The Death of the Glasgow Derby: Why Football Without Fans is Nothing
“Football without fans is nothing… you play a football match without fans, you’ve got nothing. It could be the greatest game in the world, but if there’s no people there to watch it, it becomes nothing.”
It is one of the most famous quotes in world football, spoken by the late, great Jock Stein - words that mean every bit as much now as when Mr Stein spoke them way back when.
The SPFL's announcement on away ticket allocations for Glasgow Derbies did not come as a surprise two weeks ago. Ever since Martin O’Neill was questioned about the 300-tickets offered for the League Cup tie at Ibrox, there has been no doubt as to the club’s message:
“We might as well not get any, if that’s the case. Just looking at it from a personal viewpoint, it’s one of the great fixtures. Even if the teams are not of the standard of, let’s say, Paris Saint-Germain or Real Madrid, it is still a fantastic fixture. And you honestly don’t realise how big it is in European games and in the world. People talk about it as a great game. And the best atmosphere is when the away fans have their allocation. That’s been my point the whole way. I thought from a distance, watching games when it was away, that it lost something. I remember I came to one of the games here with Celtic and Rangers, and Rangers scored a goal and it was complete silence. So that’s not what you’re looking for. It’s still a crowd participation game. It’s a shame because it’s a phenomenal fixture. The league game, where we were 2-0 down, I have not known noise like it at Ibrox for a long time. It was phenomenal. And just to be participating in that game gives you goosebumps. So that’s a shame. But very obviously, if they’re going to give us 300 tickets, I would rather say no. And we’ll give them one!”
Martin has been criticised lately for his flippant remarks in press conferences, especially while the transfer window was open. Here, however, he speaks from the heart and, for me, hits the nail right on the head. I’m sure there are plenty of fans reading this article right now who believe that Rangers fans should never be given an allocation at Celtic Park again. They likely think the games are better “without the sectarian singing and vile chants for 90 minutes,” as is often quoted on social media. Well, if you are that reader, I don’t think you’re going to like this article. As much as I agree with some of the points made, there is one thing people forget: this is the biggest derby in the UK and one of the biggest in the world, and the reason for that is everything some fans now want to get rid of.
I remember going to my first derby: Sunday 9th January 2005, Scottish Cup 3rd Round, Celtic v Rangers at Celtic Park. I’d been going to Celtic games regularly since 2001 using my uncle’s season ticket, but there was always that one game that, no matter how much I begged my mother, she wouldn’t let me go to. I wanted to go so badly that I asked for a ticket for Christmas - and who would my mother be to ruin a poor 11-year-old’s Christmas?
It was the first season without my childhood hero, Henrik Larsson, and what turned out to be Martin O’Neill’s final season (or so we thought). It was a lunchtime kick-off in the East End, which meant a 10.30am bus for me from the Greenock CSC. I had nerves like nothing before all the way up to the stadium, before finally handing my paper ticket over at the turnstile and climbing the mountain of stairs to my section.
Anyone who has been in the upper tier of Celtic Park knows those stairs go on forever and a day. Stepping into the foyer, the atmosphere already sounded like nothing I’d heard before. As I walked up the stairs towards my seat, the imagery and colour started to appear. Directly across from my section was a sea of blue, with the old Union Jacks everywhere. Every chant from the away end led to a bigger response from the home end; for every “Hullo Hullo,” a loud boo would lead to a vociferous “Hail Hail, the Celts are here!” My 11-year-old mind was blown.
The match was fast-paced, and tackles flew in from every angle. The first goal from Chris Sutton was cheered like a league-winning moment. Fernando Ricksen had the audacity to score early in the second half while 55,000 fans held their scarves aloft for “You’ll Never Walk Alone,” before ‘Big Bad’ John Hartson - just days after signing a new contract - slotted home the winner past Stefan Klos with only 13 minutes to go. As the clock ticked down, the away end started to empty, and the party atmosphere continued in the home end.
Going home, I was buzzing. For years I had sat with my dad and watched these games on TV, and finally, I had experienced one in person - it was a coming-of-age moment. Thankfully, since then, I’ve had the pleasure of enjoying numerous wins against Rangers at home, at Ibrox, and watching us knock them out of cups at Hampden. Yes, of course, there have also been the lows of watching Rangers come to Celtic Park and win, sometimes convincingly, though thankfully those moments are relatively few and far between.
I guess if you were reading this on a Rangers forum like "A Rangers State of Mind," it would be highly partisan and probably full of spelling mistakes, but the argument would likely be: why should Celtic be given the full Broomloan Stand? After all, ever since the arrival of Brendan Rodgers back in 2016, it had literally become a party stand for the Celtic fans.
Odsonne Édouard’s 69th-minute goal into the Broomloan end on March 11th, 2018, was - until recently - the last time a Celtic player scored into a full Celtic end at Ibrox. Mere months after that goal, following the arrival of Steven Gerrard as Rangers manager, Rangers announced that “due to increased demand for season tickets, the allocation would be cut from 8,000 to 750” (the standard away allocation for SPFL teams). This was the first time the allocation had been cut since 1994, when David Murray banned Celtic fans from Ibrox. Indeed, at the time, Murray had remarked that he feared no consequential move from Celtic, as they were “more than £5m in debt and cannot afford to go without the money generated by Rangers supporters.” (Oh David, if only you knew what lay ahead!)
