‘Too Much’ – Vladimir Weiss Reacts to Celtic Park Jeers and Defeat

Vladimir Weiss took his reception at Celtic Park in stride tonight, brushing off the inevitable boos from the Hoops faithful. The ex-Rangers man, who once donned the famous blue of Ibrox, openly admitted that his past comments about Celtic were the kind of “silly” things a young player says, and that he’s not the same person these days.

Weiss, now captain of Slovan Bratislava, saw his side utterly dismantled by a rampant Celtic, suffering a humbling 5-1 defeat.

The Game might have turned out differently, he reckons, had he converted a golden opportunity when the match was still goalless. However, in the end, he could only watch as Brendan Rodgers’ team put on a display of what he called “fast, modern Football.”

“(The booing) was fine,” Weiss said post-match where CeltsAreHere attended “I don’t take it personally at all. It’s been a long time, but it’s nice that they still remember me!” he added with a wry smile.

Reflecting on the Game, Weiss knew his side were in for a tough night, but he couldn’t help wondering how things might have panned out had he buried that early chance. “We were expecting a really difficult Game, which it was. But I think I had a good chance at 0-0 – if I put that away, maybe things are different. Sadly, it wasn’t to be.”

Weiss was quick to praise their current form under Rodgers. “They showed their quality tonight. They played so fast, and we just couldn’t cope at times. We’d done our homework, watched some videos of them, but it’s a totally different team from what I remember. Fast, modern Football – too much for us in the end.”

The Slovakian international also reflected fondly on his short stint at Rangers, despite the occasional controversial comment about their Glasgow rivals. “I loved my time at Rangers. I was young, only here for a year, but I made some silly comments about Celtic back then. I’m a different person now, but it was all part of the rivalry. I hoped for a better result tonight, but that’s Football.”

For Weiss, the night was a harsh reminder of the quality gap between his Slovan side and a Celtic team that is once again looking a force to be reckoned with under Rodgers. But in the end, he accepted the reception and result with grace – knowing full well that Football fans in Glasgow never forget.