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Apologies in advance for being the party pooper. The bubble buster. Whatever you want to call it... As a Rangers fan for over 43 years, I'm slightly alarmed at some of the celebratory language I have seen online and heard on the airwaves regarding our newly extended lead. Am I glad we sit 10 pts ahead of them at this stage of the season? I'm delighted. Am I glad that we've managed to beat our closest rivals without turning up for the game in large parts? I'm ecstatic but it's January 3rd and there is a lot of football to be played. I can fully understand many fans want to pull the trigger early on the celebrations but not this Rangers fan. The last 6/7 years are still too raw for me to relax and start popping the champagne. I've also seen too much football over those 43 years to suggest that we are home and dry. I know the pundits have all but crowned us as champions in waiting but for me it's too early. IMO draws are as damaging as defeats in a tight race. For example, would I be surprised if we drew at Pittodrie or Easter Rd in our forthcoming games. Not at all. Its happened before as these teams usually raise their game when we come to town. Poor performances in these crucial games could potentially reduce our lead to 4/6/7/8 pts. So let's be sensible and put the flares, fireworks, champagne and balloons in the cupboard until it happens. We've won nothing yet.

Actually feel a little for Calum McGregor. All the narrative is about Bobby Madden, Shamless Duffy, Bitton, Scott Brown (shitbag) and Neil Lennon. Let's not forget that young Calum fulfilled a lifetime ambition yesterday by scoring the winning goal for Rangers in the NY OF game into the Copland End. He'll be (rightly) buzzing this morning

Hardly doom and gloom. Just a wee touch of realism considering where we've been over the last few years

They won their first title the year we went into the chaos of administration. They won their next four titles while we were consigned to the lower leagues. They didn’t win their ninth title at all and had to be awarded it for an incomplete season. That leaves three credible titles, even if they had had years of uncontested access to European football to finance their success. They’ve crowed and sneered their way through our difficulties, convinced themselves of their natural superiority and set themselves up for the biggest fall since Humpty Dumpty. They’re not feeling pain yet. They’re only feeling the fear of pain. Once the trophies are sitting in the Ibrox trophy room, once the reality of their financial mess becomes clear, once the child sexual abuse court cases start, that’s when the pain will come.

BSRT is 100% right in his OP. One season early in the NIAR Rangers were miles ahead in January but frittered away points for a nervy ending. Might have been 88/89.

McGregor for me, but was a tight call between him and Greegs.

Of course no one should be making any assumptions about the title but it would also be wrong to deny a strong sense of satisfaction at the progress our club is finally making. And not just on the park either. I just hope that those people running the club remain ambitious for success and always respectful to the fans. The appointment of Pedro Caixinha was a spectacular misjudgment - the appointment of Steven Gerrard has been an inspired decision, both of which show how important it is to have effective leadership and a clear sense of who we are.

Ive been watching Rangers for a long ,long time and have learned to take nothing for granted only when it's mathematically impossible for anyone else to win the league will I accept victory.

"James Tavernier thumped a hopeful ball downfield and that simple punt sparked a crisis in Celtic terrain. From his position in footballing no-man's land, too far up the park and not hard-working enough to retreat, Diego Laxalt watched the ball float over his head to where Bitton grappled with Morelos. The centre-back made a show of himself. He had no need to do what he did, no need to put himself in such peril. Had he let Morelos go, the striker would still have had a huge amount of work to do, still an enormous job on his hands to score. The probability is that he'd have got a shot on goal - hence Madden's verdict - but scoring from that angle would have been a trick that only the pre-eminent goalscorers would have been capable of pulling off." You can tell English is a rugby man. I'd expect better writing from a teenager.

I won't celebrate until we have won the league. Given our previous form after the turn of the year under Gerrard, anyone thinking we've won the league is off his head.

I am sure Soulgio will be back after he's picked the piranha bones from his teeth?

Maybe they are planning to catch COVID and get the league stopped? ?

easiest one of the season........... McGregor. Not a bad keeper for a free! We could have paid 4m for some unknown greek

It was just a hopeful ball/simple punt. ?

