The Old Firm Rivalry
The Rangers- Celtic Rivalry is one of the oldest and fiercest in World Football, dating back to the late 19th Century when Celtic were founded in Glasgow’s East End.
The teams first met at Celtic Park on May 28th, 1888 in what was also the Parkhead club’s first ever match. Around 2,000 fans saw the home side win 5-2. No two teams have dominated their national championship as much as Rangers and Celtic – between them they have won 90 of the 108 Scottish titles available since 1890. And they have also contested numerous dramatic head to head encounters.
The name Old Firm (or Auld Firm) is a collective term for the Glaswegian football clubs, its modern usage is generally as neutral shorthand for the two clubs, when describing their derby matches. Its origin, however, is as a pejorative term to imply that the two clubs are running the scene, together, against the wishes of the other clubs in Scotland. The term is derived from the lucrative nature of contests between the two, and the suspicion that the clubs have colluded to ensure their profitability, at the expense of other teams.
The two clubs are the most successful in Scotland, having won between them 63 Scottish Cups and 91 League Championships (as of 2006). Interruptions have occurred infrequently, most recently with the challenge of the New Firm of Aberdeen and Dundee United in the first half of the 1980s. From Season 1995- 1996, the Old Firm clubs have finished in the top two places in every season up until 2005- 2006, when Hearts finished second behind Celtic.
Some have argued that the combination of the clubs’ large supports- which far outweigh those of other Scottish clubs and the majority of English clubs also – and the revenue they dervie from regular European football means that the Scottish Premier League has become more unbalanced, and less competitive, than ever before. The result of the combination of the two clubs’ dominance of Scottish football, and their significance in social, cultural and political terms, is that both Celtic and Rangers are prominent institutions in Scottish life to a degree beyond what would be expected for large football clubs elsewhere in Britain.
The Rivalry
The competition between the two clubs has its roots in more than just a simple athletic rivalry. It is infused with a series of complex disputes centred on religion (Catholic and Protestant) and Northern Ireland politics. The result has been an enduring hatred between fans that has extended beyond the kind of intra- city footballing rivalry that might be expected in situations where two clubs dominate a country’s footballing scene. This has been manifested in a history laden with sectarian violence, sometimes leading to deaths.
Increasingly in recent years, both clubs have frequently participated in initiatives and campaigns along with religious organisations and the Scottish Executive directed at removing the sectarian undercurrent, including supporting pressure group ‘Nil by Mouth.’
However, disagreements about what constitutes sectarian behaviour have undermined progress in these matters, acceptable remains difficult to achieve.
Scotland and the Old Firm
The other clubs in Scotland have traditionally had fewer footballing successes, except for a brief period in the 1980s. They have also had fewer supporters and financial benefactors than the Old Firm. This has led to some acrimony between the Old Firm and the rest of the Scottish teams. However it has been said that the presence of the Old Firm itself is worth £120 million to the Scottish Economy, and if the two clubs ever left the Scottish League system, then the clubs and Scotland as a whole would lose out.
The Old Firm and the Future?
Celtic and Rangers have expressed a desire to leave the Scottish league system and become part of the English Premiership. Both clubs currently receive less in television revenue than many Englich clubs with smaller fan bases. A move to the English Premiership would give both clubs a significant financial boost. This is opposed by the smaller clubs in the English league for fear they will lose their place in the Premiership and more importantly lost revenue. The larger clubs fear a reduced a reduced potential for qualification for European competitions. It is unlikely Celtic and Rangers will play in the English Premiership however, as the SFA and UEFA have to agree to the switch and both have came out publicly against the idea. There are precendents but the SFA feel that if the Old Firm do leave then Scottish Football will disintegrate.
Researched & Written by John McGroarty
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