Pained Souness can’t come to terms with defeat from Celtic

Graeme Souness can’t come to terms with Celtic’s Scottish Cup triumph at Ibrox.

Two weeks ago Martin O’Neill took his patched up squad to Ibrox with the hom- eside overwhelming favourites to go through.

Expectations went through the roof when the Celtic team was announce 75 minutes before kick off.

Kieran Tierney had been a doubt and was missing from the starting line up.

There were two more shock on the Celtic team sheet.

Callum McGregor was missing and Joel Mvuku was included as a substitute. He even got on the pitch, playing for 10 minutes plus injury time.

Celtic were without their captain and forced into including probably the worst of their January signings.

Almost un-noticed Ben Arthur was starting the second senior match of his career. At Fortress Ibrox against Youssel Chermiti- a week on from scoring the self declared Greatest Goal in the History of Mankind.

A PAINFUL JOURNEY FOR SOUNESS

Souness made the journey from his home on the south coast of England.

He never got the Ambassador payday that he had hoped for. His suggestion of Frank Lampard as manager was rejected but he was still welcome in the Directors Box.

Wonderfully Celtic ruined his afternoon.

VAR denied Daizen Maeda the only goal of 120 minutes but the penalty shoot out in front of the Copland Stand was a thing of beauty. The perfect shoot-out.

As James Tavernier and Diddy Gassama peppered the Copland Stand Celtic tucked away four perfect penalties.

Super Jack Butland never got near them.

Sitting in the stand Souness was sickened as he told the Daily Record:

I think they (Rohl’s side) need more goals. They’re a better team than Celtic. That game the other day was decided on penalties, but there was only one team going to win it.

If you’re trying to attach logic to it, a team that has 24 shots over 120 minutes of football. A team that has one shot in 120 minutes, there should only be one winner.

But there wasn’t Graeme, there wasn’t. Good prevailed.

So Rangers can only look at themselves and blame themselves for not winning that game. That was the game I saw. I watched it… unfortunately, I was abroad at the time, and only saw the previous Old Firm game, where I believe Rangers were fantastic in the first half.

The 24 shots appears to be yet another Ibrox myth.

It is hard to recall any saves made by Vil Sinisalo. The Celtic defenders blocked a few efforts but there was no heroics from Celtic’s Finnish goalkeeper.

Souness lost twice times to Celtic in the Scottish Cup when he managed the old Rangers, the club that died in 2012.

He also managed them to memorable Scottish Cup defeats to Hamilton Accies and Dunfermline.

Souness now promotes himself as a good guy through charity work. Only the Gullible & Deluded fall for that front.