Sir Kenny Dalglish insists that while Celtic and Rangers locking out away fans is bad for the derby atmosphere – the action on the pitch will never be diminished.
No visiting supporters will be permitted inside Ibrox or Celtic Park for the final two meetings between the Glasgow rivals this season. Concerns over safety were cited as the primary factor behind a decision which has attracted widespread derision.
Dalglish says he also understands why the clubs may be keen to sell more season tickets and, therefore, reduce scope for a return to the old allocations, where several thousand away fans would pile into the home of their rivals.
The Celtic legend believes Hampden cup ties between the pair, where tickets are split 50-50, are the pinnacle for the fixture, anyway. But while he concedes that a certain something will be lost in Premiership meetings, he is confident it takes nothing away from the importance of the fixture.
“You will never spoil the spectacle of an Old Firm game,” he said. “I think it spoils it a wee bit for the atmosphere. I think the most atmospheric games have always been when it’s a cup tie and the split is 50-50. We’ve got the Scottish Cup semi-final coming up and it will be 50-50 here. That is the best atmosphere you get.
“You can understand why they have chosen it. They have two Old Firm games each at home every year. They’ve got season-tickets they can sell for all the games. The allocation at both Rangers and Celtic for the away games had to impinge on season-ticket holders. If Rangers and Celtic can sell to season-tickets for the whole of the season you can understand why they have done it.
“You can never undermine an Old Firm game. It doesn’t matter if there’s nobody there, it’s still an Old Firm game. It doesn’t take away from it. It probably makes it even more enjoyable if you go and get a win, to do it without any of your fans there is a great achievement.
"In one way I think it is admirable that they are looking after their own fans. So more Rangers fans can go to the Old Firm game at Ibrox, they have a better chance to see it, and the same with Celtic. The worst thing was when it was Covid and there was nobody there at all.
“They will know more than me but I think it must be common sense. If they are selling season-tickets you can get them for the whole season rather than saying you can’t come in for the two Rangers games or the two Celtic games. So why did you buy them then!”
Kenny Dalglish was promoting Viaplay’s live and exclusive coverage of Scotland v Cyprus and Scotland v Spain. Viaplay is available to stream from viaplay.com or via your TV provider on Sky, Virgin TV and Amazon Prime as an add-on subscription.
