Ex-Rangers ace hospitalised with horror injury, Rodgers called out for Celtic decision that sparked rage
The latest Rangers and Celtic headlines after another busy weekend.
Rangers and Celtic were both in action at the weekend as a busy period of matches continues to tumble on.
It was the Hoops up first on Saturday and they made light work of Dundee United with a comfortable 3-0 victory. That turned attention to Rangers on Sunday, under immense pressure after a Scottish cup exit to Queen’s Park last time out.
They got the job done against Hearts by winning 3-1 thanks to a pair of Jamie McCart own goals and a Vaclav Cerny strike. Celtic face Bayern Munich in the Champions League this midweek while Rangers now have a free week ahead of taking on St Mirren.
Here are some of the latest headlines with Rangers and Celtic flavour.
Ex-Rangers star horror injury
Former Ibrox midfielder James Sands has suffered an injury nightmare. The American signed for the club in the Gio van Bronckhorst era and played a part in the run to the Europa League final.
He’s now with St Pauli in the Bundesliga but has been hospitalised with a nasty ankle blow. It has been confirmed Sands, on loan from New York City FC, has already undergone surgery after a torn medial ligament as well as a broken fibula. His boss, Alexander Blessin, said: "I can confirm that there is something wrong with his ankle, it looks really, really bad.
“At first I thought he had stretched his knee and that was why it was a knee injury. In any case, it doesn't look good. The full weight was shifted to his ankle, which is where he got stuck in the grass.
"He is in hospital and then we will see what happens. This really hits me to the core. He was very strong in the tackle and got Jackson Irvine into a better position next to him. That's why it hurts so, so much. The hope is that he'll be back as soon as possible. But that's not likely at the moment."
Rodgers called out
It’s a moment that has been left in the Celtic past but Brendan Rodgers spent much of his first season back as boss trying to win over supporters he severed ties with. Almost six years ago, he left mid-season for the Premier League and Leicester City to the rage of many fans, with Martin O’Neill quick to call him out in a new interview with Amazon.
Rodgers said: "I’ve enjoyed every second of it. Clearly when I was here the first time I had a great spell, and then probably more in my own mind it was football and I’d taken Celtic as far as I could."
Former Celtic boss O’Neill wasn’t prepared to let him off the hook. He said: “No you just wanted to leave young man. You just wanted to leave. That’s the point." O’Neill then added: “Brendan leaving was a surprise to a lot of Celtic fans. He’d been very, very successful and the fans had taken him to their hearts. It almost seemed like an abrupt leaving. If he’d left at the end of the season with a few more trophies then I think everyone would’ve said well done Brendan.
"Coming back was brave. But the most important thing when you come back, especially if you have doubters, is that you win football matches. And he’s done that."