Ibrox defeat shows how important this summer is for Celtic

It was another Glasgow Derby and another defeat for Celtic. They will end the season without a single win over the Rangers and it is clear that they have some serious catching up to do next season.

The only real positives after that defeat at Ibrox are that the season is now almost over and there are changes to come both on and off the pitch. And they must happen soon, especially with the European qualifiers not too far away.

What did John Kennedy have to offer in his post-match comments as reported on the club’s official site? Firstly, he highlighted McGregor’s sending off. Yes, it had an effect on the game but at the end of the day, the performance again wasn’t good enough.

He once more spoke of his side not being clinical enough in front of goal and of their defensive problems at the back. None of these are new issues though. They have been there throughout the course of the season. As reported by the club’s official website, the interim manager said:

"“The boys worked hard, we were brave with the ball in the second half, we created chances. But, again, in decisive moments Rangers took their chances and we didn’t.“Our general play is fine. We need to stop conceding soft goals, but we had so many chances. I’ve seen us in other seasons where we’ve created as many and we’re scoring three and four in each game, we’re really clinical.“But, again, that’s part of our process of working and trying to get back to that. It’s a sore one today, but we need to take on the chin and pick ourselves up for the last two games.”"

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Celtic need to make a lot of changes this summer

These factors occurring occasionally can be considered as being unlucky, but they have persisted throughout the season, first under Neil Lennon and now with Kennedy in charge. And sitting 23 points behind the Rangers, it is safe to say that the Hoops just have not been good enough.

When Kennedy was announced as interim manager there was a feeling that things could be pretty similar to what they were under Lennon. And that has been the case.

It does look like the appointment of a new manager might not be far away though, as it appears that Eddie Howe is the favourite for the Parkhead job at this point of time.

The squad is in need of a transformation as well. With loan deals coming to an end and contracts expiring, that looks set to happen as well. And the Hoops do need more than just a couple of new faces to turn this around. The club have a massive task on their hand over the course of the next few months.