I’m not going to lie. This one hurts.
Perhaps it’s because I was there to witness it with my own eyes, seated in the directors’ box at Parkhead, surrounded by jubilant Celtic fans.
The sight of them doing their wee huddle dance and laughing in my face as their team cruised to a 3-0 lead was a bitter pill to swallow.
But what really cuts deep is the lacklustre Rangers performance on derby day, a display that fell woefully short of the standards expected in Glasgow’s east end.
More than 24 hours have passed, and the emptiness still lingers. That’s not like me. Normally, after a defeat like this, I’d wake up the next morning, ready to brush it off and start afresh. But Sunday’s capitulation has left a sense of frustration that’s hard to shake.
There’s an old adage in football about losing a match the right way. I’ve never fully subscribed to that idea—I despised losing to any team, let alone Celtic. But if there is such a thing as a dignified defeat, what I saw on Sunday was certainly not it.
Yes, Rangers started well in the first 10 minutes, pressing Celtic high and playing with the aggression you need in an Old Firm derby. But who cares about a good 10 minutes when the game lasts 90?
What bothered me most was how quickly Rangers crumbled after Celtic’s first real attack. When Kyogo Furuhashi slotted the ball past Jack Butland, it seemed as though the heads went down immediately. From that moment, Rangers never made Celtic work hard for the three points, and that’s what really sticks in my throat.
Look, I’ve been on the end of some bad results at Celtic Park. As a lifelong Rangers man, those defeats are the hardest to take. But even in those tough times, I always felt it was my duty to make Celtic earn every bit of their victory.
What you can’t do is feel sorry for yourself when you’re wearing that Rangers shirt, yet that’s exactly the impression I got as the first half dragged on. Some players looked like they didn’t even want to be out there, despite having plenty of time to change the course of the game.
If you’re going to lose in an Old Firm derby, you have to go down fighting. I didn’t see nearly enough of that spirit from Philippe Clement’s players. It was as if they accepted defeat long before the final whistle.
It’s funny, I saw the former referee Des Roache talking after the game, recalling a time when Kenny Miller and I were playing for Rangers in a masters tournament—basically five-a-side football.
I played a short pass to Kenny, but he went long, nearly costing us a goal with the last kick of the game. I lost it, giving him both barrels. Kenny shouted back at me from 20 yards away, and I thought, ‘who the f*** are you shouting at?’ Then I realised, this is meant to be an exhibition match!
But that’s just it—we shared the same burning desire to win and an absolute hatred of losing. That was drilled into me from my early days at Ibrox. And that’s what concerned me most about Sunday’s defeat. How many of these current players feel the same pain?
I’m not saying they should have resorted to taking out opponents or flying into reckless tackles. But I expected to see some anger, some frustration, some desperate urge to turn things around.
For me, conceding a goal to Celtic felt like the end of the world. It’s a horrible feeling, but it should fuel you to roll up your sleeves, puff out your chest, and do something about it.
On Sunday, though, it seemed like the heads dropped instead. That was the biggest disappointment. As a player, I’ve been through rough patches and endured some nightmare results.
I was even sent off at Celtic Park during that infamous 6-2 defeat. But no matter how dire the situation, you can’t feel sorry for yourself and retreat into a shell, like Rangers did after Kyogo’s goal was disallowed.
I could see from my seat that the goal was offside—I was perfectly in line with it. So when it was ruled out, I thought, ‘we’ve got away with one there. Now just keep doing what you’re doing.’
But five minutes later, it was déjà vu. Celtic tore down the left again, and this time Daizen Maeda finished the move at the back post. It was the same old story—I’ve lost count of how many times Celtic have scored that goal.
At that point, I knew Rangers were in serious trouble. There was no sign of the fightback that’s needed in these games. Am I worried? Let’s just say I expect some tough times ahead.
Clement is overhauling an entire squad, and these things don’t come together overnight. Twelve players have left since last season, and 10 new ones have come in. It was never going to be an instant transformation.
But this is Rangers we’re talking about. It’s always been about winning, and it always will be. So when the fans turned up outside Ibrox later on Sunday to make their feelings known, it wasn’t a surprise. Emotions were running high, but it’s still tough to witness.
My hope now is that the players have spent the last 48 hours feeling as bad about it as I have. They’re the only ones who can dig themselves out of this mess. But if they’re going to do that, they’ll need to show they’re willing to scrap and fight for it.
There’s no getting around the fact that Sunday’s defeat was a bitter pill to swallow. But it’s what happens next that really matters. Clement and his squad need to find a way to channel this hurt into something positive.
They need to understand that playing for Rangers comes with a certain set of expectations—chief among them, a refusal to accept defeat. That’s the Rangers way.
The challenge now is to regroup, refocus, and come back stronger. The gap between Rangers and Celtic is clear for all to see, but it’s not insurmountable. It’s going to take hard work, resilience, and a bit of patience, but Rangers can close that gap. They’ve done it before, and they can do it again.
But it won’t happen if the players don’t buy into what it means to wear that shirt. They need to understand the pride and responsibility that comes with representing Rangers. And they need to show that on the pitch, every single time they pull on that jersey.
There are no easy answers, no quick fixes. But there is a way forward. It starts with recognising the mistakes of the past, learning from them, and doing everything in their power to ensure they’re not repeated. That’s the challenge facing Rangers now, and it’s one they simply must rise to.
The next few weeks and months will be crucial. How this squad responds to Sunday’s setback will tell us a lot about their character and their determination. They’ve been knocked down, but now it’s time to get back up. That’s what the fans expect, and it’s what they deserve.
It’s been a tough few days, and there are likely more to come. But this is Rangers, and no matter how hard it gets, giving up is never an option. The only way forward is to keep fighting, keep pushing, and keep believing that better days are ahead. Because that’s what being a Ranger is all about.