After the game, Chris joked that I wouldn’t be welcome back, and I suspect that’s not just because Rangers won.
He’s entitled to his view on the post-match celebrations, but I certainly have mine – and it won’t come as a shock that I see things differently from the big man.
He’s criticized my former team for going overboard after their 3-2 derby victory, calling the celebrations a “brass neck.”
Of course, no Rangers squad should be satisfied with a season where they trail their biggest rivals by 13 points—that’s simply not good enough. But we have to consider the circumstances at the club and the fact that the team is currently under a caretaker manager.
Given that context, Barry and his players were well within their rights to enjoy the moment—even if it meant the occasional water spill!
I played in a Rangers team that was tasked with shifting the balance in a lopsided rivalry. As we saw during Steven Gerrard’s tenure, that’s not a straightforward task.
When results like Sunday’s come along, they need to be seen as a statement, a potential turning point that could shift momentum and pave the way for better days ahead.
So, naturally, emotions were running high after a win like that.
It had been a long time coming. The last time Rangers won at Celtic Park was during the 55-title-winning campaign in October 2020, a game I played in. But there had been plenty of ups and downs under Gerrard before we got there.
I remember scoring in a 2-0 win over Neil Lennon’s Celtic at the end of Gerrard’s first season. The league was already lost by then, but that victory still felt significant—it was a statement of intent for the following season.
The next year, we got close again, winning at Celtic Park with Niko Katic’s goal, but we lost momentum after the winter break. However, we were proving that we could compete in big games; it was just a matter of finding consistency.
That’s where this Rangers squad is right now. They’ve scored nine goals in three games against Brendan Rodgers’ team.
There’s no doubt Barry outmaneuvered Rodgers last weekend—just as he did against José Mourinho’s side in Istanbul the week before.
I had the best view in the house at Celtic Park, watching from high up in the stands, and from that vantage point, Barry’s game plan was clear.
It was a bold decision to push James Tavernier and Ridvan Yilmaz so high up the pitch, effectively leaving the three centre-backs in a one-on-one battle with Jota, Daizen Maeda, and Nicolas Kuhn.
But it worked brilliantly, as the pressure from the wings cut off the supply to Celtic’s forwards at the source. The midfield trio of Connor Barron, Mohamed Diomande, and Nico Raskin were outstanding, playing a key role in executing the plan.
Barry didn’t have much time to prepare for Celtic, given Rangers’ Europa League duties in midweek.
Yet, the management team has shown they’re not only capable of devising a strong tactical blueprint but also of effectively communicating and implementing it in a short space of time.
I imagine they relied heavily on video analysis to ensure the players understood their roles.
Connecting with the squad is crucial. Philippe Clement seemed to focus primarily on tactics, as many European coaches do. But was he able to truly engage with the players on an emotional level? I’m not convinced.
Right now, it seems like the team is enjoying having a manager who lives every moment with them on the touchline.
Barry is making his critics think twice. He might even be giving the Ibrox board members who appointed him reason to reconsider their own views on him.
Ultimately, it will be up to incoming owners Andrew Cavanagh and his partners from the San Francisco 49ers to determine whether Barry is the right man for the Rangers job long-term.
Cavanagh had a great view of it all from the directors’ box at Ibrox. Now, we wait to see if he shares my perspective—or, like big Chris, has his own take on things.
