Sergio Porrini
Italian looks back to when Rangers last went to Celtic Park to win title
Scottish football is not likely to forget the last time Rangers won the title at Celtic Park.
Not in a hurry, anyway.
That possibility looms large in a fortnight’s time – unless Dundee United can hasten Light Blue celebrations by taking something off Celtic at Tannadice today.
It was on May 2, 1999, that Rangers clinched a championship win at the home of their greatest rivals’ for the first time in more than 100 years with a resounding 3-0 victory.
However, the historic nature of their success was overshadowed by events around a match that has been known ever since as the “Shame Game”.
In shocking scenes that were beamed from Glasgow’s East End to every corner of the globe, referee Hugh Dallas needed four stitches put into a head wound after a coin thrown from within the Celtic support left him with blood pouring down his face.
There were sporadic pitch invasions by rogue Celtic fans, and one supporter fell from the top tier of the stand.
Three players were sent off – Celtic pair, Stephane Mahe and Vidar Riseth, as well as Rangers striker, Rod Wallace – and 113 arrests were made either at Celtic Park or in the city centre.
Even after the game, the trouble was not over for Dallas, who had awarded Rangers a penalty straight after being hit by the coin, with windows at his family home being smashed that same night.
For the players who contributed to Rangers’ success, though, the game remains a memory to treasure.
Sergio Porrini, the full- back signed from Juventus, and an Italy international by the time he arrived at Ibrox in 1997, recalled: “That match was certainly the highlight of my four years at the club – but the truth is I nearly missed it.
“The day before we had to go to Celtic Park, I was sick, and had a high fever.
“But our manager, Dick Advocaat, called me and told me that he wanted me out on the pitch anyway.
“Of course, that was my big wish, too.
“Having played through the season, it would have been very sad to have stayed out of the game in which we clinched the title for Rangers.
“So I took a lot of medicine and got as much sleep as I could. And, fortunately, on the morning of the match, the fever had dropped.
“I was still not in what I would call great shape. But I forgot my concerns, and just said I was fine. I wanted to play too much to do anything else.
“Obviously, there was the risk of
what I did backfiring. I could have gone out at Celtic Park, and played badly. But I gave it my all and it all turned out well in the end.”
While many players often speak about big games passing them by in a blur, Porrini has vivid memories of that early-evening match 22 years ago.
The fact it kicked- off at 6.05pm on a Sunday to satisfy TV demands, and was played on a Bank Holiday weekend, were seen as contributing factors to the mayhem which followed.
Porrini continued: “The game started with a foul after just a few seconds. Then, immediately, there was another one.
“It was not a big surprise because in the days leading up to the match, we had been very focused.
“We knew we had the chance to make history by winning the championship at the home of our rivals, and were determined to take it.
“But, even though we were sure that we would make it, there was a lot of tension on and off the pitch.
“People kept trying to invade the pitch, but the police were ready and were able to get to them quickly enough to stop them.
“I think the fact there were three players sent off that day tells you it was a match played with great intensity.”
With the injury to Dallas beamed around the world, the lasting image was of a sporting occasion gone out of control.
“The police could not be everywhere,” added Porrini.
“A missile from the stands struck the referee, and it was a really bad thing.
“I remember seeing him covered in blood, and that was a moment of great fear for us all.
“Fortunately, after receiving medical attention, he was able to carry on and, after a very short time, he awarded us a penalty.
“People can argue about that decision, but the fact is this was a game we dominated. Celtic never caused us problems.
“But they call it the Shame Game, and I think this name is enough to make you understand the emotions their supporters felt that day.”
Fifty- two- year- old Porrini, now a coach with the Albanian national team, looks back on the game as both a great personal achievement and an education into the great rivalry between Glasgow’s two big clubs.
“I had played in Glasgow derbies previously, but that match made me understand exactly what the Old Firm means to the fans,” he said.
“It is much more than a football match. The way the Rangers fans celebrated was incredible. They were fantastic.
“I have to admit that, as a foreigner, I certainly can’t understand 100% what it means to be a Rangers or Celtic fan.
“When Lorenzo Amoruso and me joined Rangers, one of our countrymen, Enrico Annoni was with Celtic.
“He immediately made us feel at home.
“We didn’t know each other, but the fact of being Italians in a foreign country immediately made us feel like brothers.
“But Lorenzo and I didn’t talk to Enrico for the whole week before the derby.
“We knew that was the right thing to do. And then when we met again, we never talked about that match.
“We may have been outsiders, but one thing I can guarantee.
“I always played to the best of my ability to honour the Rangers shirt and the history of the club.
“And winning that championship on Celtic’s pitch was truly incredible.”
Porrini has no doubts that Steven Gerrard’s side are capable of supplying a fitting finish to what has been a remarkable campaign.
“I am confident that Rangers can win and win well, as we did in 1999,” he said.
“They have had the mark of champions all season. Now all they need to do is complete the job.
“And it would also be an even more important title because it stops Celtic making it 10-in-a-row.
“It is just really sad that the derby has to be is played without fans in the stands.
“I understand why this has to be the way. But it is still a great shame.
“It is such a passionate occasion. The two sets of fans make it spectacular and, I can tell you from experience, they give a lot of strength to the players on the pitch.
“Hearing the crowd cheering us on motivated me a great deal, and gave me extra energy to do what I needed to do.
“So although Rangers will be champions, this time a key part of the show will be missing.”
I had played in Glasgow derbies previously, but that match made me understand completely what it meant