Quotes from legendary former Rangers manager Walter Smith prove that when it comes to Celtic failing to get it all their own way, the Parkhead side have always had a penchant for moaning.
Our Old Firm rivals were second best at Ibrox in the second half, but a nervous Rangers succumbed to a late equaliser and ever since the 2-2 draw we’ve heard nothing but VAR bleating.
Seemingly centred around the Connor Goldson handball penalty that never was, we’ve had plenty of cerebrally challenged Celtic voices play on old Masonic conspiracies to stir our rivals up into something of a frenzy.
But Rangers fans are well used to this by now; it is painfully clear that whenever Celtic fail to beat Rangers we need to gear up for weeks of boring coverage from their usual lackeys in the media and their utterly bonkers fans.
Whilst John Beaton and Willie Collum made the right call in Monday’s match, remarkably we’re being told the penalty should still have been given with a straight face. Celtic have even written to the SFA.
Funny that; we didn’t hear about Celtic writing to the authorities when Christopher Jullien’s offside winner stood in the League Cup Final in 2019 or with regards one of the umpteen decisions that have gone in their favour over the years.
Rangers legend Walter Smith called Celtic out in 1997
This is a club and support with such a toxically ingrained inferiority complex to their Rangers counterparts that they genuinely cannot accept failing to get a victory over us. They have to have been cheated; it’s the only explanation.
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And don’t just take our word for it; here’s legendary Rangers manager Walter Smith saying similar during his tenure as Ibrox manager. Even when Mr Rangers is no longer with us he’s providing some much needed clarity.
For such a morally superior bunch they really are the worst losers, and winners, in the game. Thanks to Martyn Ramsay for digging out the quotes which are from March 1997, coming after Mark Hateley scored the winner in a 1-0 win at Celtic Park and Tommy Burns had slammed Rangers’ apparent lack of dignity.
“What we should look at here are our last three games against Celtic,” said Smith.
“At new year when we won we picked up the newspapers to be told that there was a ‘conspiracy theory’ which was working in our favour.
“When Celtic beat us 10 days ago all I said was that they were the better team and deserved their victory. Now we come to this game and we are accused of lacking dignity and blamed for incidents which took place during the match.
”When we lose a game there are no problems. When we win one then there are. That cannot be right. I would ask people to look at the three games and the publicity which followed them and then ask which was the dignified approach.”
That’s spot on from Walter Smith but whilst the Rangers legend is clearly speaking sense, the fact this was 26 years ago tells its own story.
Celtic cannot take it when we get the better of them and far from just swallow it they are constantly undignified and always pathetically obsessive.
Nearly three decades on, it’s clear that’s never going to change.
Meanwhile, one Rangers star’s penalty celebration has also upset the apple cart.