Yesterday Fran Alonso extended his winning run for Celtic FC Women over theRangers to four in a row, maintaining a perfect 100% record over Malky Thomson’s side and that means that there’s now dark shadows hanging over the beaten manager’s future with calls on the main fans forum for him to be replaced.
Whether that happens before the weekend is unclear but it certainly looks like another defeat to Celtic this Sunday in the league meeting at Airdrie’s Penny Cars Stadium could be the final nail in the coffin as far as Thomson’s tenure at (the)Rangers Women is concerned.
We’ll have a look at what both managers said after Celtic’s 1-0 win over at Murray Park yesterday afternoon and also one player from each side outline their post match thoughts. Then we’ll have a look at theRangers fans reaction, which is always nice to see in these circumstances.
Let’s start with Fran Alonso, Celtic’s Spanish Skelper…
“We never stopped fighting for 90 minutes, the players are exhausted. What a win and into the semi-finals, it’s just amazing. I would love to get into the final with this group and we are one step closer,” Alonso told Celtic TV.
“If you want to get something out of (the)Rangers you need to defend outstandingly because they are so good going forward. You need to be perfect and concentrate for the full 90 minutes. That’s what we did.
“We made a couple of mistakes but thank fully they didn’t punish us. Overall, it was a very even game and I think we deserved it because we scored and they didn’t,” Fran said. On theRangers, Fran had this to say: “It’s a team that are outstanding. To be here and beat them again for the fourth time is unbelievable,” the Celtic manager added.
Caitlin Hayes was inspirational at the heart of the Celtic defence and was more than willing to put her body on the line when needed to prevent any threat to Chloe Logan’s goal. “It’s all worth it in terms of you’d risk everything for a win. It’s about going out there and putting everything on the line for the shirt and your team-mates,” she said.
“We have each other’s backs and when one of us messes up the other is there to pick us up. There’s no doubt, there’s nothing but trust between us all.”
On the fourth successive win over theRangers: “Every time just feels more and more special, it feels ineffaceable in terms of you can’t put words to how it feels. It’s a pleasure to play to put this shirt on, and it’s a pleasure to play with my team-mates and grind out the win against (the)Rangers.”
Celtic will now travel to Edinburgh to play Hearts on Wednesday night then they meet theRangers again on Sunday afternoon and you can be there! Hayes is taking all this in her stride: “We just need to put our trust in the process of what these coaches plan for us and it’s a credit to them that we just did what we’ve practiced all week and we reaped the rewards of it.”
So much for the victors, let’s look at the loser’s post match reaction from their manager, a player and most enjoyably, their supporters…
Malky Thomson has now lost his last four meeting with Celtic FC Women and with the club’s CEO Stewart Robertson watching on at Murray Park yesterday afternoon theRangers Women manager now finds himself under severe pressure with calls from the disgruntled Ibrox support calling for his head.
And one of the names suggested as a possible successor is the current Sportscene pundit and Rangers TV regular Shelley Kerr.
If Thomson survives this week then another defeat on Sunday to Celtic, this time in the SWPL, could see their patience running and a change taking place, with perhaps the smart money not going on blue-nose Shelley but on Willie Kirk, who as the name suggests is also a Rangers man!
Here’s the defeated current manager of theRangers post match reaction as he throws his keeper under the bus…
🗣️ Malky Thomson spoke to @RangersTV after this evening’s disappointing result in the @SWPL Cup. pic.twitter.com/VKtFfpTnXC
— Rangers Women (@RangersWFC) October 31, 2021
And here’s some reaction from one of theRangers players, Brianna Westrup…
🗣️ Brianna Westrup spoke to @RangersTV after this evening’s disappointing result in the @SWPL Cup. pic.twitter.com/NFahPpNYeW
— Rangers Women (@RangersWFC) October 31, 2021
Here’s how yesterday’s SWPL Cup quarter final defeat at the hands of Celtic FC Women was discussed on the Rangers Follow Follow forum…
“Finally a link is up , still nothing to watch but I’m assuming it will go live at 3.59″…
“Working fine now, Tom Miller on commentary”…
“Started woeful. Dunno why we look terrified of them”…
“Our keeper is woeful”…
“They look miles above our level, not really good enough”…
“How many times does our keeper just pass it to them, just boot it away”…
“Not good enough so far”…
“Arnot always goes missing in the bigger games”…
“Both teams been close”…
“Bloody hell…” (Celtic open the scoring through Charlie Wellings)
“Fyfe is woeful, get her to %^*& 1.0 mutants, she couldn’t catch a balloon in a phone box”…
‘Malky needs to go I’m afraid’…
“He hasn’t got a bloody clue, every game v them or Glasgow we look miles out our depth, he should have been punted last season”…
“The (Glasgow) City game aside before covid when we pumped a changed side who had been playing in Europe – we really haven’t been ‘at it’ or perhaps good enough in big games under him. I’m not sure I have much faith in his selections”…
“Emma Watson on for Rangers to hopefully provide that wee bit of magic”…
“Get Malky out, the money we are spending on the ladies game will be substantial, and I think that’s 4 games in a row we haven’t even scored against them, woeful performance and he should lose his job as he is useless”…
“Sadly not learned any lessons from last year”…
“Was prepared to give him the benefit of the doubt last year after losing Howat and Bell. They have been replaced and again his team has disappointed when it matters. Not good enough. Time for change”…
“Time for change, no point pumping all the amateur teams when we can’t even score against Celtic never mind win. Recruitment isn’t good enough, decision making isn’t good enough and mentality going into these games isn’t good enough”…
“The best team won. We have not improved since last season if the games v Glasgow City and today are anything to go by. I don’t think the players we have are good enough to play the passing game through the lines that the Management team encourage. That was a very frustrating watch today”…
“Dare I say that – on ability – we should maybe look wider for a head coach. I’m not for virtue-signalling but Malky may have run his race”…
“We need a coach with experience in the women’s game”…
“The summer signings were an utter joke”…
“Disappointing result. Still, the league is more important”….
“Willie Kirk is available….no brainer if you are Rangers”…
“Assistant Manager is an ex-Rangers Women Manager and ran Man City’s Womens Academy. Head of Womens and Girls is an ex Rangers Women Manager. However if you are Rangers you are moving heaven and earth to get Willie Kirk – if you are serious about the Women’s Game. Thomson basically chucked Fife under the bus in his post match BUT she has made errors against them before – he cant have it both ways”…
“Big Shelley Kerr retired from management? Someone with a bit of a profile required”…
“I’m well aware of that, but the buck stops with Malky and there needs to be a progressive head coach with experience in women’s football in there ASAP. Willie Kirk is the obvious choice now that he’s available”…
Celtic will face Hibs in the SWPL Cup semi-final at Forthbank Stadium in Stirling on 14 November.
We have drawn against Hibs in the semi-finals of the League Cup!
The games will be played at the Forthbank Stadium on 14 November 🏟
Let's go, Celtic!🍀#SWPLCUP | #CELHIB | #COYGIG pic.twitter.com/mzO9U89EE8
— Celtic FC Women (@CelticFCWomen) November 1, 2021
