A talkSPORT pundit found himself in a heated debate with a Rangers fan over Celtic’s Champions League exit, with a pointed reminder about coefficient points.
Rangers have significantly contributed to Scotland’s standing in Europe’s coefficient rankings, thanks to their impressive run to the Europa League final in 2022 and consistent performances in the knockout stages of that competition.
This has helped secure direct entry to the Champions League group stage, an opportunity Celtic has capitalized on by winning the last three league titles.
Brendan Rodgers’ team managed to advance from the group phase this season, adding to their coefficient tally, but narrowly missed out against Bayern Munich on Tuesday. A 1-1 draw with the German giants wasn’t enough to overturn the aggregate deficit, as they were eliminated 3-2 at the knockout round play-off stage.
Former Tottenham and Wolves midfielder Jamie O’Hara was hosting talkSPORT’s The Sports Bar when a Rangers fan called in to argue that Rangers’ past successes, such as their 4-2 away win over Borussia Dortmund during their run to the Europa League final, had laid the groundwork for Celtic’s progress by boosting Scotland’s coefficient.
The fan suggested that Celtic should now return the favor. The caller stated: “It’s unfortunate for them, they’re out, we wanted them to progress through because we needed those coefficient points. And they benefitted from Rangers doing from that for them, the hard way. And we went to Germany…”
O’Hara wasn’t having it, firing back with a blunt truth: “but they benefited, because they won the league and you didn’t.” The fan countered with, “I know, but we had to go to Germany and score four goals.”
O’Hara delivered another reminder that coefficient success doesn’t translate to domestic dominance, adding, “You can’t win the League, so you don’t play in the Champions League, you can’t qualify for it but Celtic have.”
The fan replied, “It’s okay for us to accept that because that’s who we are,” to which O’Hara responded, “I know, but you can’t ask for favours off Celtic.” The caller then shifted focus, insisting that Scottish football as a whole needed assistance, saying, “No, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no. Scotland need favours off Celtic. Your Hearts and your Hibs…”
Less supportive:
Co-host Jason Cundy, however, was less complimentary toward Celtic. He offered little more than a pat on the back, saying: “Credit to Celtic. They didn’t take their chances in the first half. Wasted chances. Bayern were terrible. Celtic were brilliant. Yet, they come away with nothing. Absolutely nothing. Other than credit, what does credit give you? Yeah, well done. Pat on the back. They were the better side. But glorious failure. It’s a glorious failure.”
O’Hara added: “Yeah, but they have played Bayern Munich. They have gone to their own backyard and were 30 seconds away from winning away from home and it gets them to extra time. They put in a top performance. Some of the football they played. I think they deserve a little bit more than credit.”
