Stan Petrov branded Celtic flat and disappointing as he watched his old side lose to their Glasgow rivals on Sunday.
The Hoops fell to another defeat and failed to win any of the three games played against the newly crowned champions under John Kennedy.
The bhoys played over an hour with ten men after Callum McGregor was sent off for a second yellow.
A 4-1 defeat in the end just adds to this horror show of a season.
Petrov slammed the team for showing very little but now believes there’s going to be big and positive changes at the club next season.
Speaking on Sky Sports as cited by SunSport, Petrov said:
“Rangers looked sharper, they looked more up for the game, they were doing the right things, they were pushing harder.
“They wanted that win more than Celtic.
“It was the same old story throughout the season.
“It’s very disappointing.
“Celtic have really struggled to deal with off the ball situations.
“When they lose it, their reaction, the transition – they haven’t had that.
“Not just this game, throughout the season.
“I expected to see more of a fight today. It was a great opportunity.
“I’m a former player and you are looking to say positive things.
“But you just CAN’T.
“You have to be realistic and understand what you are talking about.
“The gap is 23 points, the performances have been flat, the season’s been flat.
“But you know the excitement for me? It’s what comes next.
“Obviously, we’ve seen it, we’ve analysed it. This season’s been written off.
“But, we can see the behaviour of the players – and today I was looking for more.
“I was looking to see a fight, I was looking to see something more.
“What did we see? A flat performance again.
“That’s given me the belief that the people who make the decision, they will make the right decision to challenge Rangers again next season.
“I don’t think it’s the result, I think it’s the season overall with everything that’s been happening on and off the pitch.
“It’s about what’s next. It’s about making the right calls and making sure you’re coming back much stronger next season.
“It’s a HUGE job. Not just on the pitch but off the pitch as well.
“The recruitment, what kind of manager you’re going to bring in, are you going to bring the kind of winning players to make the change straightaway?
“Celtic need success straightaway.”
There are two games left of this season before we can begin to put it behind us.
Celtic have a season ticket renewals campaign to begin – if they want it to be a success they must now show their hand.
A new manager has to be announced so the fans know exactly what they’re buying into.
We’re looking to get to a position where fans can get back inside stadiums by the start of next season.
New manager, new direction and the Celtic faithful back in the ground will all contribute to a much better campaign next term.
I’m afraid we’re making Howe out to be some miracle worker, he is going to need nearly a whole new squad as around 7 or more players will be gone and what’s left apart from 3 or 4 aren’t good enough, so I can see it taking a couple of seasons before we have a proper team capable of winning titles and that’s the reality.