Alan Thompson is no stranger to a clash between Celtic and Rangers. The Englishman who signed from Aston Villa back in 2000 for Martin O’Neill played in his fair share of matches between Scotland’s big two and managed to get himself in the thick of it on more than a few occasions.
If it wasn’t scoring crackers, the left-sided midfielder was squaring up to his opponents left, right and centre, where on the odd instance he saw red – both metaphorically and physically – from the referee!
A stalwart of that great Celtic side, Thompson was never one to shy away from his duties and responsibilities to both his teammates’ and manager. Those infamous stand-offs with the Rangers players and the late Fernando Ricksen always spring to mind when thinking about that era at Celtic Park. Neighbours off the pitch, Thompson and Ricksen enjoyed more than their fair share of controversy on it whenever the two met in the most hostile of arenas.
Now though, Thompson is a spectator just like the rest of us. No longer the Old Firm as it was known then, due to the demise and subsequent liquidation of Rangers 1872, the Glasgow Derby as it’s now correctly known still carries that same feeling of contempt and disdain each set of supporters has for one another and that atmosphere has been considerably diminished in recent times, as the 2012 formed theRangers just couldn’t take a Free Broomloan stand full of Celtic supporters gloating as we beat them time and time again.
No, this time it will be just a stadium full of the Ibrox fanbase and Celtic will have to be brave in every sense, according to our former great. Speaking to PLZ Soccer, the man who scored those thunderbolts against Rangers said: “Well you’ve got to be brave. And I don’t mean brave as in putting your foot in, or putting your head in. You’ve got to stick your chest out and you’ve got to accept the ball, and you’ve got to not be intimidated by what’s around you.”
He added: “It’s eleven v eleven on the pitch. Irrespective of what’s going on around the ground, how many fans they’ve got, how many fans Celtic have got, you’ve just got to be able to cope with the occasion. I think the team that copes with the occasion and copes with getting the ball down and calm and collective possession and things like that, will probably go on and win the game.”
🎥OLD FIRM PREVIEW🔵🟢
🗣️’You’ve got to be brave…you’ve got to stick your chest out and accept the ball’
Former #CelticFC star Alan Thompson looks ahead to this weekend’s clash at Ibrox
WATCH in FULL HERE ➡️https://t.co/QYqIZrPArA pic.twitter.com/HrJMFwrkEr
— PLZ Soccer (@PLZSoccer) April 2, 2024
For old times sake…
Paul Gillespie
Being brave with the ball will be key in setting out a fast tempo to take cheating Beaton out of the equation imo?
No doubt cheating Beaton will do his usual and totally officiating in totally different manners upon his decision making?
We have to take him out of the game, especially when he will want to be the star player for the scum?
We can’t afford to play this tippy tappy shite that’s to easy for ourselves to be closed down and fouled and bullied off the football, which cheating Beaton will allow to favour the scum?
Yet in return, if our player’s as much as breaths upon a scum player and they go down, no doubt the decision will be awarded against ourselves?
For the so called show piece match in Scottish football, we have to deal with a blatant and bias cheating referee, who wants to make himself star of the show for the scum?
Nowhere else in world football would such an appointment have been even considered, let alone actually being made?
Anyway, we still have the player’s with the quality and mentality to overcome the scum and the cheating bastard Beaton, which will make this title victory all the more sweeter for ourselves?