At Sunday noon, the Bhoys take on arch-rivals Rangers in the 414th meeting between the two largest clubs in Scottish Football known as the ‘Old Firm Derby’. Why do they despise each other so much? Who has been victorious in most recent times? Is the rivalry still as hate-fueled as history suggests? You best believe it is, yet times are changing.
The Good
From the neutral point of view, it’s a sight to behold seeing Rangers back in the top flight of Scottish football after their off-the-field issues, which resulted in liquidation in 2012. Understandably, this will always be a subjective matter and will ultimately come down to personal opinion. Either way, 2012 will be a year that The Gers will certainly put in the distant memory.
After returning to the Scottish Premiership in the 2016-17 campaign, the derby matches could take place once again, albeit arguably displaying the most skewed, unbalanced matchup ever in the history of the fixture. Some Bhoys fans certainly enjoyed seeing the blue side of Glasgow struggle amongst the deep depths of Scottish Football, whilst some certainly relish the opportunity of playing, and thrashing, their opponents in an era where they continually dominate.
The appointment of Liverpool legend Steven Gerrard has led many to argue that the two teams are the closest that they have been, in terms of competitiveness, since Rangers re-started at the bottom of the SFL pyramid. The Hoops will undoubtedly hope not, having remained unbeaten for the last 11 meetings – a run which includes nine wins as well as a nine-goal swing in the last two games. Either way, the Old Firm still lives up to its reputation.
The Bad
When watching the Old Firm derby, the first thing you notice is the atmosphere. Whether it’s patriotic flags being waved or the sound of heartfelt chants that send a shiver down your spine, the fixture is always an exciting spectacle. However, during this summer, both clubs have decided to significantly cut the allocation given to away supporters at derby games moving forward – Rangers have claimed that they will drop the The Hoops’ ticket total from 7,000 to 800 in the return fixture.
This has led to criticism from many ex-players, fans and even Brendan Rodgers himself after he indirectly condemned the introduction of reduced away fan attendances. The supporters have always made the occasion what it is, with many describing it as one of the fiercest rivalries in the world of football. Both are well-supported and have well-known fan bases, so it seems a shame to take this away, ultimately making the home advantage even more prolific than it is already.
The Ugly
There has been considered one too many headline-grabbing events that have come as a consequence of the Old Firm game, with the most significant rooted into Scottish folklore. The alcohol ban in Scottish Football still exists, despite calls for it to be lifted. This originally stemmed from the 1980 Scottish Cup final where The Bhoys ran out 1-0 winners, which led to both sets of supporters clashing on the Hampden Park turf after the final whistle.
The rivalry stretches way beyond the realms of sport though as politics, national identity and religion tends to take centre stage and certainly acts as a division. Celtic have always been of Catholic faith and consider themselves Irish Scots, whilst conversely, Rangers have always been of Protestant faith and consider themselves British. These binary oppositions have always ignited the hatred between the two clubs – throw in social ideologies and Northern Ireland related politics and it’s easy to see why they don’t see eye to eye. These ideologies are fading as time progresses though.
Supporters have also been banned from away days at Ibrox before. This occurred in the early 90’s after Hoops fans were deemed to be the cause of vandalism at the ground, but the SFL were quick to rescind the ban only one game after the rule was introduced. Matches are also deliberately scheduled earlier, hence the 12pm kick off time on Sunday, whilst games that could decide the title have been purposely been avoided.
The Verdict
Old Firm Derbies still have meaning and will continue to have the significance attached to the fixture for years to come. On the other hand, their was a time where there was a constant blur between supporters, laws didn’t exist to punish the actions of fans and you could follow your team without a tight restriction of tickets. As football in general continues to modernise, the thought of derbies dying out seems plausible, but thankfully – we’re no where near that era just yet.