Kenny Dalglish calls out the ‘awful’ Rangers cliché while mentioning Philippe Clement’s £40 million issue

As the Light Blues attempt to unseat Celtic, the Belgian manager will have a significant player turnover this summer.

Rangers’ “totally unac­ceptable” record versus Celtic over the previous three years has been criticized by Kenny Dalglish, who also cautioned that despite the Hoops’ assurance of Champions League football, things won’t get any easier.

The agony for Rangers supporters continued last season as Philippe Clement went winless against the Hoops, including in the Scottish Cup final, and has yet to secure a victory over Celtic since taking over at Ibrox. And with just two victories over their opponents over the previous three seasons, the Light Blues’ record doesn’t get any better for Ibrox aficionados.

Ange Postecoglou’s Celtic team was defeated 1-0 by Steven Gerrard’s Rangers in August 2021, handing the Australian loser of his first Old Firm derby. Michael Beale would win his first Old Firm match in May 2023, defeating Celtic 3-0, on his sixth try, however Celtic had already been declared Scottish Premiership title at that point.

Dalglish also says that Rangers’ record is “not good enough,” but he believes the team might not be able to afford to catch up to their rivals because Celtic is guaranteed a £40 million prize from the group stage, while Clement has to get through the playoffs. Dalglish wrote the following in his Sunday Post article: “Brendan Rodgers and his team were deserving winners. They produced the goods when it counted.

“They drew with Rangers once and defeated them four times. It was an excellent recording. Conversely, Rangers must figure out how to defeat their fiercest opponents. They believe that their performance in Old Firm games over the previous three years has been completely unacceptable. Yes, they can mention that a single goal decided all of their losses. In the Scottish Cup final last week, they also had Celtic pinned back for stretches and performed admirably at times.

“But given the size of the club and its success rate, since when was that enough or appropriate? Now it is up to Philippe Clement to figure out a solution. He also needs to finish it right now. More losses are not acceptable.

“There won’t be a bottomless hole, but we’ll have to wait and see what type of budget he has to work with. The sooner players are admitted, the better. They must bring in some quality players and make more of an effort from the current bunch, especially from those who will still be there at the beginning of August.

“What a boost it would be if they could secure the £40 million riches from that, especially since that is the month their Champions League qualifiers start.” Although it is a significant request, completing the two rounds is not impossible.

“It is much evident now that people in the city are certain about what they can do in the transfer market. It will be lot more comforting for Brendan and the hierarchy to know what they have to deal with.

“A situation like occurred with Jota last summer, in which a bid from Saudi Arabia appeared out of the blue and he left for a figure of £25 million, might still occur. However, it appears that Celtic are well-positioned to respond to any eventuality, even a big offer for Matt O’Riley.”