Five things watching Rangers vs Celtic from stands made clear as 49ers investment can't come quick enough

Rangers were denied a third straight Old Firm victory over their rivals as champions Celtic came from behind at Ibrox to secure a point apiece in the fourth and final derby meeting of the season.

Despite there being nothing at stake with the title already decided, the hosts started brightly. Nicolas Raskin had an early headed goal ruled out for offside before Cyriel Dessers struck his 25th goal of the campaign to break the deadlock just before half-time.

However, the visitors improved after the break with Republic of Ireland striker Adam Idah levelling the contest after 57 minutes and ensuring a share of the spoils to retain their commanding 17-point lead over the second-top Light Blues as they near the completion of another dominant domestic season.

Rangers have now failed to win on home soil for the seventh straight fixture and they could easily have lost this game when Daizen Maeda broke down the left-hand side unchallenged in the final minute of stoppage time before uncharacteristically failing to produce a finish when one-on-one with Liam Kelly.

If truth be told, Celtic will have been happier to leave Govan unscathed with the league title already in safe-keeping after frustrated Barry Ferguson’s men. I watched the match unfold from the stands at Ibrox, here’s five things I spotted...

No such thing as a dead-rubber derby

The title race may be over, but games between Rangers and Celtic are never often dull or meaningless. While Celtic have bossed their fiercest rivals in terms of league standings by romping to another Premiership crown and beaten Rangers in the League Cup final, the hosts came into this clash having won the past two derbies.

The most recent of which marked arguably the sweetest moment of Barry Ferguson’ reign as caretaker boss. And having shipped three goals in each of their last three meetings after getting off to a slow start on each occasion, Brendan Rodgers had emphasised to his Celtic team the need to begin on the front-foot.

Once again, they didn’t with set-pieces causing major problems in the visitors’ ranks. Almost every delivery into the Celtic boss during a frenetic first-half was won by a Rangers player.

Celtic need another striker

Plenty of question marks still hang over the head of Adam Idah following an up-and-down campaign since his £9 million switch from Norwich City last summer and for large chunks of this contest there threatened to be many more. He spurned a glorious first-half chance after evading the attention of John Souttar and latching onto Reo Hatate’s excellent pass, only to fire straight at Kelly.

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That came moments before Rangers broke down the park with Dessers tucking home at the opposite end to give Rangers a narrow lead heading into the interval. To his credit, the Irishman recovered from a forgettable opening 45 minutes to notch the equaliser, drilling a powerful effort past the keeper via the aid off a wicked Souttar deflection. But questions will still remain over his overall contribution. And while back-up option Johnny Kenny came off the bench and didn’t look out of place given his lack of game time, this display outlined Celtic’s need to recruit another frontman in the summer window.

49ers investment can't come quick enough

Europe aside, this has been a season of very few positives and one that Rangers fans just want to see the back off quickly. With hope of better times ahead on the horizon at Ibrox once the US takeover of the club is finalised, the outcome of this match did little to lift the spirits of a deeply frustrated fan base.

It’s been a Jekyll and Hyde campaign with Ferguson cutting an increasingly animated figure on the touchline as he struggles to get his players to carry out simple instructions. Inconsistent and defensively brittle at times, this was another game in which Rangers failed to register a clean sheet after starting the game well.

Away fans return a positive

For the first time in more than TWO years, away supporters were in attendance at an Old Firm derby. Following talks between both clubs, the away fan lockout finally came to an end earlier this season with a small section of Rangers fans able to see their team win a riveting clash at Parkhead last time out.

The last time Celtic fans were allowed into Ibrox came back in January 2023, when Kyogo Furuhashi grabbed a dramatic share of the spoils for Ange Postecoglou’s side. And while they were outsung by their rivals for the majority of this game, loud chants of ‘Champions again’ could still be heard reverberating around Ibrox in the closing stages with a draw failing to dampen their title party celebrations.

Is Barry Ferguson out of a job?

It’s difficult to see any way back now for Barry Ferguson in relation to his hopes of landing the Rangers job on a permanent basis. It’s now three months since the Govan outfit have won in front of their own supporters with Ferguson still seeking that elusive home win.

The former club captain was in defiant mood post-match by insisting he is capable of doing the job full-time and taking Rangers forward next season after holding a private meeting with new sporting director Kevin Thelwell earlier this week. But you would expect 49ers Enterprises to venture down a different route when it comes to identifying preferred candidates.

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