FAN THE FLAMES
Joe’s Hart will always be with Celts
JOE HART’S gloves will have dried off on their retirement peg by the time away fans are welcomed back to the Old Firm arena next season.
But the veteran Celtic keeper insists that won’t stop him getting a proper grip on the atmosphere that’s been lost on derby day for way too long.
Not when he hopes to be right in the middle of the travelling party as a punter rather than a player.
The ex-England ace might not quite be Artur Boruc with a megaphone — but he’s serious about being a lifelong Hoops man after his three years in the east end of Glasgow.
It’s fair to say the Celtic buzz has taken hold of the shot-stopper after he grabbed the career lifeline thrown to him by Ange Postecoglou three years ago.
Derby day certainly has and the 36-year-old insists the Old Firm needs away supporters to keep the respect it has worldwide.
World
Of course, Hart knows what he’s talking about having played in some of the biggest clashes in world football including Manchester and London versions and the Derby della Mole between Torino and Juventus.
And while he may be fully focused on leaving another dent on Rangers by bagging one more double before calling it a day in the summer, he admits it won’t be goodbye when the time comes to give the Hoops faithful one last wave from the pitch.
More a case of see you later. Hart has welcomed the news that Celtic and Rangers will open their doors to away fans on derby day again as of next season. An accord has been struck meaning five per cent — around 2500 for Celtic supporters at Ibrox — will be back.
Hart has felt the thunder of a 50-50 split in the stands between the rival clubs in Hampden clashes but he’s never properly experienced a volume of visiting fans on Old Firm Scottish Premiership duty.
And the former Manchester City ace reckons that — while it means nothing ahead of this weekend’s colossal table-topping clash at Ibrox or indeed the return at Parkhead — it will mean everything as of next season.
He said: “I’m going to remove myself from the situation I’m in now because my immediate reaction is that it means nothing to me. But if I think of the guy I’ll be when it’s going on, I’m sure it will be great.
“It’ll be a real buzz. I’ve played in a 50-50 split here when it was at Hampden and it was electric.
“I’ve come out the good side and come out the bad side. It’s emotional.
“Since I’ve been here we’ve had fans, I think the most has been 700-750 and it was strange at the start of the season, winning away and having no-one to put your gratitude towards.
“Because even though we played without supporters that day you still feel it in the buildup, to have your support and your club behind you.
“So it’ll be nice, it’ll be a great spectacle.
“Around the world this fixture is heavily respected and to keep that respect you need away supporters in there. You never know, I might be one of those couple of thousand.”
Hart’s shock announcement that he’d be hanging up the gloves for good in the summer after 21 years and more than 700 professional games stopped British football in its tracks.
At that point he said the subject was being parked until the end of the season.
Supporting
But as he prepares for the final — what he hopes will be nine — games of his career this week, he said: “I genuinely look forward to supporting this club forever, it’s a part of me.
“This is me removing myself from a guy who doesn’t want to talk about what’s next but I look forward to being a football supporter at some point in my life.
“And this is one of the teams I’ll be a fan of.”
Hart’s first taste of the Old Firm ended in a 1-0 defeat at Ibrox in August 2021, just three weeks after he signed on the dotted line.
But two victories and a draw in the next three league meetings helped Postecoglou’s side snatch the title back.
A dominant second season and wins in the first two derbies of the current campaign mean Hart has now won eight of his 13 meetings with Rangers and lost just three.
If he could make that 10 wins in the remaining two league clashes of the term then a third title would be as good as in the bag.