around £25million for the Treble-winner and ex-Bhoys cult hero Sammy believes it’s inevitable the £1.5million bargain signing from MK Dons will move on to a bigger league after two-and-a-half years in Glasgow.

The former Greece international told Ladbrokes Fanzone: “I’m 100 per cent sure Matt O’Riley will leave the club at the end of this season. He’s out. He had a great season last year, he’s had another fantastic season this time around, and we’re clearly seeing him develop year on year. He came from League One in England and he’s giving his team something every single week… he’s so talented. His goals, his assists, his general performances… I think he’s at the peak of his Celtic career. Now, the best thing for him, and the club, is to go and find the best offer for him in the summer.

“He can play in any team, that’s for sure. OK, it would be more difficult to play for any of the top four in England, and he’s probably not ready yet to join those clubs – but I have no doubt in his ability to go and perform at a similar level in the Premier League. It’ll be a case of who can afford him.

“Celtic have a very expensive asset in Matt O’Riley, so I’ve no doubt they’ll get a huge transfer fee for him. And I’m not just talking about the Premier League, by the way; this is a guy who I could see in Spain, Portugal, Germany, Italy… any of their big clubs, I can see him going and standing out anywhere in Europe.

“Celtic sell expensive. In the last 15 years or so, clubs from all around Europe, and further, have spent big to sign Celtic players. I don’t know about the exact price, but I know it’ll be a lot for O’Riley. Celtic know how to sell, and they know how to buy. Ever since I’ve known the club, I’ve had nothing but confidence in them when it comes to selling players for the right price, and I’ve got no doubt they’ll do the same when it comes to Matt.

“The good thing for anyone leaving Celtic for a big club somewhere in Europe is that they won’t need to adapt to the pressure and expectation of a huge crowd, or the experience of playing European football, because they’ll have had all of that at Celtic.”

Brendan Rodgers on the unreal Celtic player moment before Rangers as he reveals ‘miscalculated’ call

The powers that be at Parkhead talk a lot about the Celtic Family. But it’s hardly been like the Waltons around Glasgow’s East End this season.

At times it’s been more like the Gallagher brothers after a three-day bender, with fans and the hierarchy constantly clashing. But Brendan Rodgers is getting a sense the club is coming together and becoming one big happy family again. And it took the absence of Celtic fans to make it happen, with the Ibrox away support shutout last weekend forcing diehards to show their backing in a different way.

Rodgers expected some punters to turn up to Celtic Park to see the squad set off for their pre-match hotel 24 hours before the Old Firm showdown. He didn’t expect thousands pitching up for a party. Rodgers was blown away by the backing and thrilled his side came out of Ibrox unscathed and still bang in the hunt for the title. And he’s looking for more of the same in the final push for Scottish Premiership supremacy.

When asked about the send off, Rodgers said: “It had a big impact. It was amazing. They told me here there would be a couple of hundred supporters.

“Then I got a call coming up saying they’d miscalculated and there were a few more. So when I turned around the lights and saw everyone, it was a huge lift. Did it surprise me? No. The support of this club is incredible.

“Without being able to be at the stadium, that was their way of giving us a great send off. A lot of the new guys especially were taken aback by it – as was I. It gave us a real lift driving away.”

Rodgers has said numerous times previously he needs the club and support on the same page. And that’s his message for the rest of the campaign, with St Mirren today and next week’s Scottish Cup semi with Aberdeen for starters.

Rodgers said: “Just keep the faith. Keep giving us that incredible support, it makes the difference. I’m sure there will be some edgy moments throughout the six games and in the cup game. But just keep the faith, keep with the team, give us everything and we’ll give you everything back on the pitch.”

That’s what Rodgers got at Ibrox last weekend. Rangers boss Philippe Clement claimed a moral victory but the Celtic gaffer felt his men gained more than a crucial point. Hoops had to deal with a second- half surge from Gers, while dodging debris raining down from the stands, but Rodgers is convinced his side have emerged stronger.

He said: “I thought the integrity of the team, how they played, how they conducted themselves in the game, was fantastic. We were really attack minded. We had to go through moments of pressure and that’s when you’ve got to bite down on the gum shield and dig in. We did that, we came through and we looked as though we could win the game.

“I always maintain it’s the hardest place to go if you are a Celtic player. We’ve got some difficult fixtures, but we know when that fixture comes around we’ll have the energy of 60,000 supporters behind us at home. We’re in a really good place.”

Still, nothing continues to come easy for Rodgers this term. Daizen Maeda’s injury comes just as Callum McGregor and Reo Hatate are coming back. But the Irishman is convinced he has enough weapons for the big fight ahead. That includes on-loan frontman Adah Idah, who pounced from the bench last weekend.

Rodgers may have been guarded on talk of a permanent deal for the Norwich striker but there was no coyness about the attacker’s impact. The boss said: “The player was available for loan, is enjoying his time here and, come the end of the season, we’ll sit down and see where we are at and take it from there.’

‘I am delighted for Adam. I communicate regularly with him and the whole idea was to get to the end of the season and bring him here and I feel that his impact can not only help the team, but also the other strikers here.

“I think it’s no coincidence that Kyogo’s game has gone to another level again with that competition, bringing Adam in. You have two different types of strikers there, one with penetration and movement who is sublime, who can score a goal.

“Then you have another guy who can run in behind but is more the target player who can take the ball in and also score goals. So, to have that ability to be able to change the game in that manner and look at each way is brilliant.

“It’s brilliant to have Adam here with the other strikers and for me he has made a great impact. He has all the tools and certainly has a lot of potential. I know he is really enjoying it here at Celtic and enjoying the pressure of being here and has responded really well.”

Rodgers will need everyone on board and he will demand the Ibrox standard every week from here on. He said: “It’s exciting but you just have to go into each game.

“We are bringing a big level to our game, we have big players back and are functioning well – like we showed in that first 55 minutes last week, when we were outstanding with our football and our intensity and our attacking mindset. We can only look to ourselves and try to produce that level of performance.”