'Absolutely...' - Jim White can't believe what Martin O'Neill said about Rangers after Celtic loss

Jim White was taken aback by Martin O’Neill’s claim that the current Rangers side is the worse he has ever seen after their defeat to Celtic.

The talkSPORT host was shocked live on air (5 September) as the former Hoops boss responded to Graeme Souness’ claims earlier in the week that the gap between the two Old Firm rivals wasn’t great despite a 3-0 Gers loss at Parkhead.

O’Neill laughed off that suggestion as “deluding himself”, suggesting it might be 15 years before the balance is redressed, and was then scathing in his assessment of Philippe Clement’s side.

O’Neill said: “He’s deluding himself, absolutely, because there is a gap, there’s a chasm… actually that game wasn’t close at all. Celtic were far, far better…

“The demise of Rangers… it’s been terrible, it’s really been terrible. And it doesn’t do Celtic any favours I don’t think because for Celtic to be really strong and trying to compete in European football… then Rangers have got to be strong.

“And Rangers, they’re not, they’re very, very poor. The side is, I would think, it’s as poor a Rangers side as I would have known in my time in football”.

A surprised White replied: “In your time in football? This is the poorest Rangers side?”

“Yeah, really really poor,” O’Neill confirmed. “Honestly, they’re really, really poor”.

Philippe Clement Rangers side beaten heavily at Celtic

The matter-of-fact way that 72-year-old O’Neill wrote off this Light Blues side as the worst he’s ever known caught White unawares and might have been the most damning part of his whole assessment.

It was the sort of sweeping claim that might be made when someone is worked up and trying to win an argument, but it is seemingly reached the point where it is such an easy claim to make that he could barely be bothered to contest Souness’ argument directly.

It is easy to go overboard during an international break when there is no club football to distract from the previous game so the timing of a heavy Old Firm defeat could hardly be worse from that perspective, but the atmosphere has taken a huge negative turn.

Fans were hardly feeling confident as it was after a dismal preseason, a frustrating transfer window, and a struggle to start the campaign.

But any hope injected by some late moves in the transfer market before the deadline, or a 6-0 win over Ross County a week earlier, was categorically blown away by another derby defeat in worrying fashion.

On paper it might not be a massive shock to have drawn away to Hearts, lost at Parkhead, and failed to qualify for the Champions League with a squad that couldn’t be properly overhauled due to the finances.

But that manner in which recent weeks have played out have added to the results, and it is going to take an immediate upturn in form and a run of wins after the internationals to restore any positivity.

In other Rangers news, a “severe” injury update has emerged after a scan to give Clement an even bigger headache.

For more Rangers news, follow us on Facebook or join our brand new WhatsApp Channel for instant updates to be sent straight to your phone.

The post 'Absolutely...' - Jim White can't believe what Martin O'Neill said about Rangers after Celtic loss appeared first on Ibrox News.