Martin O’Neill has admitted Celtic and Rangers fixtures lose “a great deal” without away supporters after the SPFL confirmed there will be no travelling fans at derby matches for the rest of the season.
It comes after the row over Celtic’s allocation for the upcoming Premier Sports Cup tie at Ibrox, with Rangers understood to have offered the Hoops just 300 tickets despite the previous 5% model being agreed between the clubs.
Speaking at his Friday press conference, O’Neill did not hide his disappointment at where things have ended up.
He said: (Celtic FC YouTube), “Hopefully that won’t happen at some stage or another. Maybe we might all see some sort of sense and see that this particular fixture, which is one of the greats in European football, if not the world, honestly.”
The Celtic manager has been clear that he wants away supporters back at these games. His view is not just based on the managerial side of it, but on what the fixture means as a spectacle.
He added: “It’s a great, great fixture, and it loses a great deal with the big allocation of away fans not being in the stadium.
“So really, yeah, really disappointing, but we’ll see what develops over this season.”
That is the frustration for many supporters. The 5% allocation agreement had created some hope that the fixture could move back towards something closer to what it once was, but Friday’s decision has stopped that for now.
O’Neill made the same point again when asked about the wider impact on Scottish football and the appeal of the derby.
“As I’ve said, they’ve got a great, great fixture when the ground is absolutely full. I think that, and I think the away fans make this.”
The Celtic boss also looked back to his first spell in charge, when large away allocations were still part of the fixture.
“I can think back of the years gone past, you know, at the beginning of the century, when I was involved, and they were magnificent fixtures, absolutely fantastic. And, yeah, it is quite sad.”
The derby will still carry major significance if this season, but O’Neill’s point is hard to ignore. A full stadium with no away end is one thing. A proper derby atmosphere with both sets of supporters inside the ground is another entirely.
For now, Celtic and Rangers will meet without away fans unless the position changes during the campaign. The SPFL has described the arrangement as temporary, but there is no immediate sign of a return to the 5% model.
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