Liverpool and Manchester City warned of Rangers and Celtic fate live on talkSPORT
Rangers and Celtic issues have been held up as a stark warning for Liverpool and Manchester City, who risk playing without away fans, by Danny Murphy.
In a discussion on the increasingly heated rivalry between the two English giants the talkSPORT pundit asserted that the bad behaviour involving offensive chants and buses being attacked on the way to grounds could see supporters kept away from the clubs’ meetings.
And he held up a similar situation at Old Firm derbies, which Jim White attributed to “stubbornness” from the two sides, as an example of why the occasions will suffer.
Speaking live on talkSPORT on Wednesday morning (21 December, 11.17am) Murphy said: “Ultimately Jim, what will happen in the end if it gets worse, especially the chanting because it’s horrendous, and the intimidation, the physical aspect, people getting hurt in any way, shape or form… they’ll end up with no away supporters.
White responded: “And that’s what you don’t want.”
Murphy went on: “The Rangers Celtic thing, if you need an example of how bad it can get, that’s the best example.”
“Well that’s stubbornness by both clubs,” cut in White.
Murphy: “The Rangers Celtic fixture has become less of a spectacle than it should be.”
White: “Of course, it’s lost some of its intensity.”
Murphy: “If Liverpool and City keep going the way they are we might end up in that boat.”
Warning
There were issues last season at Old Firm derbies even without any sizeable contingents of away supporters, with a delay to the 3 April meeting after glass was thrown onto the Ibrox pitch.
As with everything there always has to be some who ruin it for everyone else, but the squabbles between the Glasgow rivals over ticketing have left the games worse off as a result.
Rangers vs Celtic is a world-famous fixture for a reason and while the rivalry at the top of the English Premier League hasn’t got anything like the same history it has become heated in the past few years, ahead of their Carabao Cup meeting on Thursday (22 December).
Whether the hierarchies at Ibrox and Parkhead are even capable of backtracking to pre-Covid 19 levels of away fans is a matter of doubt now, with greater seasons tickets to home supporters since sold, but it is a source of frustration for many.
That is being held up as an example to a growing rivalry of what could happen if they aren’t careful shows how the situation is undesirable, even if the importance of the action on the pitch hasn’t suffered.
The next meeting on 2 January could have major implications for the future under Michael Beale, with the first opportunity to start redressing the balance in the SPFL.
In other Rangers news, Beale is warned by club partner that some in the current squad will get him sacked.