Of course, the true reason Rangers are under scrutiny and referees are under pressure is the impending Old Firm derby and the gap in the Scottish Premiership shrinking, but a cursory glance at Celtic suggests that there might be another reason.
Rangers, in penalty, stitch up with Celtic, the true villains
This week, Scott Brown joined Chris Sutton and John Hartson in questioning the Ibrox outfit’s benefit from refereeing decisions.
It’s unfortunate that the more sober-minded onlookers haven’t raised these queries:
How many penalties have Celtic committed so far this year?
How many penalties has Celtic given up so far this year?
You won’t be shocked to hear that they have won every competition, earned the most awards, and given up none.
Rangers have given away two penalties in cup competitions but have been awarded one fewer than Celtic in the league.
There was a conspiracy that.
It gets even worse when you realise that in the last 20 years or more, Rangers have only had one Old Firm penalty at Parkhead!
Why isn’t the headline “PENALTY TO CELTIC!” on the back pages and social media?
The supporters of other teams have also accepted this story.
Given that Celtic are clearly benefiting even more, what dignified journalist would claim that Rangers’ statistics are a conspiracy or voice complaints about their performance?
It’s remarkable how often you hear that Rangers receive an excessive number of penalties or that we don’t give any away, but you never see any proof as to why a penalty shouldn’t have been issued or instances where we have avoided one.
Comparably, it only takes a glance at a few of the penalties Celtic receives—and escapes—to realize that the treatment of the two Old Firm teams differs.
It will only get worse, Philippe Clement. Welcome to Scotland! There are just two weeks left before the Derby.
You could tell that Tom Lawrence had suffered another setback as he sat down on the Tynecastle pitch from the fact that, ironically, his replacement among the top players for the Rangers was Jose Cifuentes.
After moving from Los Angeles FC, the Ecuadorian international has had trouble adjusting, but against Hearts, Philippe Clement finally noticed something that would indicate there might be a player there after all.
Jose Cifuentes, along with John Lundstram, demonstrated that he is more than eager to put in the work for the Rangers, but he has only made two steps back after taking one forward. He may not be as showy as Todd Cantwell or as graceful with the ball as Lawrence.
Jose Cifuentes finally shows Rangers fans what he can do
Contemporary football supporters have a tendency to form strong opinions about players and are unwilling to reconsider or change their minds.
Every error will always be greeted with a “See, I told you he was rubbish” statement, even if the player in question ends up being a good addition.
perhaps more vivid language along those lines.
Imagine James Tavernier, and you’ll understand.
Jose Cifuentes was not helped by Michael Beale’s laudatory remarks about him prior to his visa being stamped and him being paraded as a Rangers player.
There was already an unrealistic amount of expectation.
In his brief tenure as the manager of the Gers, Philippe Clement has demonstrated an aptitude for streamlining player instructions, and it seems that Cifuentes has profited from this.
Despite not even starting the game, the 24-year-old made more tackles and interceptions, counter-pressures, and pressures against the Hearts than any other player.
In layman’s terms, this implies that Jose Cifuentes was recovering the ball, or at the very least making it tough for his opponent to hold onto it whenever Rangers didn’t have it.
But still.
He foolishly attempted to recover a lost ball deep in Dundee’s half while leading 3-1, and the VAR intervened to stop him.
just when everything was going smoothly.
It had appeared that Cifuentes would find the roughness of the Scottish game difficult, but by keeping things straightforward, he had adjusted and began to appear at ease in a Rangers shirt.
He naturally had the opportunity to establish himself as John Lundstram’s midfield partner, but one careless mistake may prove costly.
Kieran Dowell has caused the management a lot of headaches, and there are no assurances that he will regain his place in the starting lineup with Tom Lawrence, Ryan Jack, and Nicolas Raskin all sidelined due to injury.
