Celtic Faces Unique Challenge at Ibrox Without Fans
Martin O’Neill has never been easily spooked by an Old Firm trip to Ibrox. He has seen the lot. But even he admits Sunday’s Premier Sports Cup quarter-final will feel different.
No Celtic fans. Not one.
At the insistence of the authorities, the 50,000-capacity stadium will be filled only by Rangers supporters, the latest consequence of an increasingly bitter ticket allocation row between the Glasgow rivals. The backdrop is still the ugly fallout from March’s Scottish Gas Scottish Cup tie in Govan, when fan disorder scarred a night that had already gone 120 goalless minutes before Celtic edged through on penalties.
The punishment has been severe and symbolic. Both clubs must play their next home Scottish Cup ties behind closed doors. Both have been hit with a £100,000 compensation bill, to be paid to whichever side is drawn away in those future fixtures. Empty stands and a six-figure fine: Scottish football’s showpiece rivalry under formal restraint.
In that context, Police Scotland arrived at Celtic’s Lennoxtown base this week with a clear message. O’Neill called it a “general behaviour” warning, a short, sharp reminder of responsibilities before one of the most combustible fixtures in the calendar.
“We had the police come in today, just a little 15 minute meeting with us, just reminders of our behaviour, which I think is actually a timely reminder. It a good thing as well,” the 74-year-old said.
This was not about set-piece tactics or marking schemes. It was about control.
“I think it’s the overall picture. Gosh, it’d be nice to have something to celebrate. I think it’s just general behaviour from us.
“They didn’t mention this but I would have assumed that one of the things that they considered is what happens on the field of play, because these things can be taken further.
“You don’t want any sort of punch-ups for a start; secondly, you don’t want too excessive celebrations, stuff like that, if that was the case.
“I mean, I’d be delighted to be celebrating something in the game. But it’s the behaviour in the light of what has happened in recent fixtures.”
The message is clear: passion, yes; provocation, no. Every reaction, every celebration, every flashpoint will be under the microscope in a stadium already stripped of its usual balance.
For O’Neill, the absence of the travelling support will cut deep. The Celtic end at Ibrox has staged some of his most vivid memories, yet this time he must walk into the noise with only his players and staff behind him.
“It’ll be a bit strange not having the (Celtic) fans in but I’m nervously and excitedly looking forward to it, it’s a great fixture,” he admitted.
Strange or not, the game still carries the usual weight. A place in the last four of the Premier Sports Cup, a chance to land an early psychological blow, and a test of Celtic’s composure in a hostile arena with no green-and-white corner to turn to.
O’Neill’s preparation has not been without its smaller concerns. Midfielder Mika Baur missed training on Friday with a knock but is expected to return to the pitch on Saturday, easing one worry in the build-up.
The bigger call comes in goal.
Sam Johnstone, the experienced England international on loan from Wolves, finally pulled on a Celtic shirt in midweek, making his debut in the 1-0 William Hill Premiership win over St Johnstone at McDiarmid Park. It was a controlled, steady start, the kind that gives a manager something to think about.
Until then, Viljami Sinisalo had held the number one jersey, starting the season impressively and building credit with a series of composed performances. Dropping him permanently would be a bold move. Rotating again on the eve of Ibrox would be bolder still.
O’Neill, though, is in no rush to reveal his hand.
“I haven’t made my mind up at all. It was a matter of getting a look at what Sam can do,” he said.
“It’s great to have the two of them. Big Viljami has done exceptionally well for us and it was just, again, an opportunity to see what Sam can do now.
“What he could do a couple of years ago was fantastic, what he can do now might be a totally different picture. I will let them know first.”
That last line tells its own story. The decision will not be made for the cameras or the noise at Ibrox. It will be made for the dressing room and for the 90 minutes that will follow.
No away support. A police reminder still ringing in the players’ ears. A manager weighing up whether to trust the form goalkeeper or the seasoned international under the fiercest glare Scottish football can offer.
For Celtic and O’Neill, Sunday will not just test quality. It will test nerve.