Having watched then game again, Kamara and Davis had very good games (after the opening 15-20' minutes), Goldson and Balogun played very well defensively. Hagi was very good 2nd half, but McGregor wins it with a string of important and top class saves

Unfortunately, Calliope was the Muse of Eloquence and Epic Poetry. She also had a beautiful voice. Any resemblance to any denizen of Pacific Quay is non-existent.

Absolutely. I am still enjoying the fallout from yesterday. Loving it. Basking in it. Positively basking in it, actually. This thread is almost whollyScottish Presbyterian in tone, which is OK by me. However the time for auld claes, purritch, kail, and potatoes, is tomorrow.

Blinded by the Light? Sitting in a Uni' Union bar in the mid-seventies was often a depressing experience. Listening to a serious minded plooky youth pontificate upon capitalism, listening to a Juke Box that played 'Smoke on the Water' every other record, and listening to the pleading of the bar staff to avail yourself of the last opportunity to purchase the Tofu Curry. In between another subsidised pint, you noticed the smallest of changes. The Wurlitzer in the corner was increasingly playing 'Blinded by the Light' by the Manfred Mann Earth Band. The South African organist was a dozen year chancer, he had an ear for someone else's tune, and promptly recorded it. Still, he brought the likes of Paul Jones, Mike D'Abo, and Jack Bruce to prominence. The Earth Band's effort was an interpretation of the then emerging over enthusiast, Bruce Springsteen. The epiphany is a well covered topic for a song. It seems every lyricist has taken a cerebral donner along the road to Damascus? Initially, I thought Bruce had been heavily influenced by Bowie's cut-out method of lyricism. Now, I don't know, don't care. The ear worm was the line, "the Calliope crashed to the ground". I knew a Springsteen devotee, he had the Asbury album and the lyrics were printed on the back. I got the spelling and went to the dictionary. Listening to the PQ Gang Hut every week is depressing, they are all going down to Montreux to put fire in the sky. They will do anything other than provide the service Rangers supporters pay them to provide. Yesterday's commentary from a monitor in a PQ studio was the usual five year old riff. Liam McLeod had us, "pilfering three points again" and was adamant, "Ajer was covering Bitton"? Michael Stewart wanted to see the incident of Bitton/Morelos again but, "ah don't think it's a red card". Tom Anguish anguished and concluded, "the red card is harsh". It seems to me, objectivity seems to be the hardest word in the Gang Hut? By the time Sportscene was being broadcast at 22.20hrs last evening, Michael had seen the incident again and ran a ton of interference on ra Sellik's pressing and not allowing Rangers to play a ball over the top. However, he declared the red was a deserved red because of Bitton's stupidity. Blinded by the light. The epiphany continues, it's a collective deal. Tom has penned a snide piece for today's BBC Scotland's website, including EIGHT paragraphs on the Israeli's ordering off. Tavernier's curling out to in pass up the line is described by tom as, "he thumped a hopeful ball downfield, that simple punt sparked a crisis". Tom accepts Morelos would have got a shot off but, "scoring from that angle would have been a trick only pre-eminent goal scorers would have been capable of pulling off". The final line of the piece shows Tom continues to pull himself off, "Gerrard more than anybody, knows how ruinous late slip-ups can prove". Blinded by the Blarney, putting Slippy-G in his place. It is concerning, two out of three of the Gang Hut changing their views overnight without setting a foot on the Damascan road. Liam as yet, will not change, his team play Rangers next weekend at Pittodrie and he knows the value of continuity. A Calliope is a musical instrument that produces sound by sending steam through large whistles. Typically, very loud without any way of varying sound or tone. A Calliope, the collective noun for the Gang Hut.

OP might be interested in this game, don't know if it's being shown anywhere tho

Just keep ticking the games off. One game at a time. Look no further than Pittodrie

As long as there is still "ifs" in the conversation, I won't be able to relax ?

I'm in the same boat RSBT....we are in a good place but there will be a lot of rough water ahead that we still need to navigate through and far to early to be thinking of lifting the league title.

Can i suggest that everyone who hasn't watched the match back does so....not as one sided as first viewing.??

