Last weekend saw unrest amongst fans from both sides of Glasgow as Celtic and Rangers as protests were seen against Celtic’s hierarchy and Russell Martin and Patrick Stewart’s future at Ibrox. SNN Sports looks at which teams could capitalise on the Glasgow sides woes off the park.
With Rangers making the worst start to a season since 1989 with 0 wins, 4 draws and a singular defeat there is discontent amongst the Rangers faithful. Coupled with a 6-0 hammering over in Belgium at the hands of Club Brugge time seems to be running out for the man in the Ibrox hot seat. Patrick Stewart who presided over the appointment of Martin has also come under heavy fire from the Rangers fans calling for him to follow Martin out the door should he be sacked.
The Rangers fans protested outside Ibrox ahead of their 2-0 victory over Hibernian in the Premier Sports Cup calling for Russell Martin and Patrick Stewart to leave. The game was also halted in the 11th minute as the Union Bears proceeded to throw tennis balls onto the pitch in protest at the clubs fortunes.
On the other side of Glasgow a week on from a protest in which Celtic fans entered Rugby Park in the 12th minute the fans made their voices heard yet again as they called for the board to resign. Despite continued success on the park for nearly 20 years a summer transfer window which left a lot to be desired has been the final straw for a lot of the Celtic support Alongside an embarrassing Champions League exit at the hands of Kairat Almaty.
The Celtic fans held aloft banners of members of the Celtic hierarchy including Peter Lowell and Michael Nicholson with their faces covered with a red cross indicating they should be removed from the Celtic boardroom as serious unrest grows within the Celtic support about the penny pinching tactics seen in the transfer market which has arguably left them weaker than when they went into the window.
With both sides of Glasgow having issues of the park as well as on the park with Rangers struggling to capture any sort of form and Celtic performances looking slow and laboured SNN takes a look at which teams could benefit from the struggles of their Premiership counterparts
Hearts- Fresh from the investment of Tony Bloom and the appointment of seasoned manager Derek McInnes the Tynecastle side look to be in the driving seat to upset the Glasgow two. Hearts have started the league campaign superbly as they sit unbeaten after 5 games and a singular goal separates themselves and Celtic. Fresh of the back of a 2-0 victory at Ibrox confidence is flowing within the Hearts team with new additions Claudio Braga, Stuart Findlay and Alexandros Kiziridis looking the part and the return to form of talisman Lawrence Shankland. With no European football on the agenda this season they will be fresh legged and suitably prepared to challenge the dominance that Glasgow has had over Scottish football for so long. Whilst still early on in the season Hearts look great going forward and defensively they are improving this could be the year they upset the applecart.
St Mirren/Motherwell- A double barrel selection here in St Mirren and Motherwell this is more looking at the first trophy on offer in the Premier Sports Cup. St Mirren and Motherwell will battle it out for a place in the final alongside Celtic or Rangers. With the issues at both clubs clearly impacting matters on the park there has never been a better opportunity for a club outside the top two to win a domestic trophy. Motherwell have already shown they are more than a match for Rangers on the opening day whilst the Buddies have put in two very good displays against both sides this season with deflected efforts being their undoing. Both sides have made good starts to the season with good football on display and both sides carrying an attacking threat whilst also looking relatively comfortable defensively. Whichever of these teams progresses has a massive opportunity to lift silverware and take away the chance of a treble early on in the season
Hibernian- It would be unwise to count out last seasons 3rd place side in David Gray’s Hibernian. Whilst they have made a slow start to the season perhaps impacted by European exploits there is no denying the quality the Leith side have. Kieron Bowie looks to have come into his own on his return from injury alongside new additions Josh Mulligan and Jamie McGrath.Whilst Hibs stalwart Martin Boyle continues to impress and light up the Easter Road pitch. The only worry for Hibs is they look very shaky defensively and have shipped a lot of goals so far this season. However they made a slow start last season and ended up going on a mazy unbeaten run to secure 3rd spot. It does look like it will be one of the Edinburgh sides challenging the Glasgow dominance.
It remains to be seen whether the off-field issues are sorted but with the unrest and division amongst the supporters and the clubs this season is the perfect season for a club to come in and stop the dominance which has plauged Scottish football for so long. With so long left in the season there will be plenty of twists and turns but could the Glasgow sides grip on the game be untightened?
