JOHN Carver found himself caught up in the ugly aftermath of the Old Firm game at Ibrox on Sunday as Rangers supporters who were furious at the Premiership defeat to their understrength city rivals Celtic revolted.
“Normally I leave before the end of games to get back down the road,” said the Scotland assistant yesterday after helping manager Steve Clarke oversee a training session at Lesser Hampden ahead of the Euro 2024 qualifier against Cyprus in Larnaca on Friday night.
“Because I was staying up here I stayed. But I couldn’t wait to get out because they were coming over the top of the directors’ box! Walking out, there were disgruntled fans trying to come through the front doors as well! It was a difficult situation.”
The excessive reaction of the hardcore element of the Rangers’ support to the disappointing derby loss, though, paled in comparison with the extreme response of the Omonia Nicosia diehards to a nine game winning run coming to an end during his time as a manager in Cyprus back in 2017.
Carver looks back on his eight months in charge of Omonia with great fondness. He made many friends during his time on the Mediterranean island and has returned there for holidays regularly since departing. However, he also witnessed just how badly their ultras could behave when results fell short of what they expected and demanded.
“We had a couple of issues when I was there,” he said. “That is why I came away from it. We were playing a cup game and our fans were protesting against the owners. They were firing rockets onto the pitch.
“The referee stopped and then abandoned the game. It was a cup tie, a quarter-final. We lost it 3-0 because it got abandoned. The fans were waiting for the players when we got back to Nicosia. So it was pretty lively.
“That was my last game. I spoke to the owners and they were great. After the game, we actually got a police escort back to the house where I lived. I said to them, ‘Look, I don’t need this, I don’t have a problem’. They said, ‘No, no, just in case’.
“There weren’t any issues for me. It is a great place and a place I would definitely go back to and work. I have had opportunities to do so. But it was just a bit too much at Omonia. There were other situations which arose as well.
“In Cyprus, fans often turn up at the training ground unexpectedly. All of the security cameras would be turned off and they would just appear. They would say, ‘Right, you’re not training!’. And they would have it out with the players. That was on the back of winning nine-in-a-row and drawing one game!
“They didn’t have an issue with me. Maybe because they knew my reputation! They just had it out with the players. We had to cancel training and go back the next day. Then it was fine. But that is the culture and you have to adapt to the culture when you are out there.
“The people on the island were unbelievable, the nicest people you could ever hope to meet. But, all of a sudden, when there is a game of football on, they must turn a switch on somewhere. They turn into these . . . .”
So is Carver expecting Andy Robertson and his team mates to get a hostile reception from thousands of crazed locals when they take to the field in the AEK Arena in Larnaca on Friday night to play their vital Group A match against Temuri Ketsbaia’s men?
Will they have to avoid smoking pyrotechnics being hurled at them from the stands during the encounter? Do they risk having their pre-match workout in the stadium disrupted by hooligans? The Englishman has no concerns whatsoever.
Strangely, he expects Scotland’s fifth qualifier to be, thanks to the feelgood factor that has steadily grown among the Tartan Army after the rousing triumphs over Cyprus, Spain, Norway and Georgia this year, akin to a home match for them.
“I went to watch Cyprus play Belgium when I was there,” he said. “It is more families and children who go and watch the national team. I don’t think the main supporter groups really follow them. It might help us in a sense because we are going to have a great crowd there and the pitch is close to the stand. It will be a good atmosphere.”
Carver is certainly, however, wary of the damage which the hosts can inflict on the visitors’ bid to reach the Euro 2024 finals in Germany next year even though they have lost all three of their Group A matches to date and are bottom of the section.
He is friendly with Ketsbaia from their time at Newcastle United together and feels the former Georgian midfielder has improved Cyprus greatly since being appointed their manager last year.
“Look at their recent results,” he said. “They went to Israel and won which we found really difficult to do. They went to Armenia and got a draw and everyone saw how difficult it was for us there. Even recently against Georgia, they were leading and lost late on. We know it’s a difficult game. They are a good side with good players.
“Obviously I know Temuri. He’ll be determined to win the game. He’s under a little bit of pressure I think because of his results. He’s a real nice character, a football person. He was a good fit for the job. It’s a difficult job because he hasn’t got the same amount of players to pick from.
“But he’s done a good job. I’ve seen a difference in the team from when I was out there to what they are now. They are a far better team to when I was there.”
The same, though, is true of Scotland since Steve Clarke took charge and there is every chance their travelling supporters will be celebrating after another victory and not rioting following a defeat when the final whistle blows on Friday night.
