Alex Rae reckons it's "unhealthy" for Celtic and Rangers to lock away fans out of the final two Premiership derbies of the season.
Drastically reduced away allocations have been in force at Ibrox and Celtic Park in recent seasons but things will be taken a step further for the two upcoming league derbies. Both sides of the Old Firm have announced they will not be allowing any opposition fans in, citing "safety concerns" among the reasons for the complete lockout.
The decision has been near-universally panned by pundits with many feeling the Premiership derbies haven't been the same since allocations were slashed from the 7,000+ that Rangers and Celtic used to allow on derby day. And Rae feels closing opposition supporters out altogether is a major step backwards - claiming the safety argument "doesn't stack up."
When asked if the lack of away fans takes away from the game, Rae told Grosvenor Sport: "I think it does yes and the players will definitely feel the same. Across the board, people want to see away fans at the game, especially an Old Firm.
"There's something special about these games so to have no fans really contributes to the spectacle. It's not healthy. The whole argument about safety doesn't really stack up for me so I hope they can try and get some fans into the game."
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