The notion Celtic would get more money than their Glasgow rivals for playing in the same tournament is enough to send some of the media in this country into a frenzy.

Only in Scotland could this be made into an issue because of the compulsion to see both sides of Glasgow as on the same level for just about everything. It would be easier to try and retrieve eggs from a baked cake than it would be for common sense to prevail in Glasgow’s fishbowl.

The Sydney Cup has been protested by both sets of fans. Football purists don’t want to see a diluted version of the Glasgow Derby – an understandable view. But it goes deeper than that, Celtic fans don’t want to be seen doing business with the Ibrox club on any front other than the obligated league and cup duties during a regular season. Many see cashing in on the derby and any ‘friendly’ connection to our rivals as selling our souls, or as legitimising a club that Celtic is continually at odds with.

According to what I’ve observed on social media, Rangers supporters are upset for a variety of reasons. Yes, there are football purists who just don’t want to see a Celtic vs Rangers game in a friendly and I’m in agreement with them. However, there appears to be a large swathe of their fans who are simply upset they appear to be playing second fiddle to Celtic.

There has been more of an uproar since it was floated that Celtic are getting paid more for the tournament.

I’m not lapping any of this up or stirring the pot; rather, I’m applying common sense to the situation.

Jonny McFarlane, a trained journalist for the Rangers Review, peddled quotes about Rangers being on the same money as Celtic for the trip to Australia. When challenged on the fact negotiations were done separately, the journalist came back with a bogus ‘contract clause’ that meant Rangers would be paid the same as Celtic. No harm to Jonny, but ‘willfully misled’ would be the term I’d use in this instance.

CeltsAreHere has been told by a well-placed source that this clause is utter fantasy. What’s more, we understand Celtic WILL be getting paid more than their Glasgow rivals for appearing in the tournament. Why do I trust my source on this matter? They have absolutely no reason or incentive to feed me anything but the facts.

Does this change my viewpoint on the whole tournament? No.

I know some Celtic fans will use the information to wind up their pals and workmates but it’s pretty easy to see why the Hoops will be the main attraction in the Sydney Cup. The club is heading down under with the most successful football manager ever to come out of Australia in Ange Postecoglou.

The interest and intrigue into Ange and what he’s doing at Celtic is of massive interest back in Oz. Pundits and fans alike getting together to give anyone who doubted Ange’s ability to manage Celtic with an ‘I told you so’. He’s one of their own and they want to see the man succeed. Organisers getting Celtic and Ange is a major coup and Celtic will be paid accordingly.

Rangers are heading to Australia being billed as Celtic’s rivals, there’s no getting away from it. However, the Ibrox club will have been delighted with their compensation or they wouldn’t have signed the deal. They are getting a pretty penny for playing in the tournament. They’re now fighting a PR battle with their own support, given the Sydney Cup graphics and narrative is about ‘Ange’s homecoming’ it stands to reason they would send out quotes via journalists trying to muddy the waters.

Celtic have their own PR battle with fans who don’t want to see the two teams touch outside of Scotland. The tournament is likely to go ahead right now – is there a chance Rangers pull out? They’d be turning down a good payday if they did. It’s why they’re currently sending out falsehoods about the whole situation.

Will the media in this country accept Celtic are possibly, in this instance, worth more than their rivals? I doubt it very much.

4 COMMENTS

  1. sevco are Second Fiddlers in every possible interpretation of the phrase:

    second club, second best, second fiddle, and of course world class fiddlers of everyone both clubs have ever done business with including the Queen of England.

  2. If Celtic and Sevco went to the Netherlands for a cup, would they play just for dancing for coin or give some money local charities. Seems to be something missing here. Ohh aye Angers an Ozzy. And he (and all the previous teams fans) may want to come and see him again. Like the fans of Wickome wanderers and Leicester, used to come to see M.o.n. and his backroom staff. And Celtic and whoever they were playing at Paradise. They came to see him of course, not the other way, as they remember the way he set up and got his team to play.

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