Dead Rubber Derby announcement as Celtic eye Heaven 17

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The Celtic Star

·30 December 2024

Dead Rubber Derby announcement as Celtic eye Heaven 17

Match officials announced for Thursday’s Dead Rubber Derby…

Celtic captain Callum McGregor arrives prior to the Scottish Premiership match between Celtic and St. Johnstone at Celtic Park on December 29, 2024. (Photo by Ian MacNicol/Getty Images)

The match officials have today been announced for Thursday’s dead rubber Glasgow Derby at Ibrox. Brendan Rodgers takes his side to Ibrox with one hand already on the Scottish Premiership trophy as the Champions are already a massive 14 points ahead of second placed theRangers.

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It could well be Philippe Clement’s last match in charge of the club Charles Green founded back in 2012 as the Belgian waffler has yet to beat Celtic in any fixture since taking over from the hapless Michael Beale.

Celtic manager Brendan Rodgers arrives prior to the Scottish Premiership match between Celtic and St. Johnstone at Celtic Park on December 29, 2024. (Photo by Ian MacNicol/Getty Images)

Clement recently talked about the financial gap that both Tottenham and Celtic enjoyed over theRangers when discussing those two upcoming fixtures earlier this month. Nothing was said about the financial difference in budgets between theRangers and both St Mirren and Motherwell in the build-up to the Champions visiting Ibrox – yet Clement’s side were just a dodgy VAR call going their way from taking absolutely nothing from those fixtures. We await Willie Collum’s VAR Review with great interest.

Philippe Clement prior to the Premier Sports Cup Final between Celtic and theRangers at Hampden Park on December 15, 2024. (Photo by Ian MacNicol/Getty Images)

Their one point from six is hardly title contention form and as a result there will be little hope or expectation among the 50,000 supporters Rangers who tuped over to the new club when Charles Green bought the stadium and claimed that he BOUGHT the titles of the old club (yes he did, lurkers).

theRangers founding father Charles Green claimed be BOUGHT 54 league titles.

READ THIS…“I bought those titles,” did Charles Green really buy 54 titles as claimed?

Referee Don Robertson VAR check during the Scottish Premiership match at Ibrox. theRangers v Celtic, Scottish Premiership, 3 September 2023. Celtic won 1-0 thanks to Kyogo’s brilliant strike. Photo Kirk O Rourke Shutterstock

Don Robertson will be the man in the middle for the first game of the New Year, and he will be assisted by David Roome and Ross Macleod with Nick Walsh on VAR duties assisted by Daniel McFarlane.

With such an uproar being made recently about match officials we can only hope that the Ibrox hierarchy were informed of the decision and that they are fully happy with the appointments, and duly signed off on them.

With no ‘dodgy’ sounding second names on the list I can only assume that they are, so it’s now full steam ahead for Thursday and there can be no excuses on that front, although Clement is bound to mention budgets.

Kyogo Furuhashi at the final whistle during the Scottish Premiership match between Celtic and Motherwell at Celtic Park, on 26th December 2024. (Picture by Mark Runnacles)

Regardless of who is involved in Thursday’s game it was always going to be a tough task as the pressure is well and truly on not only the man in the middle, but his assistants and the VAR team.

That’s all thanks to the pressure of the Ibrox side who have hung Willie Collum and his charges out to dry in their bid to deflect from their failings. Motherwell FC and their supporters will be reflecting on them paying the price for theRangers not getting that penalty that NONE of their players claimed for in the Premier Sports Cup. They won’ be the last.

Alex Vale at the final whistle during the match between Celtic and Motherwell at Celtic Park, on 26th December 2024. Picture by Mark Runnacles

We can only hope that they the match official do their jobs properly on the day. The irony for Celtic supporters, who have thoroughly enjoyed having Philippe Clement in situ at Ibrox is that the only way to keep him there is for them to beat the Hoops. So sadly we’ll have to put theRangers supporters out of their misery as far as Clement is concerned by opening up a 17 points gap.

That really would be our Heaven 17…

Just an Ordinary Bhoy

Celtic in the Thirties by Celtic Historian Matt Corr is published in two volumes by Celtic Star Books. ORDER NOW WHILE STOCKS LAST!