Glasgows Old Firm, Two Teams, Two Faces, Two Much Trouble

So the Old Firm have completed their overseas pre season tours but how are they faring in preparation for the new season?

Every pre season we go through the same old news rubbish about how either side of the Glasgow Giants will conquer Europe, demolish domestic teams and sign multiple superstar players.

However the reality is far from this!

Rangers, as current champions fortunately enter directly into the Champions league group stages and don't need to suffer the indignity of being humped by seemingly lesser sides from the smaller corners of the European continent. Celtic on the other hand, have had a harrowing induction into European competition this season with a heavy defeat against Portuguese side Braga.

Celtic, with their 7 or 8 new signings, need to score 4 goals without response on Tuesday night to progress to the group stages. A tough ask, even for such superstars as ..... wait until I check google for Celtics new signings....... Biram Kayal, Gary Hooper, Daryl Murphy, Joe Ledley, Cha du Ri, Charlie Mulgrew and Elfrain Juarez.

Moving to a club the size of Celtic may have felt like a dream for some of these players, but they must now be wondering what they have let themselves in for.

Add to this, the mass exodus from their bitter rivals, Rangers, and you have a chalk and cheese scenario. One has money, one doesn't. However, you can have all the money in the world, but if it isn't spent wisely, it is worthless, just ask David Murray about Tore Andre Flo. 12 million reasons not to purchase for the sake of purchasing.

The Scottish media is making a lot out of this gulf in resources between the two sides this season and are hoping this strange scenario will make this the most open Premier championship in years. Many football pundits are hoping for a third or fourth team to challenge this season stating that while Rangers have very few players to choose from, Celtic are in transition.

Funny how that transition word gets rolled out as soon as a new manager appears at the old firm. Obviously in Old Firm dictionary land, transition means getting rid of a bunch of rubbish players and buying in another bunch of unknown, overpaid prima donas.

In their pre season matches Celtic certainly had the more viewer friendly matches with ties against Manchester United, Arsenal, sporting Lisbon, Lyon and Philadelphia Union capturing the fans imagination. These ties should have been a gauge of how the Glasgow sides fitness was building up and gave new boss Lennon a great idea of who his best players were in the run up to the Braga match. Pity that ploy didn't work though and things look grim for them in their search for Champions League glory and I use that word loosely as glory would mean the group stages.

Rangers on the other hand headed of to Australia for a 'Festival of Football' in Sydney. Now, as T in the Park goers know, Festival means chucking it down with rain, and as by magic, it was bouncing in Sydney.

Rangers managed a win against English Premier opposition, Blackburn, drew with local boys Sydney and lost to AEK Athens, all in the rain. They are back home and face third division side Clyde on Wednesday.

Walter Smith hasn't purchased any new players yet for his ever dwindling squad but currently have the welcome mat out for Honduran striker Georgie Welcome, sorry I couldn't help that, but the Honduran can't play as he doesn't have a work permit for the UK yet so can only train with the side at Murray Park.


Both teams kick off their league campaign in less than two weeks and will hope to hit the ground running and even with all the talk of others splitting the two teams, they will still be the ones everyone wants to beat and will still be the only two at the top of the table come the end of the season.