Martin O'Neill saddened as Ibrox derby violence threatens away fan allocations

Celtic fans were given the full Broomloan Stand because of Scottish Cup rules, but the police officer in charge of the investigation into Sunday's events has branded that arrangement unsafe. Pic: Steve Welsh/PA Wire.

Celtic manager Martin O'Neill has expressed sadness that traditional away derby allocations might be lost forever after Sunday's Ibrox chaos.

O'Neill felt having 7,500 travelling supporters for their Scottish Cup triumph over Rangers made it the best atmosphere he had experienced for decades.

However, a post-match pitch invasion, and the violence and missile-throwing that followed when some Rangers fans reacted to their rivals' celebrations, have seemingly scuppered hopes of pre-2018 arrangements returning.

Rangers ended the long-standing agreement and away allocations veered from about 750 to zero and recently around 2,500.

Celtic fans were given the full Broomloan Stand because of Scottish Cup rules, but the police officer in charge of the investigation into Sunday's events has branded that arrangement unsafe.

O'Neill pointed out he had managed at Ibrox 10 times in the early years of the century with more than 7,000 Celtic fans present without any pitch invasions.

The 74-year-old added on talkSPORT: "I was a really big advocate, from a distance, of feeling that without away fans, without the full allocation of away fans, I thought the Old Firm game, still a fantastic fixture, had lost some of its lustre.

"And I thought the noise emanating from Ibrox, both last Sunday and the Sunday before that, even though we'd only 2,500 people, was something I have not heard for a long, long time.

"Maybe Celtic playing Liverpool way back in 2003, have I heard a noise emanating from a stadium like that.

"So there's something really magical about it and I'm really, obviously, quite saddened by the events. Saddened seems almost like you're minimising or downplaying things.

"But overall it's a shame because I think the things that I was hoping that would happen, and happened for a long time, may now not happen anymore."

There has been criticism of safety operations, including accusations that there were not enough stewards or police officers in front of stands to deter encroachment at the culmination of the game.

But injuries to police, stewards and fans, including a 10-year-old child, and alleged assaults on Celtic coaching and playing staff, are likely to ensure future arrangements will be made with more caution.

Other issues, including some Celtic fans forcing their way in without tickets and graffiti mocking the deaths of 66 Rangers supporters in the 1971 Ibrox Disaster, will further lessen the chances of sizeable away followings.

"Obviously, there's going to be a lot of to-ing and fro-ing about what happened, the policing, all that type of stuff," O'Neill said. "It's not for me, without having proper analysis of the situation, to go into it.

"I would love if there was a serious consideration to be looking at these particular things, what happened, what could have been avoided, but I honestly think that in terms of atmosphere, there was nothing like it.

"And I'm talking about going there to a hostile atmosphere at Ibrox, where you actually, perversely, get some sort of intoxicated joy from it. Joy might be too strong a word, but it really was amazing.

"People are going to look at it and say 7,000 people at Ibrox or Celtic Park just cannot be policed.

"I don't know the answer, but I still think something would be seriously lost again if that atmosphere throughout the game is anything to go by."

Former Rangers manager Graeme Souness blamed fans who cannot handle defeat or alcohol for undermining the “biggest derby in the world”.

Souness revealed he reacted with “sadness and anger in equal measure”.

Souness said on talkSPORT: “It’s a small element of supporters that react to defeat in a negative way.

“As much as they try to control it, alcohol does play a part in it unfortunately. I was on my way to a stadium and, on both sides, people are topping themselves up and that would be before lunch.” 

Souness had marvelled in the pre-match atmosphere.

“I have to say, what a difference having the Celtic supporters there, the whole Broomloan (Stand) was full,” the former Scotland captain said.

“It just added to the atmosphere. It is, in my opinion, the biggest derby in the world.

“Unfortunately I don’t think we’ll see that again. What happened on Sunday will mean we won’t see away supporters in the stadium again, not in those numbers anyway.

“It takes so much away from the game. Although it wasn’t a great game, both of them generated an unbelievable atmosphere.

“No matter what you think about Scottish football, Rangers and Celtic are monsters. They are not football clubs, they are institutions. And what makes them institutions is the passion that their supporters have for their clubs.

“And, as always, a small minority spoil it for everyone.

“I got my phone out before the game and filmed the scenes. It is the biggest, most passionate football match you will ever go to.

“But I think it will be a long time before we see that number of away supporters again.”