Rangers sadly suffered an underwhelming 2-1 defeat to Celtic in the Scottish League Cup final on Sunday at Hampden Park.
Michael Beale has faced major criticism in the aftermath of the Old Firm for his strange midfield selection, which saw John Lundstram and Glen Kamara start over the likes of Ryan Jack, Nicolas Raskin and Todd Cantwell.
That aside, there was a moment in the 71st minute which saw the Celtic TV commentators mock James Tavernier.
What’s the story?
Well, as the Rangers No.2 prepared to take a freekick right on the edge of the box, the Celtic TV commentary team said: “Tavernier of course, don’t think there’s any doubt that he’ll be the one to take this set-piece.
“Quite a bit back from his normal set-piece position, the penalty spot.”
This was a cheap dig from the Celtic TV commentators, to say the least.
It was Gerry McCulloch who made the comment about Tavernier.
As detailed on Rangers News in the buildup to the Scottish League Cup final, there are three teams who have received more penalties in Scottish Premiership action this season than Rangers.
It is a myth that Rangers are awarded an abundance of penalties, and it’s a shame to see an outlet with as big a reach as Celtic TV spread these falsities.
The comment seems to have slipped through the net as stories regarding Beale’s midfield selection, and the reaction of Alfredo Morelos after being substituted, hit the headlines mainly.
It should also be noted that no Rangers supporter would have been watching the game on Celtic TV, which makes the comment even more snide as it was only aimed at a one-sided audience.
Regardless of the remark aimed at Tavernier, the performance was simply not good enough from Beale’s side at Hampden Park.
Much of that comes down to the 42-year-old’s team selection, in which he seemed to overthink things tremendously.
Hopefully, Beale can learn from it, and the defeat ensures his lineups are more on point in future.
