Joey Barton revealed that he thought a draw was a fair result when Rangers played Celtic in the old firm derby on Saturday.
The former Gers player shared his thoughts on the game via Twitter, and believed it was a good result for Graeme Murty.
Barton thought Rangers were the better side in the second-half and was impressed with the “great” performance of centre-back David Bates, who replaced the injured Bruno Alves early in proceedings.
Fair result in the Old Firm. Rangers the better side for me in the 2nd half. Good result for the new manager. Bates did great when he came on. ????
— ? Joey Barton ? (@Joey7Barton) December 30, 2017
The game ended in a 0-0 draw despite both sides having opportunities throughout the game to take the lead.
Bates was subbed on in the 18th minute to replace an injured Bruno Alves.
Barton also took the time to address Chris Sutton’s tweet that a draw must feel like a win to Rangers and that not enough Hoops players “turned up.”
The former Light Blues player insisted that Sutton should give Rangers some credit for their performance.
Come on you. You have to give them some credit. Dug a result out with key players missing. No? https://t.co/3VFGswoZO5
— ? Joey Barton ? (@Joey7Barton) December 30, 2017
However, Sutton opted to not reply.
Opinion
Joey Barton is right that it was a fair result for both sides, seeing as Celtic were the better team in the first-half and Rangers the best team in the second-half. He is also right to be impressed by Bates who was thrown into the thick of it unexpectedly so early in the game. Many players would have struggled to adapt as quickly as he did, especially given his lack of games this season. However, Bates rose to the occasion.