The debate has been as hot as the weather both Rangers and Celtic can expect when they head Down Under in November.
A section of fans from both sides have reacted with fury at the controversial move for a friendly meeting in the Sydney Super Cup.
The supporters have had their say but now Record Sport has spoken to former Old Firm stars who have plied their trade in Australia to get their views on the move.
Here's what they had to say.
SCOTT McDONALD
Scott McDonald reckons the Ange Postecoglou’s return will put football centre stage in Australia in a huge boost to the recovering game.
The former Parkhead striker believes Celtic’s appearance and a clash against Rangers in the Sydney Super Cup offers an enormous shot-in-the-arm to sport in his country.
McDonald says his son Callum was jumping around the living room at news of Celtic’s plans to travel Down Under in November.
And the ex-Hoops striker believes that’s an emotion that will have been shared by those with a serious interest in football across the entire nation.
McDonald explained it’s been a tough time for Australian football and the homecoming of Postecoglou will lift spirits and interest.
He said: “It is super exciting for everyone involved in the game here. Let’s put this into context for Australian purposes alone.
“The game after Covid has been hit and struggled, put onto a new platform to try to kickstart it again.
“The crowds haven’t been good this year because of all the stopping and starting for Covid, the national team not being able to play at home. It’s been one thing after another.
“So this announcement coming out has sent shockwaves through the media here and it is huge for our game in Australia.
“To have the magnitude of Celtic coming and with Ange more or less making it a homecoming, the interest is massive from not only Celtic fans but also the Australian public.
“You add everything else into the equation and it is going to
be huge.
“From our perspective as a footballing nation, to have big clubs coming is a chance of a lifetime for a lot of people to see it on their doorstep.
“When I woke up to the news and told my son Callum that Celtic were coming, he was jumping around the room.
“It’s been two-and-a-half years since we’ve been back and he used to go to Celtic Park a lot with his pals. To have that to look forward to is really something, especially for him as he left all his pals and football behind.
“We compete with other huge sports the nation loves but this puts us on the map. We’ll be front and back pages and that doesn’t happen very often in soccer terms for Australian football.”
The competition, due to start on November 16, will see Glasgow’s big two meet abroad for the first time and also features A-League sides Sydney FC and Western Sydney.
McDonald said: “Hopefully it can be a party atmosphere and everyone enjoys it.
“For me, the focus is on things like Ange coming back and the things I have spoken about but importantly, since I’ve been back two-and-a-half years and seen the good and bad bits for the game here.
“The game was almost going defunct during Covid. The teams had no money.
“There was no TV revenue and the clubs didn’t know what
direction it was taking. We had to take less than 30 per cent of our salaries to continue.
“That’s the depth the game went to, so starting the game on a new platform, a different direction with the A League now taking full control.
“And just having this competition where they will also be involved will hopefully create more atmosphere and fans and people engaging with the game.
“That’s the biggest thing for Australia. That’s why we want them here.”
McDonald, who was part of a Celtic squad who played against Brisbane Roar at Suncorp Stadium in 2009, says Postecoglou has already boosted support for Celtic in Australia and the trip will only add to the fanbase.
He added: “With Celtic’s connection with Ange, players past and present with Tom (Rogic) – that’s huge in itself and bringing new fans to the Celtic stable. That will happen. It already has with Ange taking over as head coach.
“It is one thing having players in the club – but when it is a head coach and someone so highly thought of. He won the Asian Cup on home soil and that was a huge moment for Australian history.
“Ange is well renowned across Australia and the things he’s been doing have been making waves.
“The only thing that will be questionable for Celtic I guess is how successful the squad is internationally before they come here. Half might be going to the World Cup. But I’m sure Celtic will have a strong squad.”
GAVIN RAE
The punters back home are turning their noses up at the derby Down Under but Gavin Rae insists Rangers can still expect to be greeted with open Aussie arms.
The news Gers have signed up for the Ange Postecoglou Homecoming Tour has gone down with the blue half of Glasgow about as well as Ibrox chiefs announcing a new merchandise tie up with Mike Ashley.
Furious fans bombarded the club’s social media yesterday with appeals to call off November’s Antipodean adventure after seeing Celtic boss Postecoglou handed the headline billing for the Sydney Super Cup.
Former Rangers midfielder Rae now lives in Sydney and reckons the raging light blue support back home going tonto over the friendly tournament scheduled for next season’s winter-break may have a point.
But he also believes the first-ever Old Firm showdown on foreign soil will be a winner with the fans from both clubs based on the other side of the globe.
He told Record Sport : “Obviously Ange is revered down here but I can understand the backlash from the Rangers fans.
“There’s obviously this PR slant that it’s all about Ange being Australian and that he’s coming home.
“But Rangers will get just as warm a welcome given they’ve got just as many fans living down here.
“Both clubs are obviously huge on global terms with massive fanbases and you see that out here.
“I’ve been lucky enough to be invited along to the Oceania Rangers Supporters’ Club’s dinner when they host it in Sydney and it’s always packed out.
“You see a lot of Celtic fans out here too. The rivalry’s not quite as intense as it is in Glasgow but then again, walking down the street in Glasgow is a little bit different to walking down the street in Sydney.
“But there’s still a huge intensity in terms of the ferociousness of the support for both clubs.
“For the supporters who live out here and are starved of getting to see fixtures of this type, they’ll just be delighted to get the chance to see it live and support their clubs - and I’m delighted for them.”
KENNY MILLER
Former Ibrox hero Kenny Miller has also sampled life Down Under following stints with A-League outfits Newcastle Jets and Western Sydney Wanderers – who Rangers will also face as part of the four-team tournament taking place at the 83,000-capacity Accor Stadium.
And he witnessed the draw Glasgow’s big two still hold half a world away.
Miller, now back in Scotland working as No.2 to Falkirk boss Martin Rennie, said: “It’s completely different down there.
“You’re not walking about getting any drama or hassle, but there’s a massive, massive following for Rangers and Celtic.
“I was in the country about a year when I watched an Old Firm game in a Rangers supporters’ club and it was like Glasgow on a Saturday night.
“It was about 11 o’clock on a Sunday night and the place was rammed, it was crazy. I thought there’d be a decent turn out but I never expected anything like that. It was pretty special.”
Ibrox boss Giovanni van Bronckhorst has talked up the trip and the footballing benefits for his squad.
But Miller warned the warm glow they’ll be hoping for will be tempered by the taxing nature of the 24-hour long-haul flight it will take to shuttle the Ibrox squad to New South Wales.
He said: “We were out there for pre-season in 2010 and there was a great turn out for our games against Blackburn, AEK Athens and Sydney FC.
“So there will be a big interest in the Old Firm game.
“The two Sydney teams are involved as well so it will be an interesting wee spectacle at the end of the year.
“When we played, it was winter Down Under but it was still pretty nice weather. This time though, they’ll be heading into the hot period in November.
“It will certainly be different to the November conditions in Scotland that’s for sure.
“It’s a long way to go to play a few games but I’m sure there’s a lucrative deal for them to make that journey.”
