Ally McCoist has helped ensure the defector shields are increased to maximum power with his assertion the handbags spat between the Union Bears and the Green Brigade prior to the League Cup Final at Hampden is part of the reasoning behind the final two Glasgow Derby fixtures of the Scottish Premiership season being played without fans being present.

Their fans at Celtic Park last May – their safety has never been a concern at Parkhead.

McCoist as reported in Daily Record seems to lay the blame at the door of ‘the young team’, as he puts it, preferring to ignore the real reason, which lies a little closer to home.

“It is a disappointment. I understand it, and the bampots didn’t help themselves here at the League Cup final in the morning. Watching all that up here, that’s pathetic. They didn’t help themselves but, c’mon, there is nothing like going to Celtic Park with Rangers supporters and, I’d imagine, as a Celtic player coming to Ibrox with a Celtic support. I hope that day comes back, and I’m sure it will come back, but I can understand what’s happened recently, and they didn’t do themselves any favours, the young team.”

We’ve covered extensively on The Celtic Star in recent days the reasons why this fixture is not being played with away fans present and it has nothing to do than a much ado about nothing spat between rival Ultra’s groups outside Hampden prior to the League Cup Final.

Instead, Celtic’s refusal to take tickets for Ibrox, which was then in turn reciprocated by the Ibrox club, has much more to do with an inability on the part of theRangers being able to ensure away fans can visit Ibrox without fear of permanent disfigurement, as has happened within the 700 or so Celtic fans who are surrounded and left unprotected at the hands of an element within the Ibrox support who wish to hurl bottles and other objects into the exposed Celtic support knowing full well the repercussions of their actions.

A Celtic supporter at Ibrox on 2 January after being hit over the head with a bottle thrown by one of their supporters.

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This is something I’m sure ally McCoist will be more than aware of, and if not, he will have seen Celtic staff scarred by bottle throwing and incidents that have occurred from all sections of Ibrox, and will have been more than aware of Joe Hart’s penalty box glass recycling collection at Ibrox last season.

There is only one side in this issue that needs to get itshouse in order if away fans are to back at Ibrox and Celtic Park next season. Can you recall a player or staff member of theRangers being scarred by thrown bottles when they visit Celtic Park, and can you think of a time when their support was in any danger of the same? No, because it simply doesn’t happen. Yet when Celtic visit Ibrox it is becoming the norm.

Celtic refused tickets for that wee corner at Ibrox after serious issues emerged re fan safety.

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If Ally McCoist wants the issue of away fans admittance sorted out, then with a media presence like he has – and with the influence that entails – he could prove he truly wants that to happen by calling out his club’s inability to control their support and publicly shaming those within the Ibrox support which have led to this stand-off occurring.

This is not the fault of a few kids’ pathetic attempts at hooliganism prior to the League Cup final, instead the issue lies at the top of the marble staircase at Ibrox and theRangers board who rather pathetically seem unable to control a significant element of their support.

All Ally McCoist has done with these comments is deflect from the real matter at hand. Yet, he has a position of influence within his former club’s support that should he air his views publicly and not deflect elsewhere, he could play his part in becoming part of the solution.

Niall J