OUR BIG TWO GIVE THEIR VERDICT
MY attitude to Rangers cutting Celtic’s allocation to 800 tickets? So be it.
So much fuss is being made over this decision but if it generates more money for Steven Gerrard, great.
There’s no doubt it’s a watershed moment and the dynamic of these derby games is about to change with Celtic responding in kind.
Having nearly 8000 guys wearing the Hoops inside the stadium is all I’ve ever known in these fixtures in Govan. I was brought up as a fan and a player having three quarters of Ibrox filled with the home support and the other quarter to our rivals.
I loved nothing more than walking out at Ibrox, looking to my left and seeing all of the Celtic fans packed into the Broomloan Road Stand and they played their part in generating an incredible atmosphere.
One of the best you will find anywhere in the world. They would sit behind the goal and it was brilliant when you managed to get a victory but not so good when we lost.
When I went to take a corner kick at the Celtic end they would be giving me dog’s abuse and it was enjoyable. It’s the type of atmosphere that players love being involved in.
They would give me it tight and it only made the victories taste even better.
Celtic will arrive at Ibrox next season and have nearly 50,000 Rangers fans baying for their blood, it’s something they should relish and fire them up to play football.
Try playing at hostile places such as Galatasaray, Red Star Belgrade or PAOK Salonika. A different level of mayhem and that’s a side of the game I miss.
When I get asked about the noise in an Old Firm match I always say it’s completely different being in the middle of the pitch to what it’s like sitting in the stands.
It can be absolute bedlam and an entirely different ball game so in that sense it’s a bit disappointing it’s all about to change.
I get the arguments for the damage it could do to the atmosphere – but who knows what impact having the place almost completely full of Rangers fans will have?
We won’t really know what difference these arrangements will make to the dynamic until we sample it.
It shouldn’t really be much of an advantage for either side or any kind of major disadvantage.
There have also been suggestions this is a petty move by Rangers but I don’t believe that’s the case.
The bottom line as to why Rangers will now look to sell 7000 more season books is it will significantly increase revenue this summer.
I’d imagine the cost of a season ticket is just over £350 and by my reckoning that’s almost £2.5million in guaranteed revenue, so it makes perfect sense to do that.
It’s more money in the coffers for the new manager as he looks to recruit new players and he’ll require significant funds to do that.
Having thousands of Celtic fans