From 2018 to 2024, the allocations were reciprocal at both stadiums, with just 750 away fans tucked away in a corner, almost as if they weren't there. They were forced to enter the stadium three hours before kick-off and held back until the home end cleared, before being shuttled back onto buses and sent on their way. It felt more like a well-drilled army routine than going to a football match. The fixture had lost its edge, and the constant political bickering between the two clubs led to several occasions where fans from both sides were locked out of away games entirely.
As previously mentioned, some fans enjoyed that. Celtic fans will point to the 3-0 Wednesday night game in 2022 under Ange Postecoglou, where a brace from new signing Reo Hatate sent Celtic to the top of the table for the first time. Rangers fans might allude to the previous fixture, where Filip Helander scored the only goal in Steven Gerrard’s last derby match. For both sides, the argument can be made that the stadiums on those occasions were rocking, and it certainly could be said that having no away fans gave the home side a huge advantage. But in hindsight, it was a novelty, and that novelty quickly wore thin.
Soon, both sides adapted to the conditions and picked up victories over each other in their away fixtures. However, the atmospheres were dampened. Eventually, Sky Sports and the SPFL stepped in, demanding a return to a bigger allocation, with Sky reportedly threatening to pull the plug on their TV deal if an agreement couldn’t be reached. Eventually, a compromise was struck, and a 5% away allocation was introduced at both stadiums.
Then came March 8th, 2026. Nearly eight years to the day since Celtic last received a full allocation for Ibrox, the two clubs were drawn together in the Scottish Cup. After a long back-and-forth, Celtic received the full allocation once again - much to Rangers’ dismay - and for many, it was seen as a chance to test the waters for a permanent return to full allocations on both sides.
That game and its immediate aftermath will very likely be fresh in your minds, dear reader, so I will refrain from going in-depth about what happened that day. However, it is safe to say that no side comes out of this with a clean record. The more cynical amongst you will say that it was destined to fail - a poor organisation of the entire event by Rangers, Police Scotland, the SFA, and Celtic. It was almost like they wanted it to fail.
What happened at the full-time whistle was shocking. The scenes harkened back to the 1980s, but what a lot of the media tends to forget is that these actions were carried out by an extremely small percentage of those in attendance. Yet, the 99% throughout the stadium who behaved themselves somehow find themselves punished, if only indirectly. The recent decision by the SPFL to remove the away fan allocation from both stadiums is a knife to the heart for many who looked forward to these visits. Supporting your team away from home in Scotland is becoming harder and harder without decisions like this.
I look on in envy at guys like Glen Schreuder from Red Tinted Glasses and Colin Carson (known on TikTok as HomerandBarts), who travel all over Scotland supporting their teams. They are almost guaranteed a ticket every week and, most importantly, they get to take their sons all over Scotland to experience the joy of away days. I understand the economics of supply and demand, and the basic fact that it would be easier for an Aberdeen or Hearts fan to get away tickets, but this wasn't always the case.
Celtic’s away allocations have been cut massively by clubs ever since 2018 - Hearts famously reducing their allocation to “three men and a dug,” while others cut allocations only to see swathes of empty sections in the home end. I’m not saying away teams should give Celtic and Rangers as many tickets as they want. What I am saying is that it’s sad to see clubs cutting allocations when many struggle financially, leaving sections empty that were once full. There will hopefully come a day in my not-too-distant future where my son will ask if he can come to the football with me. Unlike Glen and Colin, I’ll likely not be able to take him - not because I don’t want to, but simply because the option isn’t there. I know that won’t gain a lot of sympathy from fans across the league, but it is a sad indictment of where we are.
Another important meeting took place on 4th September 2026. St Andrews has hosted many incredible moments over the years, such as Seve Ballesteros winning the Open Championship in 1984 with a birdie on the final hole. A fortnight ago, however, a different sport took centre stage, looking to dig itself out of some deep rough. Representatives from all 42 SPFL sides met in St Andrews for a “crisis summit” on the future of the Scottish game. Discussions on the table included league reconstruction, the permanent introduction of B teams, and the future of the national side. Yet, one thing will likely not even hit the agenda: the fans.
Should clubs commit to a minimum percentage for away fans in stadiums? Should clubs be punished for not allowing away fans into stadiums? Who should foot the bill for any damage caused by fans in away ends? These are all reasonable questions, but you can bet your mortgage that none of this will have been discussed. The Scottish Football Supporters Association does a great job of backing Scottish football fans, and in 2023 they published the results of a fan survey on how to improve the game. Yet to date, the SFA has failed to make any progress on these matters.
Football fans are the lifeblood of the game. Watching football during the Covid season - with no fans inside the stadiums, dodgy official streams from the clubs, and fake fan noise blared through the speakers - everyone will agree (well, maybe not everyone) that football was just not the same. The SPFL's decision to remove away fans from the biggest fixture on the Scottish football calendar is, for me, a sad one. In fact, it’s a worrying one. This might just be about the Glasgow Derby for now, but who’s to say that other teams won’t decide they don’t want away fans either?
What would the Edinburgh Derby be without away fans? What about the brave souls travelling from Dingwall to Methil - a seven-hour round trip? Following your team around the country is a decision and a choice that you should be able to make. It shouldn’t be taken away from you by blazers at a higher level looking to score cheap political points.
Football is nothing without fans, even if they’re away fans. It’s time for sensible heads to prevail, get the key stakeholders around the table, and bring back the allocations properly. Yes, it will likely upset some fans on either side of the divide, but for the sake of this fixture and for the betterment of Scottish football globally, it’s something that must be done - and it must be done immediately.
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