Celtic and Rangers have European red faces and..

In the midst of the Scottish football calamity, Celtic and Rangers have European red faces and there is no time for laughter, according to Chris Sutton

The former Parkhead striker believes both Glasgow teams should be ashamed of themselves in Europe.

When Lazio scored in stoppage time against Celtic the other night, Rangers supporters laughed at the expense of their opponents.

Twenty-four hours later, when Rangers lost to Limassol’s third-best team, the Celtic supporters were on opposite sides. Glasgow may be full of laughs, but the past week across Europe has not been amusing. There was absolutely nothing to grin about over those awful two days for Scottish football.

Europe is tough, I know. Take a look at teams this week like Manchester United and Arsenal. Despite spending a fortune, they fell to Lens and Galatasaray. Celtic and Rangers would be destroyed for those outcomes while having a small portion of the resources. Still, this is hardly a defense. On Wednesday night, I was off duty and sat in the stands to watch the game. It was a true stomach-churner.

The frustration was unbearable. It was “typical Celtic” last Saturday at Fir Park when they scored a late victory. Wednesday’s conditions were “typically Celtic in Europe.” From the supporters nearby, I got that impression. They certainly felt terrible, but that was to be anticipated.

Given how brilliantly they played, it’s difficult to be excessively harsh. They shouldn’t have lost, but at the very least, they deserved a tie. However, how often do we hear people talk about “learning” from these experiences?

What time will they start learning? The idea that they had to score the ideal goal every time was the frustrating element to me. They finally got one, and it was almost flawless.

What about a goal that is unsightly at this level? the one Lazio received to tie the score. I understand Celtic’s preferred style of play, but there needs to be some variety.

You cannot fault them for not whipping in crosses because they lack the personnel necessary to play in any manner other than on the deck. But when there is no variance, they do become predictable.

When it comes to set piece scenarios, there also has to be greater menace. I hate to bring up my youth, but whenever we received a corner kick, we viewed it as a tremendous opportunity to do harm. With the side, you simply don’t get that sense at the moment. There is a serious lack of physicality, however I’m not suggesting the squad has to be filled with 6 foot 5 inch giants. And both boxes have it.

The equalizer for Lazio was the sort of dreadful goal Celtic doesn’t score at this level. Rodgers referred to the previous night’s game as a “belief” game, I am aware of that. However, advocates need a cause they can get behind. avoiding again observing the same events.

Even while this Champions League group is hardly a piece of cake, it is as near to a gift as you are likely to find at this level. It should have been an opportunity to contend for the knockout stages because none of these teams would win the competition.

After two losses, it will be extremely difficult to contend for third place and a place in the Europa League after Christmas. However, at Rangers, the grins were short-lived. Lazio was a difficult opponent for Celtic, but Aris Limassol was a complete suprise.

They are in a dreadful state. There are too many losers in that dressing room, and they are now paying for believing Michael Beale’s sales pitch.

Even though there was no evidence to support it during the previous term, he was given a lot of authority and responsibility during the summer, and it has disastrously backfired. I can sympathize with him to some extent because seven games is a very early stage of a season to fire a manager, and new hires do require some acclimatization and settling in time.

Glasgow residents do not have access to such a luxury, thus there must be evidence of advancement. Except for warning signs, there have been none at Ibrox. How many times do Rangers supporters have to hear James Tavernier and others offer their regrets before it is crystal evident that they are contributing to the issue?

They now have to rebuild the rebuilt, but are they really prepared to call it quits on another season when there are still months to go? The fact that they managed to end last term when Beale came in November still baffles me.

He was trusted to spend a modest sum after being permitted to get away with losing in the big games. This time, it can’t happen again. Frank Lampard is one of the intriguing names that have been associated with the position.

At Chelsea and Everton, especially the latter, who were already in trouble, he received a harsh deal. Yet is he the right person for the job? Lampard is a good coach, and I like him.

The pressure will be more than it was at Chelsea because this is Rangers. Even while things may not have reached their lowest point yet, they might fall apart very rapidly.

Aberdeen shouldn’t also get off easy. They shouldn’t be performing cartwheels either after rescuing a draw against a Finnish team at home. They are in a group that they ought to be able to advance from, and that is a game they ought to be winning.

I just found this week melancholy; I know Scottish supporters are too busy f***ing each other off. They all need to pull themselves together because the way things are going, Scotland will drop in the standings and find themselves back in a position where qualifying games for July are far off in the distance. Furthermore, they face a risk of being a laughingstock.