Celtic Icon McClair Criticises No Away Fans in Old Firm: “It Hurts the Game”
Celtic legend Brian McClair can’t believe there will be NO away fans at Old Firm derbies this season.
Brian McClair and Jim Rosenthal//Getty Images
McClair watched with delight after his beloved Hoops hammered arch-rivals Rangers 3-0 in the first derby showdown of the new season a few weeks ago.
McClair baffled by away fan ban at Old Firm derbies
But ‘Choccy’, a famous league and cup winner with Celtic, has been left baffled with the unpopular decision to ban away supporters despite a decision having been struck in March for this campaign.
"The decision to ban fans both at Ibrox and Celtic Park is difficult to come to terms with,” McClair told SportsBoom.com.
There’s various different stories about why it has happened, but I don’t think it’s going to go back to what it was when I was playing, when you would have ten or fifteen thousand away fans at each venue.
McClair
Reflects on playing in front of thousands of away fans
"Some of the players have not really experienced it (the Old Firm atmosphere) because of the ban in the last few years.”
“Well, certainly not experienced it with domestic fixtures, just cup finals.”
"In any game you want to have away fans. It adds to the atmosphere and the other way around, it takes it away."
An allocation of around five per cent was due to be in place ahead of the first Old Firm game at Celtic Park, provided necessary requirements were met at both stadiums, but Rangers went back on the deal due to supporter safety concerns.
The final two league meetings between the clubs last season and first two top-flight encounters this campaign was both played without visiting fans.
McClair questions derby future
Former Scotland international McClair enjoyed a four-year spell with the Hoops from 1983-87, scoring 126 goals across 204 appearances for the club during a real purple patch in his distinguished career, and playing in front of ferocious away crowds was something that really got his juices flowing the big occasion.
"As a football player, certainly when I was playing, I loved going away to the castles of the away team,” added McClair.
“You know, Anfield, Elland Road, Maine Road, Highbury and Everton - which is a wonderful place to go and play football, and this will be the last season they play at Goodison Park.”
"Away fans can give you encouragement by their dislike of you, wherever you go.”
“And you know that your own fans that travel to these places are probably the most dedicated and vociferous, so it always bodes well for a wonderful atmosphere.”
Goals from Daizen Maeda, Kyogo Furuhashi and skipper Callum McGregor did the damage as the Hoops ran riot at Celtic Park to stay ahead of Aberdeen on goal difference at the top of the Scottish Premiership.
McClair unsure if Schmeichel is an upgrade on Hart
McClair, who won the league title with the club in the 1985-86 season, is intrigued to see if new shot-stopper Kasper Schmeichel can shine as Joe Hart’s replacement.
"Brendan has worked with Kasper before, but it’s not easy to say if Kasper is a better goalkeeper than Joe Hart, who had a great and very successful time at Celtic,” said McClair.
“But Kasper appears to be a better football player - at passing the ball, being confident on the ball - maybe a tad too confident.”
"He’s not really been tested with regards to his goalkeeping ability so far.”
*Read Brian McClair's Premier League score predictions for each game week of the Premier League season on Gambling.com
Neil has been a journalist for longer than he'd care to remember, having written for national newspapers and respected publications for over 25 years. For the last three years he has worked freelance for BBC Sport, working on the production desk as a sub-editor and also as a writer, covering a whole range of sports.