As disastrous debuts go, it’s hard to get a lot worse than Philippe Senderos’ first appearance in a Rangers shirt.
After a glittering career that saw him win the FA Cup with Arsenal, play in the Gunners’ run to the 2006 Champions League final, represent his country more than 50 times and play in both Serie A and La Liga, Senderos was a 31-year-old veteran when he joined Rangers in August 2016 after a stint on trial. But his time in Govan would prove a disaster, as he endured one of the worst Old Firm debuts of all time – picking up two clumsy bookings to see red in a 5-1 victory for the Hoops.
Rangers, under the management of Mark Warburton, were a club in crisis – and the 5-1 hammering in the first league derby since 2012 served as a reminder of the gulf between them and their fierce rivals. Senderos, who hadn’t played in a competitive match for four months before running out at a packed Parkhead, was picked to partner Rob Kiernan in the heart of the Rangers backline. But he found himself run ragged, as the Hoops raced into a 3-1 lead after an hour thanks to a brace from Moussa Dembele and Scott Sinclair strike.
Clearly off the pace, Senderos was turned inside out by Dembele for the second goal before letting the Frenchman’s pass run under his foot for Celtic’s third. A bad day at the office then got even worse as the Swiss defender picked up his second yellow card for a crazy handball after 75 minutes, slapping the ball into the air after misjudging a header. It would be one of just four appearances he’d make during his time in Glasgow, with the others coming a month later against Partick Thistle and then four months after that against Ross County and Morton.
And opening up on his time in Govan to CasinoHawks, he admits he loved being a Rangers player – but said his move came at a “unfortunate time” for the club. He explained: “Thinking about my time at Rangers, I wish it would have gone differently. That’s the main thing. It was an unfortunate time at the club and it was a difficult time personally.
“I came into the club without a pre-season and straight away my debut was the Old Firm, then I put in a really bad performance and got sent off. There was instability in the club with a change of manager and it was a tough year in my career – but when I reflect back, what a club, an amazing club. Ibrox is a great place to play with amazing fans. It’s just the expectation at the time of the squad was way too high. I wish it had gone differently, because it was a chance for me to do well, but I’m very proud to have played for Rangers.”
Senderos still keeps an eye on his former side however, adding: “Celtic didn’t manage to do Ten in a Row which was good and Rangers have won a title and are back competing again. Celtic have been playing Europe consistently and I think this really helps for the finances of the club and they’re able to recruit better players, that’s the level Rangers need to get to.”
And the ex-Gunner hopes to see Celtic target Kieran Tierney remain at the Emirates to continue to fight for his place, continuing: “t’s not been easy for Kieran Tierney, he brought a lot of energy but has had a few setbacks with injuries. Once you get into that vicious circle it can be hard to get out of.
“He went on loan and did okay and he still has time in his career and hopefully he can have success with Arsenal because he is a great player. Could he end up back at Celtic? I think that could happen, but maybe in the future.”