The setting will be different. Very different, in fact. The modest, 12,300-capacity Memorial Stadium in Bristol is the venue that hosts the clash between English Football League One’s 17th and 15th placed clubs on Saturday.
Just one point separates home side Bristol Rovers and visitors Fleetwood Town but it’s a world away from when the managers in the opposite dugouts met six years ago in front of 60,000 raucous fans at a pumped-up Parkhead and in the frenzied atmosphere of an Old Firm derby.
Celtic vs Rangers doesn’t needed any added spice but the arrival of Joey Barton into Scottish football did exactly that. Barton has never been shy to express his opinion and Scott Brown was hardly a shrinking violet during an illustrious playing career at the Hoops. So when Barton joined Rangers in the summer of 2016 ahead of the club’s long-awaited return to the top flight of Scottish football after their rise through the leagues from the bottom tier and announced himself as the new top dog north of the border then it was hardly going to be a quiet affair when they clashed.
Scouser Barton, who also previously managed Fleetwood, undoubtedly had an impressive playing CV at the top after spells at Manchester City and Newcastle United in the English Premier League and a cap for the England national team.
But he had a reputation as a volatile character and throwing that into the Glasgow goldfish bowl was never likely to be a good mix as his Ibrox career was short-lived following a training ground bust up. Here, Record Sport looks back at the events that unfolded in the summer of 2016 ahead of their meeting.
What exactly did Joey Barton say about Scott Brown?
The Englishman arrived with a big reputation - and an even bigger mouth. Following his signing, he singled out the Celtic captain. He said: “Without being disrespectful to the players up there, people keep talking about Joey Barton v Scott Brown. He's not even in my league – he's nowhere near the level of player I am. He can't get near me. If I play well, Brown does not stand a chance. That's not me being blase – that's just me stating what I believe."
What Mark Warburton said about that
Privately, he probably wasn’t. It was only ever going to give fuel to Celtic – not that it was needed – and an incentive to put Rangers back in their place. But he said at the time: “It is Joey's opinion. Football is a game of opinion. As long as it is put forward in a respectful manner, I have no problem with it. At the end of the season if he is proven right I am sure he will put his hand up, if he is not I am sure we will have our word, obviously.”
And was Barton proven right?
Eh, not at all. It cranked up the interest in that first derby meeting in September of that season. Brendan Rodgers’ Celtic side mauled Warburton’s Rangers 5-1 in that demotion derby with Moussa Dembele netting a hat-trick.
And Barton must have had a tinge of regret at his comments as he finished that game in the middle of a visiting back three as Stuart Armstrong hammered the final nail into the remains of the Light Blues.
Did Scott Brown ram Barton’s words down his throat afterwards?
The combative midfielder loved a challenge and probably relished the fact someone wanted to take him on. But he didn’t overdo it when it came to the gloating. He said: “Joey talked a great game and I showed him a great game. It was as simple as that, he did the talking off the park and I did it on the field. At the end of the game, to be fair to him, he shook my hand. It was a battle and it was already in my head that I was winning this battle before the game had even started, because he was talking too much.
"He maybe did that a lot down in England. But he had a fantastic career, he went back down and played in the English Premier League for Burnley for a couple of seasons. So that shows you what a top quality side we had at the time, that we were doing that to people who left Rangers to go straight back down into the Premier League."
What has been said before this meeting?
Brown played down the incident in an interview with Record Sport recently, saying: “You play those mind games and can do whatever you want as players. But, as manager, it’s completely different now. You’ve got to have respect for your opponents and respect for your fellow managers. Joey has done a great job. He was a fantastic manager here at Fleetwood as well. He’s doing it now at Bristol Rovers. It’s about our teams doing the talking on the park. It’s a huge game – going away to Bristol will be tough, they’ve had some good recent results. We’ll look forward to that one but it’s not all about me, it’s about my players and I’ve got to help them be at their best.”
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