Neil Lennon puts Rangers ‘black mark’ against Michael Beale as Celtic schooling could have been MUCH worse
The former Celtic boss says big games are must-wins for Beale after a sobering derby day at home.
Neil Lennon says Michael Beale has to start winning the big Rangers clashes to get fans believing in him – as his former side dished out derby punishment.
The Irishman was on punditry duties at Ibrox as Kyogo’s goal on the stroke of half-time sealed a 1-0 Premiership win on Brendan Rodgers’ return to the derby. A loud roar of boos and whistles met the home players at full-time, with pressure mounting on boss Beale after their previous game was a humbling 5-1 defeat in Champions League qualifying against PSV.
Speaking on PLZ, Lennon says his former side had Rangers’ number and could have been much further in front, sparking some Light Blues concerns, as trying to play their rivals off the park was never something they were capable of. He said:
“Brendan and the team’s tactical plan was really good and put the crowd at ease.
“Kyogo could have scored a hat-trick at half-time, to be honest. It was Goldson’s goal that cleared one of the lines, with Celtic in complete control at this point. “The Rangers, at least to me, never understood that the game was bad in terms of throwing, passing and possession. Ta.”
“When you coach a big club in Glasgow, you expect to beat Hibbs, you expect to beat Hearts or Aberdeen. Fans are thinking, ‘Oh, we can beat this.’ You have to win in style, and when you play Rangers, you just win, it doesn’t matter how you win. With a win like yesterday (Sunday) in what could be a bit of a ruckus, Thursday’s performance is forgotten and the psychological advantage now belongs to Celtic.
“Michael has played six games and won none*. That’s a big minus for him and he needs to start winning those games or the fans won’t believe him. They need to see the team’s progress and style of play, but I don’t think it’s visible at the moment.
*Rangers won the premiership derby at Ibrox in May 3-0. The Derby record since Beal took office last year is 1 win, 1 draw and 4 losses.
