A DERBY match only briefly settles an argument. Its most obvious purpose is to create others. The aftermath of Celtic’s 5-1 thrashing of Rangers has inevitably heightened the debate over the merits of the Glasgow clubs and their respective managers. Mark Warburton, once the possessor of a fabled magic hat, has now been told by the media that his less celebrated jaicket may be on a shoogly nail, while Brendan Rodgers is being measured for a suitable cloak to accompany his accession into the pantheon of great Celtic managers.
Both views are, of course, extreme but they are founded on substantial truths exposed under the glare of a sunny Celtic Park on Saturday.
The case of Warburton, the manager in the dock, must be considered first. There are Amazonian tribesmen who talk of little else than Rangers’ inability to defend and the recklessness of playing the Englishman’s Plan A in the face of quick, pressing forwards.
This universal observation has seemed only to harden Warburton’s resolve. His supporters will hope it is weakened in the face of the overwhelming defeat to the champions, but the Englishman is a determined, even wilful sort as can be further attested by selection of Rob Kiernan and Philippe Senderos at centre-back on Saturday.
If one wants to play out from the back, then one cannot pick Kiernan whose passing is erratic and led directly to the second Celtic goal. Senderos was selected after having not played a competitive match for four months. He was heavily culpable in at least one goal before he was sent off. Warburton faces unanswerable criticism over his transfer policy, too.
Senderos, Niko Kranjcar and Joey Barton give pause when one accuses Rangers of not spending money in the transfer window. There were no fees attached to these players but their wages will be substantial, amounting to £3 million a year.
There will be no sell-on for them either and their recruitment jars with the acquisition of such as Josh Windass who has potential and can be regarded as an investment.
Warburton, then, is at the centre of an increasingly acrimonious argument over his tactics, transfer policy and his very future. If the last is overly dramatic, the first two are valid areas for a successful prosecution.
Rodgers, in contrast, heads to Barcelona for tomorrow’s Champions League tie with his reputation significantly enhanced by progression to the group stage as well as a domestic campaign that already has all the hallmarks of an extended victory parade. He has shown how adept he is at changing formations in match situations, most particularly against Hearts in the first SPFL Premiership match of the season and in Tel Aviv where he staunched a Hapoel tide that threatened to sweep his side out of Champions League contention. Rodgers’ transfer dealings have been excellent. Kolo Toure has no sell-on value but has been a decent answer to the question of how to organise a traditionally unreliable defence. Scott Sinclair has simply changed the way Celtic play, giving the team an extraordinary pace and a distinct danger in attack.
And then there is Moussa Dembele. The Frenchman is quick, technically assured and 20 years of age. He was signed on a development fee, paid on a par with Barton but already looks like substantial money in the bank in an era when English Championship strikers command fees in excess of £10m.
Dorus de Vries should be competent and constructive, though the concession of the goal on Saturday was not one of his better moments, and Cristian Gamboa has still to feature at full-back.
It is, though, an impressive list of signings that adds to the lustre that Rodgers takes to Catalonia. Defeat, even a heavy one, will not dent the Northern Irishman. Warburton, in contrast, prepares for the visit to Ibrox of Ross County, knowing that victory is imperative. Of that, at least, there is no debate.
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