As we saw just last weekend at Hampden Park in the Viaplay League Cup Final, there is no game quite like the clash of the Glasgow sides. Whether it was the old Rangers of 1872 or the club Charles Green formed off the shelf in 2012, the intense rivalry between Celtic and their Glasgow counterpart always throws up a vociferous occasion of noise and passion.
Many derbies claim to be the best and they are entitled to make that claim, but on closer inspection, most don’t come anywhere close to the Glasgow Derby. Previously dubbed the “Old Firm” before the Rangers of 1872’s administration and then liquidation – leading ultimately to the death of the club, a tribute act have taken their place and it has not lost any of that hatred of Celtic Football Club into the bargain.
Likewise, the derision that is felt amongst the Celtic support for both Ibrox club’s is palpable. Of course, reasons other than just football are at play whenever these two clash, and it is more a clash of cultures as opposed to anything else. Admittedly, it is what gives these game that added spice and edge that makes the atmosphere absolutely electric all of the time.
Sunday was no different, as it was a passionate display by both sides when we clashed for the League Cup trophy once again. Thankfully, the Hoops came out on top 2-1, courtesy of a Kyogo Furuhashi double on the day to see us take the first steps on the road to a domestic Treble this year under Greek-Aussie boss, Ange Postecoglou.
One fan of this particular derby match is former Aston Villa striker and now talkSPORT pundit, Gabby Agbonlahor, who insists that no other rivalry comes close after watching these two clash his whole life. Speaking on the show, he said: “I think [the Old Firm derby]is my no.1 from watching it as a kid.The days of Henrik Larsson and Brian Laudrup. There are obviously other things that I won’t go into detail about that game that makes it more aggressive.
“Biggest derby is theRangers/Celtic. It is on my bucket list to go and see, when you watch it on the TV, you can feel the adrenaline watching the game. You can feel the atmosphere from the fans, you can see the two teams dislike each other. That is a big, big derby, the biggest in Britain by a mile, for me. Some of the others… Manchester United vs Manchester City – not really for me. Manchester United/Liverpool – yes there is a rivalry but the players are shaking hands nowadays.”
No chance of that happening up here, Gabby mate!
Paul Gillespie
