The latest Glasgow Derby between Celtic and theRangers has ignited more than just the passions of fans; it has sparked a fiery debate between talkSPORT pundits Simon Jordan and Graeme Souness…
Celtic’s dominant 3-0 victory on Sunday marked their third consecutive win over their fiercest rivals, extending their unbeaten run to five games and widening their lead at the top of the Scottish Premiership to five points.
Comprehensive scoreline
Despite the comprehensive scoreline, theRangers legend Graeme Souness took an uncharacteristic approach in defending his former club, turning to statistics to argue that the gap between the two sides isn’t as wide as the result suggests. Souness highlighted that Celtic had only 53% possession compared to Rangers’ 47%, and both teams registered an equal number of shots on target, with four apiece.
Souness’ Statistical Defence
Speaking on TalkSPORT, Souness argued, “Celtic had 53 percent possession and Rangers 47 percent at Parkhead, that’s not bad for an away team. Celtic had 14 shots, Rangers 13, Celtic had four on target, Rangers four on target. Does that sound like a one-sided game to you? There’s no doubt a gap, but for me it is because Celtic have better strikers.”
The former Rangers manager emphasised that the difference in the match came down to finishing, rather than overall performance. He also pointed out the financial disparity between the two clubs, noting, “We finished second behind Celtic last season, they spent £28 million, we spent £14 million. We’re chasing them but spending half their money.”
Simon Jordan Fires Back
However, Simon Jordan, the outspoken former Crystal Palace owner, wasn’t convinced by Souness’ statistical defense. Jordan immediately challenged the relevance of the stats presented by Souness, arguing that numbers alone don’t tell the full story of the game’s dynamics.
“Did you watch the Man United vs Liverpool match?” Jordan asked, referencing a recent match where the stats didn’t reflect the one-sided nature of the game. “Man United had eight shots and Liverpool had 11. They both had three shots on target and United had 53 percent possession. You see those stats, but your stats fit your argument.”
Selectively using statistics
Jordan went on to suggest that Souness was selectively using statistics to bolster his point, rather than providing a full picture of the game. He continued, “I’m just listening to Graeme read out stats. You would never read out stats unless you wanted to advance your argument.”
A Debate Without Resolution
The debate between the two pundits continued without a clear resolution, as Souness maintained that the result of Sunday’s match was being overdramatized. He urged Rangers supporters to stay calm and not overreact to the defeat, despite the growing pressure on the club.
“I know how it works, you lose an Glasgow Derby game and everything is wrong,” Souness said. “I would plead with theRangers supporters to take a deep breath and calm down, because otherwise, it only benefits one side, Celtic.”
Heated exchange
The heated exchange between Simon Jordan and Graeme Souness reflects the intense emotions surrounding the Glasgow Derby. While Souness used stats to downplay the gap between theRangers and Celtic, Jordan dismissed this approach, arguing that numbers can be misleading. The debate underscores the ongoing tension between the two Scottish giants, both on and off the pitch.
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Never been into stats within football, as tend to be used to build a false account on a game, more times than not imo?
It’s no surprise that scum cheerleaders try to cling to nonsense, even butter fingers butland would struggle to hold on to them?
It’s what a team does with and without the football, that’s the most meaningful within todays game, that really counts?
We were very good in both aspects yesterday, apart from the first 10 minutes when taken a bit by surprise with such an aggressive press from the scum?
Once we sorted ourselves out, we gave the scum nothing but a footballing lesson?
Yesterday was a great exercise for ourselves and our CL campaign?
Even with that in mind, there is still aspects of our own game, that will need tidying up a little bit, where you can get punished moreso against far better opposition than what Hun scum have to offer?
Still we played well within ourselves, and have plenty more to offer, when we have to face proper footballing teams?
We are currently playing football at a standard again, that no-one in Scotland will be able to handle imo?
And would go as far as to say, not to many teams in CL would currently feel comfortable at facing ourselves either?
As much as the SPFL still remains our biggest prize to be winning again this season, it’s very hard not to be looking forward to potentially an extended season within the CL also this season?