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2K views 50 replies 9 participants last post by  The Exiled Heretic 
#1 ·
Rangers - Season 03/04 - Played 16 Won 12 Drew 2 Lost 2 For 39 Against 15 Points 38.

Rangers - Season 04/05 - Played 16 Won 12 Drew 3 Lost 1 For 33 Against 7 Points 39.

We all know how it finished last season. So much for the supposed 'great improvement'.
 
#3 ·
Well you'd have to agree it is an improvement no matter how slight. So we are improving. Now compare Celtic who I said were going back:

Celtic- Season 03/04 - Played 16 Won 15 Drew 1 Lost 0 Points 46.

Celtic- Season 04/05 - Played 16 Won 12 Drew 2 Lost 2 Points 38.

Quite a difference there.
 
#4 ·
Laddie said:
Does that mean that Celtic have gone downhill then? Because I am sure they had more points that this last season. If we havent improved then surely Celtic have got worse...
Celtic have been below-par this season - a lot of which i put down to being involved in such a tough Champions League group.

The fact that Rangers have barely improved themselves since last season could be an ominous sign for them when Celtic get their act together.
 
#5 ·
So now Celtic are below-par. At last you have finally admitted it. I think you may rememebr I was saying this before the Champions League begun and when Celtic were 7 points ahead at the top of the league. Now the facts have caught up with Celtic you are inclined to agree, but with more excuses, so that is at leaxst a start.
A month ago Celtic had played half of their Champions League games and were 7 points ahead at the top of the league so why is the Champions League suddenly a factor in their poor recent form? A month ago the league was "basically" and "essentially" over while Celtic welcomed the chase so what has changed?
 
#6 ·
chivoexpiatorio said:
So now Celtic are below-par. At last you have finally admitted it. I think you may rememebr I was saying this before the Champions League begun and when Celtic were 7 points ahead at the top of the league. Now the facts have caught up with Celtic you are inclined to agree, but with more excuses, so that is at leaxst a start.
A month ago Celtic had played half of their Champions League games and were 7 points ahead at the top of the league so why is the Champions League suddenly a factor in their poor recent form? A month ago the league was "basically" and "essentially" over while Celtic welcomed the chase so what has changed?
You said that Celtic have declined since last season, i've said that Celtic have been below-par this season.

There's a fundamental difference between the two. But we'll still win the league so it's all moot anyway - i'm just here for the banter. ;)
 
#8 ·
chivoexpiatorio said:
"Basically" though we're both agreeing there not as good as they were last year though?
You have to give the guy credit for his persistence. :dielaugh:

You already know I agree that Celtic have regressed and we've progressed, but I still think we'll have to improve a bit to win the league. There's not been many games i've seen that I came away thinking great performance. I know it's the results that matter at this stage, but I feel we can do a lot better.
 
#9 ·
Too true angle but I've never said Rangers will win the league and I think I'm correct in saying you have never said that either. As far as I am aware only one person has said their team will win the league.
 
#11 ·
I actually think most Rangers fans know we have a long long way to go. Yeah we have improved, but Celtic are still favourites imo. The run in the last 15 games was phenomenal and far better than anything we did last season, but Celtic have been going through a bad patch too.

We havent always looked brilliant in many of those games, but the old cliche says that 'winning games while not playing well is a sign of champions' (or something like that lol). I wouldn't say that myself, but it is still good to see that we are rasing our game when we need to.

If we are there or thereabouts then I will be happy. Be a huge change from last season anyways and something to build on for seasons after. Apart from Rae, Klos and possibly Prso, we have a young team, with the chance of playing together for many more years.
 
#12 ·
Angle_eyes said:
I let it slip once, but it was tongue-in-cheek...sort of. I'm starting to let myself believe we can win the league, but don't tell KH that.
Lol, OK I'll keep that quiet. I think they have every chance of winning it but then again so do Celtic. If Celtic do win it they certainly won't run away with it like last year. I don't think either set of supporters should be confident that their side will definitely win it. That said I'd rather be ahead at the moment than chasing :happy:
 
#13 ·
Probably worth digging this one out on a monthly basis. This month speaks for itself, RED means bad in the comparison column while GREEN means improved.

Code:
[color=green][b]Celtic[/b][/color]
         P   W  D  L  F  A   GD  Pts 
2003/04  21  20 1  0  66 8   58  61 
2004/05  21  17 2  2  49 19  30  53 
-----------------------------------
                      [color=red]17 9   28   8[/color]    
-----------------------------------
 
[color=blue][b]Rangers[/b][/color]  
         P   W  D  L  F  A   GD  Pts
2003/04  21  16 2  3  45 18  +27 50  
2004/05  21  15 5  1  43 10  +33 50
-----------------------------------
                       [color=red]2[/color]  [color=green]8    6  [/color]0
-----------------------------------
 
#14 ·
Well, that would seem to suggest that Celtic have regressed, whilst we've stood still. I know it's not as simple as that though. It's scary that we've actually scored less goals this season than last. The defence is obviously tighter, but a lot of that solidity has been lost now that Boumsong's gone. The immediate future of this department depends on the talent of whoever McLeish brings in.

