‘Talking absolute nonsense, doesn’t have a clue, just appeasing Celtic fans’: Ex-Rangers star blasts Celtic hero over title talk

Hugh Burns was highly critical of John Hartson over his comments about Rangers conceding title

Former Rangers star Hugh Burns has branded John Hartson ‘clueless’ over his opinion that the Ibrox club should ‘do the right thing’ and concede the title to Celtic.

The ex-Parkhead striker and football pundit said earlier this week that Celtic would be deserved champions if the season had to be cancelled and called for Rangers to ‘do the right thing’ by backing calls for their Old Firm rivals to be crowned.

Steven Gerrard’s men are 13 points behind in the title race and have just nine games left to play.

Former Celtic striker John Hartson. Picture: SNS

All Uefa associations are under instruction to get their seasons completed by the end of June, but it looks increasingly unlikely that could happen in Scotland as the coronavirus continues to spread.

There is a debate as to whether champions should be crowned in the event of the season being permanently cancelled, with some believing the campaign should be declared void instead.

Burns is someone who reckons the season should be played to its conclusion, otherwise the title won’t have much meaning.

He told the Scottish Sun: “There is no chance Rangers can concede the title. If that was the case then Celtic’s ninth straight title would mean nothing.

“Big John is talking absolute nonsense. He doesn’t have a clue and I don’t think he is living in the real world. It’s a case of playing to the crowd and trying to appease the Celtic fans.

“Of course the odds are stacked against Rangers and it looks like Celtic will win the title if the season is played to a finish. But for Rangers just to roll over and accept their fate right now is crazy.

“I genuinely think the Celtic players and fans don’t want to win the league under these circumstances. I have mates who support Celtic and they do not want to be handed the title. They want to win it properly and are happy to sit tight until football finally resumes.”