That pettiness is a constant in the Glasgow football scene was exemplified by the stadium announcer at Celtic Park, who staunchly refused to use the word “Rangers” during the first Old Firm clash of the season. It was “the visitors” who made substitutions. Don’t mention the R-word.
Neither of these clubs are particularly good at playing the adult in the room. In the case of Celtic, one wonders why on earth they bother. All this fixture did was demonstrate the chasm that exists between teams who cannot appropriately be described as rivals. A 3-0 win undersold the hosts’ level of domination. As preposterous as it sounds at the start of September, the Scottish Premiership will be retained by Brendan Rodgers with minimal hassle. Had the Rangers players instead donned the shirts of Ross County, this game would have been no different whatsoever in appearance.
