Rangers cult hero makes confession about 'silly' Celtic statement after Hoops schooling
Ex-Rangers loanee Vladimir Weiss had a night to forget at Parkhead as his side suffered a 5-1 defeat
Former Rangers cult hero Vladimir Weiss has claimed that he had no problem with being booed by sections of the Celtic supporters in yesterday’s 5-1 Champions League defeat.
The Manchester City academy graduate chose to join Rangers over Celtic in 2010 and famously helped the team to a league and cup double during his loan spell from the Etihad.
The playmaker registered a total of five goals in 23 league appearances during Rangers’ title triumph, but is best remembered for his contribution on cup final day when he provided the crucial assist for Nikica Jelavic’s winning goal against Celtic.
More than a decade has passed since Weiss’ time in Glasgow, but the Celtic faithful didn’t forget his time in the blue side of the city and were quick to give the 34-year-old a frosty reception when he started the game for Slovan Bratislava.
"(Being booed) was okay, I don't take these things personally, it's okay. It's nice they remember me after such a long time," he told Football Scotland.
"Obviously the result is not what we wanted. We were expecting a really difficult game, which it was, but I think I had a good chance at 1-0, maybe if I take that the game would go differently, but unfortunately it didn't.
"They showed the quality they have. They played so fast, and we just weren't good enough in in some moments. Obviously we watched some videos of them; I think it's a totally different team from what I remember. They play fast, modern football and, yeah, it was too much for us tonight.”
Weiss has enjoyed a nomadic career in England, Spain, Italy, Greece and Qatar before joining his father’s team in Slovakia. But he still looks back on his time in Scotland with great fondness.
He added: "I loved my time at Rangers, I was only here for a year but I was very young and I know I made some silly comments about Celtic in the past. I'm a totally different person now but it was fun when I played here. I hoped for a better result tonight, but it didn't come. That's football."
This week’s result leaves Celtic in an impressive second place in the league phase. Only German runners-up Bayern Munich after their 9-2 win over Dinamo Zagreb boast a better goal difference.
However, Weiss and his team find themselves in a much more contrasting position in 35th. They face the unenviable task of hosting the 34-year-old’s former club Manchester City in their next match.
Meanwhile, Celtic on a high from their opening day win, travel to last season’s finalists Borussia Dortmund in what promises to be an incredible atmosphere at the Signal Iduna Park.