I guess some will trot out the same tired excuses for Celtic, i.e. playing against the 2 best teams in Europe...etc. Again, not having a dig at Celtic, but what about the reports yesterday suggesting Celtic may not bring anyone in in the window. I realise your team's been good enough (so far) to stay on top domestically, but wouldn't you want to see some new faces? Of course, it could all be smokescreens by Martin and the paper's, but it's becoming a familiar routine with the Darkheid moneymen.
 
#15 ·
chivoexpiatorio said:
Probably worth digging this one out on a monthly basis. This month speaks for itself, RED means bad in the comparison column while GREEN means improved.

Code:
[color=green][b]Celtic[/b][/color]
         P   W  D  L  F  A   GD  Pts 
2003/04  21  20 1  0  66 8   58  61 
2004/05  21  17 2  2  49 19  30  53 
-----------------------------------
                      [color=red]17 9   28   8[/color]    
-----------------------------------
 
[color=blue][b]Rangers[/b][/color]  
         P   W  D  L  F  A   GD  Pts
2003/04  21  16 2  3  45 18  +27 50  
2004/05  21  15 5  1  43 10  +33 50
-----------------------------------
                       [color=red]2[/color]  [color=green]8    6  [/color]0
-----------------------------------
And the fact that matters most is that the Bhoys are still on top of the league, taking into account the fantastic, amazing improvement in the Rangers team this season of course.
 
#16 ·
"fantatic and amazing" are not words I would use myself about Rangers improvement nor how Celtic have slid back. I always maintained it would be a tighter race this year and it is proving to be the case.

I think 8 points drop in the margin suggests that the gap has closed.
 
#17 ·
chivoexpiatorio said:
"fantatic and amazing" are not words I would use myself about Rangers improvement nor how Celtic have slid back. I always maintained it would be a tighter race this year and it is proving to be the case.

I think 8 points drop in the margin suggests that the gap has closed.
It will be a tighter race this year, it could hardly get any more distant, but you know and i know that it won't be tight enough to deny Celtic the league championship.
 
#19 ·
King_Henrik said:
It will be a tighter race this year, it could hardly get any more distant, but you know and i know that it won't be tight enough to deny Celtic the league championship.
We've played 21 games of the 38 and there is a 3 point gap. I see no reason to start claiming that Rangers are going to win the league but I know they are still well in there. I also see no reason to think Celtic are going to win it. There is alot of football to be played before that judgement can be made if you are realistic- which obviously you are not.
 
#21 ·
Personally I thought there were three incidents that changed the season last time around. Overall it was the squad because the players coming in were not a patch on the players that left which was illustrated by the likes of Capucho, Emerson and Ostenstad not even lasting the whole season. Berg and Frank De Boer were decent but were only there for a short stay too and Ronald De Boer hardly kicked a ball after kicking that advertising board at Tannadice, that was the 4th game of the season.

The three incidents as I see them were this though. First was the departure of Barry Ferguson. That was a massive blow and we never recovered from that.

The second was in Greece. Although Bazza had gone and the team was not good at all we hadn't been found out. We'd beaten VfB Stuttgart in the Champions League at Ibrox. After Bazza's departure we had also hammered Dundee U, Dundfermline, Hearts and Dundee in league scoring 14 scores with only 2 against. In Greece we were cruising 1-0 and they had to endure the last 30+ minutes with 10 men. When they equalised with 2 minutes to go the roof fell in and the heads went down. The belief went out the window and that was the begining of the end for the season.

In the 4 games that followed we lost to Celtic and Manchester United which can be expected. The real indicator though was in the other two matches where we could only manage draws with Motherwell and Livingston.

The third incident happened in the December. It could be argued that it was the terrible exit from Europe when we lost 3-1 at home to Panathinaikos. Those two games against the Greeks could really be blamed for changing our season altogether. I didn't see it as that way at the time. The third incident for me and the one that really made me realise the league was over was 5 days after our European exit when we travelled to East End Park. Although Dunfermline had been leading the game from the 5th minute I felt we would still come back, we always do. Dunfermline hadn't beaten us in the league for 31 years. When Paulo Vanoli passed the ball into the net past Klos to give Dunfermline a 2-0 win with 5 minutes left I knew it was all over.

Those for me were the 3 key points as I remember them. We had lots of other disappointing results last season like the CIS Cup semi exit against Hibs, losing at home to Hearts and losing away to Dundee United but none of those were turning points like the ones above.
 
