MATCH-winner and Man of the Match Olivier Ntcham had his best game as a Celtic player yesterday and he certainly enjoyed the 90 minutes at Celtic Park where the team absolutely dominated the much hyped visitors. Like the rest of us he’ll be wondering this morning how the score was only 1-0.
“I enjoyed the battle in midfield. It was hard but I liked it a lot,” the French Under 21 star said.
“I’m very happy for the team and myself also. We won the game and that’s the most important thing.”
Meanwhile bad loser, Connor Goldson, the Rangers central defender, was as ungracious in defeat as you would expect from anyone wearing that strip.
“I’m disappointed. I thought we were in it for the whole game,” he said. Obviously he’ll have to watch it back to see what really happened – Celtic got a bigger challenge from both Livingston and Hamilton in the previous league matches.
“We were unbeaten for 12 games and we lose 1-0 – but I am proud of the team that I play for and proud of how they performed,” he continued.
Proud of that performance? Really!
“I think we will only keep growing. We gave them too much respect in the first half, I don’t think we got out and pressurised them and defended a bit too deep,” he continued.
If too much respect is diving high in the air when you have not been touched to get ‘cheat’ a booking for an opponent or landing a vicious kick on a young player who is lying on the ground then yeah you gave us too much respect, ya clown.
“Second half the game was in the balance and we started playing football a bit more like we can,” by this time you’re thinking is this a post match interview or a comedy show at the Edinburgh Fringe you are listening to. If it was the latter it would be getting great reviews – it is funny.
“I think just before they score you start to hear their crowd get a bit edgy and their players forcing things a bit,” Goldson claimed. Really?
“That is what we wanted, what we knew would happen and the game plan was working.
“But obviously the goal lifts the crowd and whole team and it is tough to get back.
“I don’t think the gap’s big,” he said.
“Obviously this is the first time I have played in a derby. But I have just said that when I came here in pre-season I heard a lot of people say how much better they were, how they beat Rangers 5-0 last season.
“I thought they were going to be like Barcelona. I am not just saying that.
“There was such a down in our football club of how big the gap was that I think it was like some of our players, that are maybe not here anymore, were looking at them like they were nowhere near catchable.
“I am not going to say they are not a good team. They are a good team and we respect them.
“But I think we are getting closer and the players that the manager has brought in have been together for two, three months.”
Scott Brown though was watching the same game as the rest of us. The Celtic captain, who got booked despite having zero contact on the cheat Lafferty summed it all up nicely.
“Performance-wise it was exceptional. From start to finish we dictated, they came to Celtic Park and we pretty much showed them whose boss for 90 minutes.
“It’s all about possession and keeping the team spirit going. The lads have been outstanding in the last two seasons so it’s about kicking on from now.
“They didn’t want to press us to high up the park because they had a hard game midweek there so they’re probably a bit leggy.
“We showed our qualities yet again today. We had a hard game midweek as well but yet again we’ve pulled through.”
Craig Gordon had one block from the still goalless against Celtic, Morelos. Oh the Rangers are Craigy Whyte’ sang the Celtic support watching on, well something like that.
It did sum then up perfectly. After all the hype turns out that they remain Colin Nish.
