TalkSPORT pundit, Simon Jordan has called out theRangers for the recent debacle surrounding the allocation being cut for away fans during the next couple of Glasgow Derbies. It comes after the recent outcry from supporters and pundits alike, who have failed to understand why the traditional 7,500 tickets were cut a few years ago.

Ever since, the allocation has been at 700 for away supporters at either Celtic Park or Ibrox, and came about because the Light Blues couldn’t handle the Celtic supporters celebrating victories at their home ground when Brendan Rodgers was in charge of the Parkhead club. The match in which we came from behind to win 3-2 with a man down was the straw that broke the camel’s back it would seem and it was never the same afterwards.

Celtic v Hibernian – cinch Premiership – Celtic Park Celtic manager Ange Postecoglou waves to fans as he arrives at Celtic Park before the match at Celtic Park on: Saturday March 18, 2023. Photo Steve Welsh

In a tremendous act of spite and pettiness, the powers that be in Govan decided to reduce the Hoops allocation to a fraction of what it was. Clearly livid at being humbled in their own backyard so often, in typical fashion they reacted as only they know how: by being utterly pathetic in their actions to sour the occasion for everyone involved, and cutting their noses off to spite their face into the bargain.

Jordan, who co-hosts talkSPORT’s mid-morning show with former Sky Sports anchor and prominent fan of the Ibrox club’s past and present, Jim White, has called them out for this latest mess live on the radio station. When discussing another unfair ticket split in the English Premier League, he spoke of it in comparison with the situation up the road, saying: “And that’s a tragedy. We were up there 18 months ago and the sentiment, I was being led to believe, was that Celtic players were celebrating so many times at Ibrox that theRangers got the hump with it.

“Or the other way round it might’ve been, might’ve been theRangers celebrating so many times at Celtic. No, it would’ve been Celtic wouldn’t it? But the bottom line was that that’s not much of a reason to take fans out of commission. And then we’re told again by the incumbent Celtic chief executive, who was gone pretty quickly after that, that there was a moral reason, there was sectarian stuff going on and it was troublesome.

“The bottom line is you’re never going to square this circle. You’re never going to stop a segment of football fans behaving in a fashion that most civilised people don’t want. You’re never going to stop the individuals but the individuals can’t be, surely the gateway for stopping the majority. But there does also need to be some sort of indication that this is serious and there needs to be consequences.”

https://talksport.com

Paul Gillespie