Jackie McNamara reckons the Old Firm is friendlier affair than it used to be.
The former Celtic star should know. He landed a punch on Rangers’ Mark Hateley’s chin 26 years ago and managed to avoid being ordered off in one bad tempered encounter. McNamara believes it’s an all round tamer affair nowadays, with players bing far nicer to each other than they were in his day.
That’s not to say the modern day version is without its flashpoints. The cliche is that these games are refereed differently from the others, rightly or wrongly. Whether that explains some incidents going unpunished, who knows? There’s also a tendency to blow what would have been minor skirmishes back in the day out of proportion, but that’s part and parcel of Scotland’s biggest fixture, especially when there’s titles and trophies on the line. Players don’t always help matters by acting before thinking as well.
While McNamara may remember a harsher attitude from those on the park, the intensity on and off it hasn’t changed. Record Sport looks back at the most explosive moments in the fixture.
Booze ban battle
You’ve never actually been able to buy a bevvy inside Scottish grounds, but taking in a carry out was a norm back in the day as punters would pass out the cans and half bottles to swig from on the terraces. Now, that likely would have been brought to en end by legislation anyway, but one Old Firm clash meant a swift end to the custom in 1980.
After the New Firm of Dundee United and Aberdeen had won the League Cup and Premier Division championship respectively, May’s Scottish Cup Final represented the last chance for either Glasgow side to finish the season with some silverware - a scenario unthinkable nowadays. As it was , Celtic won a drab affair with an extra-time winner following a goalless 90 minutes.
It was after 120 that all hell broke loose. The victorious Hoops went to celebrate with their fans, who like those in blue were behind a 10ft fence the SFA had erected to keep the 70,000 crowd in the stands.
It didn’t work. A few Celtic supporters scaled it to join their heroes in celebration. Some Light Blues punters had remained behind to applaud their team’s efforts, so naturally that meant one bold Celtic supporter ran to that end and booted a ball into the empty net. That led to many more from each end streaming on to the park for a confrontation.
That became a pitched battle, with bricks, bottles, iron bars and wood from terracing used as weapons, with not enough police there to get things back under control. Commentator Archie Macpherson described it as like a scene from Apocalypse Now, before adding: "We've got the equivalent of Passchendaele and that says nothing for Scottish football. At the end of the day, let's not kid ourselves. These supporters hate each other.”
Afterwards, both clubs were fined £20,000 and 200 arrests were made. The then secretary of state for Scotland, blamed the booze and laws were passed the following year forbidding it within grounds, fans being permitted while drunk or even having a drink on buses or trains en route to games. It was temporarily lifted in 2007 - but only for Scotland rugby internationals at Murrayfield. Football fans, however, apparently still can’t be trusted though…
See you in court
An own goal, a last minute leveller, three sendings off, two fines, 60 arrests and players up in the dock afterwards. This Ibrox encounter in October 1987 had it all.
It only took 15 minutes for things to properly kick off as well. Gers keeper Chris Woods collected a backpass (remember them?) from Jimmy Phillips on 17 minutes, and Celtic striker Frank McAvennie decided this was as good a time as any to let the England international know he was in a game.
Macca barged into the keeper, who reacted by warmly grabbing him by the throat. Terry Butcher and Graham Roberts piled in as back up before a punch was thrown. McAvennie and Woods were both sent off, with Butcher and Roberts booked for their part.
Celtic then raced into a two-goal lead before Rangers were down to nine men after Butcher was shown a second yellow for a clash with Hoops keeper Alan McKnight. Despite that, Ally McCoist got the hosts back in the game, which allowed Richard Gough to rescue a last gasp point, firing home after a penalty box stramash. Graham Roberts, who had replaced Woods in goals, conducted the fans behind him in celebration, although later denied he could hear the alleged sectarian songs being sung as he did so.
The aftermath saw politicians condemning the players’ actions (it will be managers later) and McAvennie, Woods, and Butcher were charged with “conduct likely to provoke a breach of the peace". All three denied the charges and while McAvennie got off scot-free the following spring, Woods and Butcher with stung with £500 and £250 fines respectively.
Gazza’s flute
There’s enough sectarian nonsense that surrounds this fixture without players needlessly fuelling it. But Paul Gascoigne did. He first mimicked playing the flute after scoring against Steaua Bucharest in a 1995 pre-season. Given its connotations, it was a reckless thing to do regardless of who Rangers were playing, but later claimed he was unaware of the associations.
He then decided to do it again whilst warming up at Celtic Park three years later. The England international received death threats from the IRA in the aftermath, and would scan the crowd before games for fear of being shot on the pitch. Despite all that, Gascoigne then did it a third time after scoring during last year’s Rangers Legends charity match at Ibrox.
Mahe’s meltdown
This one was set up to be a powderkeg from the beginning and Stephane Mahe’s being sent off ended up being the least of Celtic’s worries. But the Frenchman’s reaction to being given his marching orders warranted its own mention.
We’ll get onto the circumstances surrounding this one and the frankly shameful scenes that unfolded in a bit, but in terms of what happened on the pitch, Mahe simply lost the plot. After having a foul awarded to him after a challenge by Neil McCann, Mahe probably would have been fine had he simply got on with it.
Instead, he unleashed a rant at referee Hugh Dallas while already on a booking, which resulted in a second yellow and the inevitable red from the whistler. That did little to improve Mahe’s or the the crowd’s mood. The left back couldn’t let it go and had to be dragged away after he ran up to get in Dallas’s face and continue his arguments.
