This has to stop! Barry Ferguson fires Celtic treble warning at Beale and his Hampden roll-over flops

Barry Ferguson is fuming over the prospect of another Celtic treble.

The former Ibrox skipper claimed that Ange Postecoglou’s side never had to get out of second gear to win the Viaplay Cup on Sunday which opens up the prospect of a fifth treble in seven years.

Celtic were apparently broken by the trophy-less Lockdown season but with Callum McGregor effectively the only survivor there is the very strong prospect of another treble on the horizon.

While Postecoglou goes from strength to strength serious questions are now being aired about Micky Beale whose side failed to test Celtic with his two big January signings left out of the Starting XI.

At Hampden on Sunday Celtic fans had their confidence in Postecoglou further boosted but across the city there was a very different reaction.

In the Daily Record Ferguson spelled out his demands of Beale and an under-firing squad:

Before we start I know this might sound a bit daft. But as soon as the final whistle went at Hampden on Sunday afternoon – and Celtic’s players ran to their fans to celebrate winning another trophy – I only had one thought in my head: This has to stop!

Yes, I realise it’s still only February and there are three months to go before the next big final at the national stadium. But if the players at Rangers aren’t already thinking about making sure they retain that Scottish Cup then they’re at the wrong club. Let me be absolutely blunt.

They simply cannot roll over now and allow their rivals to stroll to another treble and that should be the only thought in their minds when they get back onto that training pitch this morning.

Yes, I know they’ll be hurting after losing the Viaplay Cup Final. They had better be. The truth of the matter is they didn’t even turn up when it mattered most of all and that’s the kind of regret that’s going to sting for a while.

They’ve missed out on silverware without even making Celtic get out of second gear to earn it and they should be kicking themselves for letting that happen. I’ve been there plenty of times after losing an Old Firm game and I don’t recommend it.

Last season Ferguson was in charge of the Alloa side that lost to Celtic in the Scottish Cup but left the League One side a month after that defeat.