Celtic boss Ange Postecoglou wants Rangers apology for physio injured at Old Firm derby
Ange Postecoglou wants Rangers to apologise directly to Celtic physio Danny Friel after he was allegedly hit by a bottle thrown from the Ibrox crowd.
The Hoops staff member had to have stitches in his head following the Old Firm derby at Ibrox which Celtic won 2-1 to all but end the title race (3 April).
Gers have apologised to their rivals for the incident, as well as broken glass having to be removed from Joe Hart’s goal-mouth from another bottle, which Bhoys supporter liaison officer John-Paul Taylor has confirmed, but the team’s manager thinks a further one should be made.
The Australian said, via Football Scotland: “No person should be put in that position whether you are involved in the game like Danny was or if you are a supporter.
“To his credit he handled it really well on the day and has done since. We were concerned for him, I said he should never have been put in that position.
“He works hard for this club, is a great guy and very good at his job. He should mot have to worry about going to his work and coming away with a potential serious injury.
“I’ve not [had an apology from Rangers]. But they don’t owe me an apology – they owe Danny the apology because he is the victim in this.
“It’s not about one-upmanship, it’s about providing a safe environment for the fans, players, staff.”
Just do it
There is nothing to be gained from further controversy to be dragged out of this unsavoury episode.
The club were right to apologise to the other side of Glasgow, and having done so, they may as well finish the job and apologise to Friel.
Heated as the rivalry may be, members of staff on either side can’t be injured in the course of it, especially through transgressions from fans.
The loss on the pitch was bad enough, but the bad image it portrayed of the club was arguably more damaging.
Whether Postecoglou is seeking to exploit the negative publicity or being genuine, Gers would be best off to stand up and accept responsibility for something that shouldn’t have happened.
They, along with most other fans, will want to distance themselves from that sort of behaviour, so making that explicit is sensible.
In other Rangers news, Chris Sutton lauded it over the Light Blues, telling them to “get over it” after they suffered a major blow.