Chris Sutton has been having his say on the away fan shutout at the next two Glasgow Derby matches and he hasn’t held back in who he thinks is responsible for this fiasco. Whilst on the Daily Record Celtic podcast, the Englishman asserted the truthful and 100% accurate viewpoint that this situation is a direct result of the actions of theRangers.
The ex-Blackburn and Chelsea attacker has told theRangers that they really need to sort this out and get it back to something resembling the old 7,500 supportes at Celtic Park or Ibrox after these next two games. Its been a petty attitude towards the situation that theRangers Board have adopted since Odsonne Edouard scored that stunning goal from the bench back in the March of 2018.
They’ve never really recovered from us celebrating in front of them like that and the poor wee souls reacted only they know how. In a tremendous act of spite they cut the allocation to just 700 from the nearly 10,000 tickets that traditionally were given throughout the years in this derby match. After several incidents however, the Hoops supporters have been at severe risk of health and safety issues. Our physio was bottled on the pitch at Ibrox and our fans had to endure the same fate at New Year in that tiny corner of the away ground when visiting.
The Bhoys powerbrokers rightfully argued it was unsafe and so called for a return to the old allocation, to which theRangers denied, thus the current situation unfolded. Sutton has chastised theRangers and told them they need to get a grip of themselves as if is embarrassing for the game more generally up here. He said: “I don’t like the fans’ situation at all. It’s rubbish for Scottish football. I think having no away fans is rubbish for the perception of Scottish football. It’s absolutely ridiculous.
“When I first joined Celtic, going to Ibrox and having 7500 behind the goal and likewise when Rangers came to Celtic Park made it a far better spectacle. It’s shameful and a really bad look for Scottish football around the world. I just think it’s petty, and it’s something (the)Rangers really need to sort out. I can’t see the upside over all this? What is the benefit of banning away fans from the fixture? This game is big around the world and the lockout is pathetic. I think if you asked both sets of supporters, they would say the same thing. It’s ridiculous and it diminishes the spectacle.”
Paul Gillespie
