It's about time Celtic called Rangers' derby tickets bluff

"Keep your distance Rangers is the message from Celtic! Keep your distance!"

Those were the words of Sky Sports TV commentator Ian Crocker when Odsonne Edouard curled home a beauty as Brendan Rodgers’ 10-man Hoops chalked up yet another win at Ibrox on March 11 2018.

The 3-2 victory for Celtic was celebrated with gusto. There were wild scenes of celebration in the Broomloan Road end which housed some 7,500 Hoops fans. They rightfully whooped it up.

Little did the supporters know that it was to be the straw that broke the camel's back.

There has been all sorts of narratives pedalled about the fact that no away fans are allowed into the final two Glasgow Derbies of this season.

You can trace it back to Edouard's goal and Celtic's victory that day.

It was one win too many for those of a blue and white persuasion. They couldn't handle the fact that Celtic were coming to Govan and storming the Bastille with increased regularity. The 3-2 triumph represented a fourth straight success at the home of their city rivals. It became unpalatable for some; too much to stomach.

Under the guise of allowing more Rangers season ticket holders to gain access to the stadium the Light Blues took the decision to cut Celtic's allocation to 700 for future derby matches at Ibrox.

Quite simply, Rangers spat the dummy.

READ MORE: Glasgow Derby decisions and distorted discourse - Kevin McKenna

Let's be clear about this ticket fiasco: the trouble is all one way and it is not of Celtic's making.

The Hoops stood by season after season in the 1990s and watched on as some 18,000 Rangers supporters came to Paradise and enjoyed watching their team triumph on many occasions.

Not once did Celtic dilute the spectacle of one of the world's greatest derbies by cutting the Ibrox side’s ticket allocation.

The Hoops supporters even had to watch on as Rangers players did a mock huddle when they won the SPL title at Parkhead during the infamous 1999 ‘shame game’.

Celtic as a club took their dumps with humility, working on the premise that nothing lasts forever.

Last season, the total outsider that is Ange Postecoglou was asked his thoughts on the Hoops’ reduced allocation of 700 tickets for the derby match.

"I've said in the past with all the great derbies around the world, part of the attraction to them is the colour they bring,” he replied. “I think there's always better colour and atmosphere when you've got more of the away support there. But I certainly heard our 700 last year and hopefully we'll hear them this year as well."

He heard them alright – Celtic won 2-1 and waltzed six points clear of Rangers at the league summit to put one hand on the Scottish Premiership trophy.

Despite numerous attempts by the Parkhead club to engage in meaningful dialogue to restore the equilibrium and ensure a return to the previous allocations, it is Rangers who have played hardball and insisted that they are not interested.

There seemed to be but one adult trying to get people round the table in the ticket discussions – and it was not Rangers.

Remember, this is the same club that was also unable to guarantee the safety of former Celtic striker Chris Sutton while on Ibrox media duties for BT Sport.

This is the same club who could not guarantee the safety of Celtic fans, players or staff as bottles rained down on them during their last two visits to Ibrox with the 700-strong allocation.

This is the same club who refused to sport Celtic's name on their jersey in the recent League Cup final and unsportingly disappeared down the tunnel without congratulating the winners.

You see the pattern emerging here? It is small wonder Celtic have gone on record as stating that they are not half of anything anymore.

Make no mistake: making sure no fans are allowed into the last two Glasgow Derby league games hurts one club and one club only this season and it is certainly not Celtic.

READ MORE: Celtic are in a title race... it's just not with Rangers

The champions are on the cusp of two in a row and have already handed out a savage 4-0 beating to Rangers with only 700 supporters of the Ibrox side in attendance. Now Michael Beale and his players face a critical derby clash with their league title hopes hanging in the balance at Parkhead with absolutely no support at all.

Maybe they were also not too keen on the Celtic supporters turning up at Ibrox for a title party after the post-split fixture are announced. It could well be a dead derby rubber by then anyway.

Again, only Rangers know the real reasons behind their continued stubbornness and unwillingness to engage. Celtic quite rightly have decided to call their bluff on this. If it were an ‘all or nothing’ ultimatum then clearly the Light Blues opted for nothing.

It is in everybody's vested interest that we return to the previous ticket allocations as the world-renowned Glasgow Derby is Scottish football's unique selling point, isn't it?

Well, isn't it? Sky Sports may find it a slightly harder sell further down the line with just one set of partisan supporters in situ.

You get the feeling that Celtic are now just taking a leaf out of Ian Crocker's book when it comes to ticket allocations. If they’d really rather nothing then keep your distance, Rangers it shall be.

For the time being the Glasgow Derby will be available in any colour – well, as long as it’s green and white at Celtic Park and red, white and blue at Ibrox that is.

This piece is an extract from the latest Celtic Digest newsletter, which is emailed out every weekday evening with a round-up of the day's top stories and exclusive analysis from The Celtic Way team.

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