Paul Lambert, Scott Marshall and Harald Brattbaak all played peacekeeper before Mahe finally made his way off the park, covering his face with his strip as he went. He then appeared to aim a punch at a security official as he went up the tunnel in tears. Vidar Riseth joined him in the dressing room later on after also being dismissed.
‘Shame game’
Hoping for cool heads on such an occasion was perhaps naive at best. Rangers knew a win in their rivals’ backyard would see them clinch the title at Celtic Park for the first time in history.
They led after just 12 minutes when McCann turned home a Rod Wallace cutback. Mahe had his moment on 32 minutes which raised the temperature further inside Parkhead. There was no excuse for what happened next though. As Gio van Bornkchorst prepared to take a free-kick award to Gers on the right, Dallas went down after being struck by a coin thrown from the crowd, with blood pouring from a wound on the ref’s head.
After a lengthy delay as Dallas received treatment, Tony Vidmar went down in the box following a clumsy challenge from Riseth after van Bronckhorst’s delivery. Dallas pointed to the spot and Jorg Albertz fired the visitors into a commanding 2-0 lead.
All control seemed to have been lost as Celtic fans tried to invade the pitch three times in order to confront Dallas. It was game over in the second half when McCann spun in behind then around Stewart Kerr before rolling home and securing the league crown for Dick Advocaat’s side, who celebrated at full-time with an ironic huddle. It wasn’t over for Dallas however, as his home’s windows were smashed later that evening as a bad day for Scottish football got even worse.
Let’s all do the Broony
El Hadji Diouf was hardly Mr Popular at Celtic Park before he even signed for Rangers. The Senegal star was reviled after spitting at a fan during a UEFA Cup clash in March 2003.
So when he rocked up across town at Rangers on loan from Blackburn on January transfer deadline day in 2011, he was hardly going to get a warm welcome. Five days later, he was facing the Hoops in a fifth round Scottish Cup tie at Ibrox.
A Jamie Ness cracker after Celtic had cleared a Diouf corner in front of the away end set the tone after less than three minutes. Steven Davis then hit the bar as Rangers threatened to blow Celtic away early doors.
Kris Commons levelled things up for the visitors on his Old Firm debut less than 12 minutes after they’d gone behind. However, Steven Naismith hit the deck in the box at the other end after being wiped out by Fraser Fosrster, who was sent off for his troubles. Steven Whittaker restored the hosts’ advantage from the spot and they looked good for a place in the next round.
Shortly after half-time however, the 10 men hit back. Mark Wilson teed up Scott Brown and with a swing of his left foot, he sent the ball into the far corner to make it 2-2. Naturally, he celebrated by getting in Diouf’s face with his arms outstretched and ‘The Broony’ was born. Naismith tried to win another penalty by going over Charlie Mulgrew’s outstretched foot. However, all he received was a second yellow and the numbers were evened up, as the score remained until full-time.
Handshake summit
The sides did it all again at Celtic Park in the replay, and this one had even more to talk and write about. Three red cards and, 13 yellows and a touchline handshake that turned into a rammy and prompted a parliamentary crisis summit between club chiefs.
Steven Whittaker flew into a challenge with Emillio Izaguirre and received a second yellow card before the break, which did little to calm tensions.
Mark Wilson fired Celtic into the lead in the second half before Majid Bougherra also picked up a second caution and followed Whittaker down the tunnel. Diouf was sent off after the final whistle, but it was what happened between Lennon and Ibrox assistant McCoist that was the big talking point.
As they went to shake hands, Lennon seemed to take issue with something and pointed angrily into McCoist’s face. The Gers legend reacted to whatever Lennon had said - the pair still gripping each other’s hands - and a melee ensured. Club chiefs were both summoned to speak to then First Minister Alex Salmond to explain themselves in the weeks that followed.
Neither McCoist nor Lennon would confirm what sparked the angry confrontation, but Alan Thompson revealed all years later. He explained: “When the final whistle blew, and we had won the game, all the staff went over to shake hands with the opposing team as you do, and Lenny went to shake Coisty’s hand.
“I was stood so close that I clearly heard Ally tell Lenny, ‘And don’t you be speaking to my f***ing players like that’, only for Lenny to tell him, ‘They’re not your f***ing players, they’re Walter’s.
“It’s never been disclosed what was actually said in over a decade now — but I’m telling you that was the spark that lit the fire and Hell was hot. Lenny was right because Walter was the gaffer and Ally was only the No 2 at that time. Ally didn’t take well to that.
“The Rangers boys were all trying to say it was our fault but any team who receives three red cards in one match need to have a long hard look at themselves.”
And down goes Brown
Scott Brown was in the thick of it again as Celtic won a dramatic late season derby 2-1 at Parkhead. Odsonne Edouard had put the Hoops ahead on 27 minutes before Ryan Kent drew Rangers level just after the hour mark.
Between both goals, Alfredo Morelos was his usual calm and placid self, throwing an elbow at Brown off the ball and earning himself a red card. The champions made their numerical advantage count as James Forrest hit the winner with four minutes left.
Brown, perhaps unwisely, celebrated directly in front of Kent. While Diouf could be commended for his restraint when facing similar during that 2-2 Scottish Cup draw nearly a decade previously, Kent showed no such zen and landed a punch on Brown. Amazingly, Kent wasn't even booked. He was eventually handed a two-game ban after being cited, and Brown was involved in a post-match altercation with Andy Halliday. But apart from all that, another quiet day at the office.
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