#22 ·
Matchday 22

Might as well keep this going to see how the sides are comparing each week. This week both got wins as they did at the same stage last year. The gap this year is still 3 points whereas last year it was 11 points. Rangers are doing as well as they were last years but with improved goal difference. Celtic in all fields are doing worse.

RED means bad in the comparison column while GREEN means improved.

Celtic
Results
2003/04 Celtic 5-1 Kilmarnock
2004/05 Aberdeen 0-1 Celtic
Table
Code:
         P   W  D  L  F  A   GD  Pts 
2003/04  22  20 1  0  71 9   62  64 
2004/05  22  18 2  2  50 19  31  56 
-----------------------------------
                      [color=red]21 10  31   8[/color]
-----------------------------------

Rangers
Results
2003/04 Partick 0-1 Rangers
2004/05 Rangers 3-0 Dunfermline
Table
Code:
         P   W  D  L  F  A  GD  Pts
2003/04  22  17 2  3  46 18  28 53  
2004/05  22  16 5  1  46 10  36 53
-----------------------------------
                       0  [color=green]8   8  [/color]0
-----------------------------------
 
#23 ·
Matchday 23

Intersting that matchday 23 last year was on a Wednesday night on 11th February. Nearly a month behind this year for some reason. Both sides didn't do as well as last season but were equal- that will all change soon.

RED means bad in the comparison column while GREEN means improved.

Celtic
Results
2003/04 Dunfermline 1-4 Celtic
2004/05 Celtic 2-0 Motherwell
Table
Code:
         P   W  D  L  F  A   GD  Pts 
2003/04  23  21 1  0  75 10  65  67 
2004/05  23  19 2  2  52 19  33  59 
-----------------------------------
                      [color=red]23  9  32   8[/color]
-----------------------------------

Rangers
Results
2003/04 Rangers 2-0 Kilmarnock
2004/05 Aberdeen 1-2 Rangers
Table
Code:
         P   W  D  L  F  A  GD  Pts
2003/04  23  18 2  3  48 18  30 56  
2004/05  23  17 5  1  48 11  37 56
-----------------------------------
                       0  [color=green]7   7  [/color]0
-----------------------------------
It speaks for itself.
 
#24 ·
Matchday 24

This time last year Celtic pushed home the advantage and the league looked all put over as they extended their lead at the top from 11 points to 13 points. This year that gap remains at 3 points.

RED means bad in the comparison column while GREEN means improved. It's easy to see at this stage how the teams are doing in comparison to last season with Celtic's figures all in the red and Rangers figures all in the green.

Celtic
Results
2003/04 Celtic 2-1 Dundee United
2004/05 Kilmarnock 0-1 Celtic
Table
Code:
         P   W  D  L  F  A   GD  Pts 
2003/04  24  22 1  0  77 11  66  70 
2004/05  24  20 2  2  53 19  34  62 
-----------------------------------
                      [color=red]24  8  32   8[/color]
-----------------------------------

Rangers
Results
2003/04 Aberdeen 1-1 Rangers
2004/05 Rangers 3-0 Livingston
Table
Code:
         P   W  D  L  F  A  GD  Pts
2003/04  24  18 3  3  49 19  30 57  
2004/05  24  18 5  1  51 11  40 59
-----------------------------------
                       [color=green]2  8  10  2[/color]
-----------------------------------
 
#25 · (Edited)
Matchday 26

The picture just keeps getting clearer. The debate has been raging on all season and as we near the close of the season the facts just cement what us Rangers supporters have been saying. Rangers are improving while Celtic are on the slide.

Until this season we hadn't kept a clean sheet in an old firm game, this season we hav kept two out of the three league meetings. We hadn't won at Celtic Park since O'Neill took over, today we won there. The positives are all in blue while the negatives are in green. Compare and contrast- we're on the up and we have a team of age that will still be around in three years time

RED means bad in the comparison column while GREEN means improved. It's easy to see at this stage how the teams are doing in comparison to last season with Celtic's figures all in the red and Rangers figures all in the green.

Celtic
Results

2003/04 Partick 1-4 Celtic

2004/05 Celtic 0-2 Rangers

Table
Code:
         P   W  D  L  F  A   GD  Pts 
2003/04  25  24 1  0  81 12  69  73 
2004/05  25  20 2  3  53 21  32  62 
-----------------------------------
                      [color=red]28  9  37  11[/color]
-----------------------------------

Rangers
Results

2003/04 Rangers 3-0 Hibs
2003/04 Dundee United 2-0 Rangers

2004/05 Rangers 3-0 Hibs
2004/05 Celtic 0-2 Rangers

Rangers
Table
Code:
         P   W  D  L  F  A  GD  Pts
2003/04  26  19 3  4  53 21  31 60  
2004/05  26  20 5  1  56 11  45 65
-----------------------------------
                       [color=green]3 10  14  5[/color]
-----------------------------------
:thmbup:
 
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