Rangers extend lead to nineteen points after vital Old Firm victory. Rangers extended their lead at the top of the SPFL table to an impressive 19 points after a 1-0 win against a rejuvenated Celtic side at Ibrox today. Rangers went into the game on the back of an impressive winning run of 13 straight victories, but for long stages of proceedings today Rangers looked nervous as Celtic dominated possession. Steven Gerrard named two changes to his side, with Leon Balogun and Ryan Kent coming in at the expense of Filip Helander and Ianis Hagi. Of course today was not just about matters on the park, with the club commemorating the 50th anniversary of the Ibrox Disaster. Representatives from both Rangers and Celtic paid their respects by laying wreaths at the memorial statue prior to the match, including John Grieg who was captain on that fateful day in 1971. Rangers also wore a commemorative shirt with the words “Always Remembered” and the date of disaster printed on it. James Tavernier carried wreath onto the park as he led out the team, as did Celtic captain Callum McGregor. The club had planned to hold a service at Glasgow Cathedral, as was the case in 1971, however the current issues with the Coronavirus pandemic has forced the club to postpone the event until circumstances allow. Steven Gerrard echoed the club’s request for supporters to stay away from Ibrox at his press conference yesterday. The club also suggested that supporters could make an alternative gesture of respect by making a small donation to the St Andrew’s First Aid charity. St Andrew’s first aiders were one of the first on the scene at Stairway 13 in 1971, and were heavily involved in the emergency response. Supporters who wish to make donation can do so HERE or text SAFA to 70660 to donate £10. When the game started it was Celtic who looked the more likely and they came close early on when Odsonne Edouard’s shot was well saved by Allan McGregor, who would put in yet another masterful performance. Leigh Griffiths had a drive from the edge of the box which was too direct at McGregor, allowing him to deal with it comfortably. Then Callum McGregor had a strike which went inches past McGregor’s post with the Rangers number one looking on helplessly. Rangers then created their best chance of the first-half. Some neat work from Kamara and Kent allowed Joe Aribo to put a good ball into the box for Morelos who should have done better with his effort. But that opportunity failed to kick-start Rangers and it was Celtic yet again who came close when Griffiths curled a shot from the edge of the box which was superbly tipped onto the post by McGregor. The Rangers keeper made his 400th appearance for the club on Wednesday against St Mirren. It is not difficult to see how he has reached that milestone when he consistently produces moments like these in big games. Steven Gerrard was unimpressed enough with the first-half display to introduce Ianis Hagi in place of Kemar Roofe. Hagi didn’t take long to have an impact with a great effort from outside the box which flew past Vasilis Barkas’s post. Then Morelos had another chance to break his goal-scoring duck against Celtic when Joe Aribo fed a ball to the Columbian’s feet. Morelos turned well, but his shot was blocked by Kristoffer Ajer and went out for a corner. Then came the turning point in the match when James Tavernier sent a great ball down the channel which allowed Morelos to spin Nir Bitton and race in on goal. The Israeli pulled down the Rangers striker and gave referee Bobby Madden no option but to produce a red card. Rangers nearly scored from the resulting free-kick as Tavernier sent a great ball into the box which seemed destined to be met by more than one Rangers player, but somehow the opportunity was missed and Celtic managed to clear. James Tavernier then went on a great run which resulted in a foul just outside the box. Borna Barisic took the free-kick, only for it to deflected wide off Shane Duffy in the wall . Tavernier sent in another great ball from the resultant corner, Joe Aribo jumped to flick the ball on and deflect it off Callum McGregor and past the despairing Barkas to give Rangers the lead. Celtic were lucky not to be reduced to nine men when Shane Duffy crudely brought down Ryan Kent. The Republic of Ireland defender then nearly presented Rangers with a gift when he misplaced a pass to Kent who worked the angle for a shot, only for it to be blocked. Steven Gerrard introduced Cedric Itten in the latter stages for Morelos, as well as Zungu for Kent, as he looked to manage and see out the game. The win is Steven Gerrard’s third successive Old Firm victory and he was delighted with the three points stating afterwards: "It's another win and another clean sheet. I'm proud of the team in terms of their efforts, but in the first half we weren't good enough. We weren't ourselves and I thought we were second best in a lot of areas. "There was a big improvement in the second half. We were getting up to people and we were more aggressive. We were believing in ourselves in what we were trying to do. The sending off was a major incident in the game, and there only looked like one team was going to win it from there. "I asked the players how much they wanted to win a derby, especially here at Ibrox. We couldn't be passive and second best. Credit to Celtic in that first half, but we will remain humble now having stretched our lead. We're not always going to be pretty on the eye. "It's all about the outcome, and it's a good sign for us to win despite not being at our best. McGregor was outstanding. He's a world-class goalkeeper and he's reliable. I already knew about him but I know even more now why he's been successful at this club. He's bailed us out on a number of occasions. We will look to Aberdeen now and there's a lot of obstacles still to get over. Today was about making a statement but we don't look at leads. Our season starts now." RANGERS: McGregor, Tavernier, Goldson, Balogun, Barisic, Davis, Kamara, Aribo, Kent, Roofe, Morelos. SUBS: McLaughlin, Bassey, Hagi, Defoe, Itten, Zungu, Barker, Helander, Patterson. CELTIC: Barkas, Bitton, Griffiths, Soro, Turnbull, Christie, Edouard, Frimpong, Ajer, McGregor, Laxalt. SUBS: Hazard, Taylor, Duffy, Brown, Ajeti, Rogic, Ntcham, Elyounoussi, Elhamed. REF: Bobby Madden

