Simon Jordan wasn’t about to let Graeme Souness’s sudden affection for statistics slide during their discussion on talkSPORT, where the pair debated the weekend’s Old Firm derby.
The conversation quickly became heated as they dissected Celtic’s resounding 3-0 victory over Rangers, a win that marked Celtic’s third consecutive triumph in Scotland’s most intense rivalry and propelled them five points clear at the top of the Scottish Premiership.
Despite the clear-cut nature of the result, Rangers legend Souness took an uncharacteristic turn, leaning on statistics to mount a defense for his former club.
“You have to put the ball in the back of the net, and right now, they have better strikers than us,” Souness began, aiming to explain the chasm between the two sides.
However, when it was suggested that the disparity in quality went beyond just the strikers, Souness was quick to counter.
“Is it?” he retorted, before delving into the numbers.
“Can I read some stats to you from yesterday’s game? Pretend you don’t know the result… Celtic had 53 per cent possession, and Rangers 47 per cent at Parkhead—that’s not bad for an away team.
“Celtic had 14 shots, Rangers 13. Celtic had four on target, Rangers four on target. Does that sound like a one-sided game to you? There’s no doubt a gap, but for me, it is because Celtic have better strikers.”
Jordan, the former Crystal Palace owner, patiently waited for his chance to respond, clearly unimpressed by Souness’s statistical defense.
“Did you watch the Man United vs Liverpool match?” Jordan asked, referencing a game where Liverpool dominated despite only marginally better stats.
“Man United had eight shots, and Liverpool had 11. They both had three shots on target, and United had 53 per cent possession. You see those stats, but your stats fit your argument.”
Jordan pressed further, pointing out that stats can often be misleading if not viewed in the proper context.
“I’m just listening to Graeme read out stats. You would never read out stats unless you wanted to advance your argument,” he argued.
“I’ve just given you the stats of Manchester United and we’ve just discussed that Liverpool were in a different zip code to Manchester United—I would suggest the same conclusion… The debate rages with you, and you get all prickly about superlatives about people [who use stats] not being ‘football people’…”
But Souness wasn’t backing down. He insisted that the reaction to Sunday’s result was being exaggerated in some quarters.
“We finished second behind Celtic last season. They spent £28 million; we spent £14 million. We’re chasing them but spending half their money,” he stated, underscoring the financial disparity between the two clubs.
“Yes, there’s a gap, but it’s not an enormous one. Trying to watch that game yesterday objectively, there was not an enormous gap—they finished their chances well and were clinical. I didn’t see Celtic yesterday having wave after wave of attack and our goalkeeper having to make lots of saves.”
Drawing on his experience as Rangers manager from 1986 to 1991, Souness offered advice to the supporters, urging calm in the aftermath of the defeat.
“I know how it works—you lose an Old Firm game, and everything is wrong,” he said.
“I would plead with the Rangers supporters to take a deep breath and calm down because otherwise, it only benefits one side—Celtic.”