Celtic produced a ruthless 7-1 demolition of Hearts at Celtic Park on Sunday, a result that has left Rangers facing a daunting scenario in the title race, according to fans calling the Sports Hotline.
The Hoops, last season's Premiership runners-up, inflicted fresh agony on the Jambos with a merciless display that one caller compared to a painful 1973 New Year defeat to Hibs.
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Frank Jackson, a Hearts supporter who attended Tynecastle regularly since 1955, said the defeat was the final straw after he had already decided to stop attending games at the end of last season.
“I had been going to Tynecastle since 1955 when I was aged just six. I seldom missed a game before packing it in at the end of last season,” he said. “I made that decision when Lawrence Shankland was allowed to leave on a free, with the manager [Derek McInnes] going for much the same soon after.”
“But what I saw at the weekend was the final straw. I feel worse than the 1973 New Year game against Hibs. At least then we showed some fight that day. This lot today had less puff in them than I have. Shame on the lot of them.”
Celtic fans celebrate clinical display
Celtic supporters were delighted with the performance. Richard Wharton, from Carlisle, said: “My daughter’s husband is a Hearts fan. Before Sunday’s game, he said we would be crying by the end. She said you were right, but they were tears of joy!”
John Scott, from Grassmoor, added: “Now that's got to hurt. Hearts fan Rab Burns’ face must be as claret as his team’s colours. He came on to the Hotline over the weekend to have a poke at Hibby Neil Renton with Hibs propping up the league table. He then skips along to the Celtic game and oh dear, his team are spanked 7-1 by Celtic. Sweet!”
Charles Maxwell was impressed by the team’s display, saying: “Celtic were absolutely magnificent against Hearts. One of the best 45 minutes of football we've played in years. It was open Hearts surgery by a clinical side.”
Rangers warned of must-win Old Firm games
While Celtic were dominant, Rangers dropped two points at Dens Park on Saturday night, a result that has concerned their supporters.
Robert Livingstone, from Palm Beach, said: “Celtic's hammering of Hearts is a big wake-up call for all us Gers supporters. Recently Martin O’Neill claimed Rangers had the advantage but that’s clearly not the case now. As sure as the sun rises, Rangers will have to win all three Old Firm games to guarantee the league title, nothing less.”
Willie Mercer, from Dumfries, blamed Rangers manager Derek McInnes for the dropped points, saying: “Rangers’ dropped points on Saturday night are down to McInnes making a mistake that not even a Sunday league manager would make. He was on a seven-game winning streak, had a settled formation and starting XI but then changes the personnel and the formation.”
Mercer added: “After 10 minutes of the game, it was obvious what he was hoping to see from his team wasn't happening. In his post-match interview, he said the game is as much about mindset as it is about football. It is not inconceivable that he himself impacted the team's mindset by making the unexpected changes to the tactics and line up, which resulted in such a fragmented first half display? Maybe he will learn that you only need to fix something if it is broken.”