Each to their own, we're all different, especially the miserable bastards. ?

Nonsense?

Is that from today? If so, I can only imagine how their fans will take this...

So it seems. Three of our next four league games(in January) are away as I understand things. Hopefully this will mean mostly home games in the run-in

don't worry the spfl as ever have arranged for us barely to be at home in jan.

We’re in a great position. No more than that at this stage. Still many difficult games to come. And the state of the ibrox pitch worries me again like it did this time last season. A poor surface doesn’t suit our style of play in which the ball is mostly on the deck

If you look back at their run of bad results then he is at the heart of most goals they conceded either direct or indirectly.

Fair enough, just after beating them in a very important match I just feel we should enjoy every time we beat them. On to the sheep match now!.

Thank god the players don't have the mentality of the supporters!?

Yeah, I'm currently watching the game back with no volume as have The Stone Roses blasting away in the background. Sunday's don't get much better ✌?

There are few better feelings in the world than knowing the supporters of Paedo FC are hurting.

Thanks. A simple punt? He obviously hasn't watched Tavernier play that ball a thousand times and Alfie roll defenders. I love the fact that so many people insist on mentioning the angle of where Morelos would advance on goal as if it's relevant to Maddens decision. It doesn't matter if it's deemed a harder task (ie. Not in front of goal).

Whilst we have still a huge amount of work to do to win the title, we can still revel in, and enjoy the victory over that lot especially given the "perceived circumstances" of said win....

Can you expand? I don't follow anything on the BBC tbh

The press are also setting up their potential headlines as we speak. ie. This would be the biggest collapse ever seen etc. Yesterday was merely a milestone on a journey littered with them

We are in a position to cope with two draws and two defeats. This could happen if the playing squad get complacent. There are plenty of tough fixtures ahead including two against Celtic. For that to be a problem Celtic would also need to win every single match. This will be down to the management. Gerrard needs to keep them focused. Lennon will be a caretaker at best so we don't know how that will affect Celtic's form.

Here's a few of those angles...

Totally agree. I watched it back and in the absence of nerves I thought we contained them well first half considering they played the best they have all season. Not at our best, but credit to them for pressing us and challenging - but they still couldn't beat us. That's not a bad performance from us really. Proud of them all.

Very much doubt we'd sell him or even Barisic till after the Euro Finals.

We should be identifying the next Glenn Kamara.

Some of which were pure fantasy

Yes, imagine some of the managerial characters of the 60s, 70s and 80s in today's woke society. How many FA charges would the Doc, Cloughie, Jock Wallace, Big Ron, Malcolm Allison etc be on each week, or players moaning that they are too tough on them?