What does the Old Firm win do for Rangers boss Philippe Clement’s long term job security?
KEITH JACKSON: Not much. But it does buy him breathing space for the time being. Clement will need to show over the next six months that he is capable of making Rangers consistently competitive.
SCOTT BURNS: It keeps him in a job in the short-term. Philippe Clement will know his side can’t afford to go and throw away silly points elsewhere now. The derby win has to be the standard otherwise his Ibrox future will be back up in the air.
MICHAEL GANNON: It helps in the short term but Clement will need to build a series of results to last the long time. That means working out how to get wins on the road, otherwise he’ll be back under pressure pretty quickly.
What does the Rangers victory mean for the Premiership title race?
KEITH: Nothing at all. It’s over.
SCOTT: It is a jolt for Celtic and nothing more.The Hoops are still 11 points ahead and shouldn’t lose it from here. It still looks more likely that Rangers will drop more points before Celtic.
MICHAEL: Not a lot. Celtic are still further ahead in the race than they were a fortnight ago and it’s nigh impossible to see them losing four more games – including two derbies. It’s still just about a live issue, but if the gap had gone to 17 it would have been a procession.
What does the defeat say about Celtic right now?
KEITH: That they are in the middle of a mini wobble and have been since hitting peak from at the start of November.
SCOTT: It looked as if there was a bit of complacency in the game. They have shown that they have the upper hand over Philippe Clement’s side but they didn’t back it up with work rate and performance. It was a rare off-day.
MICHAEL : Also not a lot. It says if Celtic get sloppy and drop their standards they can get punished. It also suggested there might need to be a new plan against Rangers as the last couple of games they have struggled when pressed. It was a bad day but hardly panic stations time.
How does the SPFL, the clubs and the cops cut out the nonsense from the stands such as coins being thrown?
KEITH: SFA president Mike Mulraney has called on the courts to start dishing out banning orders. The SPFL made the same plea yesterday. Ultimately, that’s the only way to keep these thugs out of our game and deter others from indulging in the same sort of criminal stupidity.
SCOTT : How do you stop people throwing missiles? Do you make grounds cashless and ban coins? Unless nets are put up, what else can the clubs do?
MICHAEL: It’s a tough one, but the only way to do it is to threaten clubs with the closure or partial closure of stands. It’s the ultimate sanction but if this carry on continues, it might be the only effective deterrent.
Tune in to Hotline Live every Sunday to Thursday and have your say on the biggest issues in Scottish football.