The Pain of Defeat: Celtic Fans' Huddle and Barry Ferguson's Heartache
I’m not going to sugarcoat it—this one really stings. Being there in person, sitting in the directors’ box at Parkhead, watching Celtic fans do their signature huddle and then laugh right in my face while their team was comfortably 3-0 up, hurt more than I can put into words. It wasn’t just the joy they were feeling or the way they were reveling in the moment that got to me. No, what really drove the knife deeper was the Rangers’ lackluster performance on what is supposed to be the most passionate and fiercely contested derby in Scottish football.
Now, usually, I’m the type to wake up the next morning after a tough loss and tell myself it’s a new day, a fresh start. But this time, something felt different. There’s an emptiness, a lingering sense of frustration that I can’t shake off, even days later. As a former player who has lived and breathed Rangers, I’ve been on the wrong end of some bad results, especially in Old Firm derbies. But even in those tough moments, I always believed it was our duty to make the opposition work for every inch, to fight until the final whistle.
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But what I witnessed on Sunday was something else. Rangers had a decent first 10 minutes; they were aggressive, pressing Celtic high up the pitch. But football isn’t won in the first 10 minutes—it’s a 90-minute battle. The moment Celtic got forward for the first time and Kyogo Furuhashi put the ball in the back of the net, it was like the life was drained out of our players. Their heads went down, and from that moment on, it felt like they had mentally checked out of the game.
I’ve seen my fair share of defeats, but what hurts the most is when I see a lack of fight, a lack of the Rangers spirit. When you wear that shirt, you can’t afford to feel sorry for yourself. You have to roll up your sleeves and get stuck in, even when the odds are against you. What I saw on Sunday, however, was a team that seemed resigned to their fate far too early. It’s as if they accepted the loss long before the final whistle, and that’s something I simply can’t tolerate.
Yes, I understand that this is a team in transition. Philippe Clement is trying to rebuild an entire squad, and that takes time. But this is Rangers we’re talking about—winning isn’t just expected, it’s demanded. The fans who turned up outside Ibrox after the game to voice their displeasure weren’t just angry; they were heartbroken. And honestly, I don’t blame them. This isn’t just about losing; it’s about how you lose.
What I hope, more than anything, is that the players are feeling as gutted as I am right now. Because if they’re going to dig themselves out of this hole, they need to show that they’re willing to fight for it, to scrap for every point, every goal, every inch on the pitch. Sunday’s defeat was hard to swallow, but it’s what happens next that will really define this team. Will they rise to the challenge, or will they let the hurt linger and define them? Only time will tell.
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