Shots. Fired. As we all know, Celtic and Rangers fans haven’t always been on the best of terms, so Nir Bitton’s comments have generated quite the debate here in the Transfer Tavern.
Scottish football is often derided for a lack of competitiveness and overall quality, but with the Gers’ return to the top tier after a period fighting back up through the lower leagues after some financial issues, there was hope that this term would be one in which the Hoops were pushed for the title.
Alas, Brendan Rodgers’ Celtic are a whopping 27 points clear of Aberdeen at the top of the table, while their bitter Old Firm rivals are a further six back in third place, and with the Bhoys undefeated domestically this term, there is a feeling that they may be some way off of having a true challenger.
But speaking to STV, midfielder Bitton has leapt to the defence of the Scottish Premiership, insisting it is a hard league to play in, citing Joey Barton and Niko Kranjcar’s difficulties at Rangers after their summer moves to Ibrox as examples of players not taking it seriously to their own cost:
“There are a lot of people who look at the Scottish table and think ‘oh ok, Celtic are the best team in Scotland and they’ve no competition in this league’, it’s far from being true.
“Players from the Premier League like Joey Barton and Niko Kranjcar came to Scotland and thought ‘yeah it’s going to be easy’. But no, it’s not easy. It’s a very competitive league.”
Barton famously fell out with senior figures at the club after joining Mark Warburton’s team before having his contract terminated in late 2016, while Kranjcar has missed the bulk of the season through injury after some initially uninspiring performances.
