Why Celtic Are Right to Say Goodbye to Ibrox Allocation
The news that there will be no away supporters for the Glasgow derbies this season was seemingly inevitable. Nevertheless, this is tinged with some sadness for those of us who remember the Old Firm games of the 1980s and 1990s at Ibrox, with Celtic famously having an allocation not only for the full Broomloan Stand, but also for the old Main Stand with the enclosure underneath. In 1983, we were even allocated part of the Govan Stand (now the Sandy Jardine Stand) in a famous 4-2 Celtic victory, coming roaring back in the second half having gone in 2-0 down at half-time.
There have been many memorable Celtic victories at Ibrox; Beachball Sunday in 2003 brings back many happy memories. The mainstream media will, no doubt, try to spin the tired old “one side is as bad as the other” and “two sides of the same coin” narratives. However, the fixture first saw a threat to the traditional allocation under David Murray, with Celtic fans being banned from Ibrox in 1994 (Murray citing spurious previous damage caused in the Broomloan Stand). This arrogance and disregard for tradition and decency summed up the man who drove Rangers to their destruction, ultimately selling the original Ibrox club for £1 to our googly-eyed hero, Craig Whyte. In truth, the fixture has never been the same since the death of the original Ibrox club. Despite the efforts of The Rangers and the mainstream media to rekindle the ‘Old Firm’ label, the Glasgow derby has seen Celtic dominate since the new club’s promotion to the top division in 2016. That is the root cause of the present situation.
Since then, the variety of chancers leading the new Rangers have desperately tried to cling onto the blue pound by kowtowing to the lowest common denominator in their support (witness the plethora of orange strips, tunes blasted over the tannoy designed to encourage ‘add-ons’ filled with sectarian hatred, and their backing of their Spider-Man mask-wearing ultras group). Hell, even Broxi Bear received a special mention for provoking Celtic fans on our last visit to Ibrox in the SFA independent review into the last Glasgow Derby at Ibrox. Staunch indeed! Everyone Anyone?
In truth, the direction of travel for some time has been towards reduced away allocations. It was clearly the club playing out of Ibrox who brought this state of affairs about. It can be traced back to the celebrations of Celtic’s 10-man victory in the Glasgow Derby in 2018, when Odsonne Édouard curled a peach of a goal in to clinch an iconic 3-2 Celtic victory, underpinned by a Brendan Rodgers tactical masterclass that day. There was no crowd trouble. There were no pitch invasions or incursions. Why, then, would the Ibrox club have sought to tamper with the biggest spectacle and advertisement to attract investment from television in Scottish football? The answer is twofold: they couldn’t stand the regular mockery coming from the ‘Tims’ in the free Broomloan Road stand, and they desperately needed the money. The comical sight of the staunch sentinels bravely guarding the Ibrox goalposts lest a Celtic scarf be tied to them did not sit well with ‘the peepul’.
Remember the context at the time: The Rangers, newly promoted to the top division and emboldened by a 2016 Scottish Cup semi-final victory over Celtic on penalties after a 2-2 draw, fancied themselves to be “going for 55”. They were left in no doubt as to their standing in Scottish football as Rodgers’ Celtic pummelled them relentlessly in both league and cup, with four and five-goal drubbings commonplace. Including the aforementioned Édouard game, the league record of The Rangers in the Glasgow Derby was pitiful, reading: played 8, lost 6, drawn 2 (rather fortuitously), won 0, goals for 6, goals against 23. Goal difference -17! It was scarcely surprising that they needed to change something to gain an advantage. Then came the reduced allocation. Further, an Ibrox side desperate for finance, frantically trying to stop Celtic’s seemingly inexorable progress towards ’10 in a Row’, wanted hard cash. These extra season tickets helped provide that, as well as more regular purchases of Bears’ Pakora, etc. Hence, it became standard for fewer than 1,000 Celtic fans to attend Ibrox. Eventually, it was agreed that around 5% of stadium capacity would be available for league matches in both stadiums, allowing for crowds of approximately 2,500 to 3,000.
The scenes at the end of Celtic’s Scottish Cup triumph at Ibrox in March, while rightly condemned, may have suited the Ibrox hierarchy down to the ground. They must have found a stand full of celebrating Celtic fans hard to Broxi Bear. Possibly, the Celtic fans' joyous rendition of "The Best" by Tina Turner may have been a bridge too far for the sensitive souls at Ibrox. Turning Tina against them was the last straw.
There has been little scrutiny of the responsibility of The Rangers as the host club and of Police Scotland for the very obvious security and planning failures that day in coping with the increased Celtic allocation, ranging from inadequate and unsafe entry points to the stadium, to an insufficient police and steward presence to prevent incursions by celebrating fans at the end of the match. This culminated in an aggressive pitch invasion from the other stands, with individuals seeking to attack Celtic staff and firing flares into the Broomloan Stand.
Quite frankly, I would have been concerned for Celtic’s "300 Spartans" at Ibrox should Celtic have accepted the paltry and insulting Rangers allocation to the club. I would have suggested that they be issued with the industrial hard hats which were prevalent among fans in the 1970s to avoid flying bottles. Let’s not forget this is a venue where Celtic’s coaching and playing staff are routinely assaulted with impunity - quite apart from the Scottish Cup tie last season, where some in the Ibrox crowd came on not only to confront celebrating Celtic fans but seeking to attack Celtic employees. We’ve had Engels struck down by a missile, a Celtic physio scarred by a glass bottle, Scott Brown confronted, and Joe Hart’s goal area showered in broken glass in recent times. It has been going on far longer than that, of course, but Celtic’s dominance may have exacerbated the Bears’ emotions even more. I would hope that any further attacks see the Celtic Board insist on protective netting over the stands of Ibrox to protect Celtic players and staff.
Make no mistake, The Rangers’ decision to offer the 300 away tickets was designed to bring this about. They knew on so many levels that this was a provocation and that Celtic would accordingly appeal this. Fans of The Rangers have only their own board to bleat about if they are upset that they can’t follow their new club to Celtic Park for the foreseeable future. The decision to effectively ban away fans is described as a temporary arrangement, but it is surely apparent to everyone that we’ll never get back to the allocations of old.
Whilst in many ways I have mixed feelings, overall I am satisfied with the outcome of not having away fans. I do, of course, have every sympathy with those Celts who pride themselves on faithfully following the Bhoys home and away to every match, but Ibrox is a toxic environment. If it means that the denizens who support that club are no longer able to visit Paradise and spend two hours spewing forth their bigoted bile and songs of hatred, then I’m good with that. I’d rather see Celtic fans, who are usually unable to see the team at Celtic Park because they don’t have a season ticket, in those seats and able to get behind the Bhoys. My goddaughter would be thrilled to see such a game. Some Celtic fans in The Lisbon Lions Stand wouldn’t have their seats available with a large support for the Rangers being allowed in. Michael Nicholson and the board should also enjoy financial benefits, presumably needing fewer police and stewards and facing no deliberate acts of vandalism to the stadium necessitating repairs. The only downside would be no longer being able to shout “Roon ye!” at them when we score! A small price to pay.
It’s sad that it’s come to this, but the Old Firm died in 2012. Harking back to the pre-2018 days of the large away supports should be the stuff of nostalgia. Keep Paradise for us and let them show themselves up at Ibrox without being able to blame us for provoking them. Hail Hail!
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