THERE isn’t much space between two teams when gathered in a tunnel seconds before they walk out onto the pitch but that doesn’t mean there isn’t a gap.
It will be there on Sunday, unseen of course, as the players of Celtic and Rangers are squeezed together under a sign which reads ‘Welcome to Paradise’ and if you don’t know who is on the good side of the chasm then congratulations for coming out of your deep coma.
This Celtic dominance has gone on for so long now that it might well be difficult for some to recall a time when it was Rangers who operated on another stratosphere to the football club they shared a city with.
That was when Ally McCoist was at his peak. He never scored in every Old Firm game but it must have felt like it to the Celtic fans who from the end of the 1980s until Tommy Burns returned to Parkhead in 1994, and even then it was four years before the league flag flew in Glasgow’s east end, got used to their own club being a shambles.
But even back then when McCoist pilfered goals for fun, as Rangers headed for nine in a row, not once did he think beating the old enemy would be easy even when his team was so obviously much stronger.
And now? Well now the man who scored 335 times in 581 games during a Rangers career which will never be equalled is struggling to see how this gap can be bridged without money and lots of it being found from somewhere.
He takes no pleasure from this, let me tell you.
“It’s difficult to gauge the two periods,” said McCoist. “We’re certainly in a similar position now if not worse. That Celtic team – although we were dominant – was capable of beating us on the odd occasion. You don’t really see that right now.
“I will contradict myself when I say Rangers can win the odd game, but as we all sit here I think we’d all say Celtic have got better players. In the 1990’s it wasn’t as much of a certainty that Rangers would win as it is now saying Celtic will win.
“I always looked across the tunnel in Old Firm games and fancied our chances but there’s a big difference between that and knowing you’re going to win. There’s so many things can happen in an Old Firm game.
“Celtic had some really good players. Paul McStay is one of the best I’ve ever played against. But when I looked at our team I was happy with it, although we never took it for granted that we would win.”
Rangers could draw or even win on Sunday. Nothing is impossible. Improbable, maybe, but football history is littered with results which didn’t make sense at the time. However, McCoist is well aware that nothing will change even if his team upset the odds.
“No Rangers fan in their right mind wants 10-in-a-row to happen but a far bigger issue is starting to compete against Celtic again on a regular basis,” he said. “They’ve got a chance on Sunday; the boys beat Celtic at Hampden in the semi-final last season and played as well as they have in a number of years.
“But the in the last game at Parkhead, Celtic were dominant. Rangers were very good for around 55 minutes at Ibrox but Moussa Dembele and Scott Sinclair took over the game after that.
“Rangers will have to play very well, defend well and carry a bit of luck. I feel for Graeme Murty. He’s in a position he wouldn’t have visualised at any time when he came up.”
There has never been an era previously when the two old foes have been so far apart. In fact, at no point in Scottish football history has one team been so dominant.
Martyn Waghorn was criticised for intimating that Rangers were the only club which has any hope of catching Celtic. He is actually right but if or when that will happen is anyone’s guess.
“Celtic are miles ahead. Aberdeen and Hearts are well run clubs and I have unbelievable respect for the way Anne Budge and Stewart Milne run their clubs – fantastic,” said McCoist.
“But can they challenge Celtic? No chance. Celtic have kicked on. It’s not impossible – I think if you get investment you can get players to close gap initially and then work on other things. It’s not a no-hope situation but it’s very, very difficult.
“In a one-off game you can beat Celtic. Rangers did it at Hampden last season, albeit on penalties when Celtic probably had the better chances. But that maybe gave people a bit of false hope; because Celtic have better players than Rangers at the moment.
“Clearly, I don’t take any delight in saying that at all. In fact, before the 5-1 game at Parkhead I said Celtic were miles in front and Rangers wouldn’t challenge them this year.
“I got dog’s abuse for saying that all over social media, so I was told. But was I right? I take no pleasure in it but Rangers are exactly where I thought they would be."
Investment is a subject McCoist returned to time and again. The thing is, Mark Warburton did get money to spend, it’s just he spent it really, really badly.
“I’m certainly not going to be critical of previous managers,” said someone who had to cope with the job for over three years. I know better than anybody how difficult the job is even if you have a few quid.
“This is not me being critical of Kenny McDowall, Stuart McCall or Mark Warburton. What I mean is Rangers needs massive investment – not just investment.”
And if that doesn’t happen?
“The same situation will follow. I just detect the patience of the Rangers fans – and the majority are fantastic – is wearing thin.”
He is right about that. The supporters have watched their club liquidated, humiliated, fail to win one promotion and the thousand and more other things which has befallen this once proud institution. They’ve had enough and who can blame them.
“There wouldn’t be a club if it wasn’t for the way the supporters rallied in the first couple of years after administration and then liquidation.” said McCoist. “They kept the club alive.
“But I know better than anyone that the patience will be wearing thin. It’s only a matter of time before they turn on players, the board and individuals. That’s where we are at the moment.
“Would Rangers be happy with second place? Most intelligent Rangers fans would have seen that as progress this season. Different question – would you settle for second being 35-40 behind Celtic? Probably not."
And with that, McCoist’s sermon was over. His hope now is that those who run his club listen to what he had to say.
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