Old Rivalries...

I mentioned earlier that I was going to try and stay away from talking about the Scottish League because it is brutal. I meant that. It is of really poor quality. The stadiums are run-down and tiny. The weather is always bleary. etc.

There is one exception to this rule. The one time when people around the football world actually care, at least a little bit, about Scotland.

That's right friends. It is Old Firm Derby time. Celtic Football Club v. Rangers Football Club.

The two biggest clubs in Scotland by far. They have won literally every league championship for the past like twenty years. They have dominated Scottish football forever.

They HATE eachother.

It is a basic sectarian divide that goes back to the history of the country.

Celtic always has an always will be supported by Catholics and people with Irish roots. In fact, many of Celtic's fans come over from Ireland for the games. If you go to Celtic Park, you will see far more Irish flags then Scottish ones. The club have long been associated with the IRA.

Rangers on the other hand, are associated with the Unionist movement in Britain. Their supports are entirely Protestant. Their jerseys are blue, white and red to represent the Union Jack. Chants like "Rule Brittania" are incredibly common at Ibrox where they play.

Whenever religion comes into play, people get heated. These games need to be seen to be believed. The passion is unheard of. The opposing fans are seperated by throngs of police to keep them from killing eachother. Through the years there have been countless shocking and disgraceful acts committed by both sets of fans. This rivalry goes so much deeper than the on field product. It conjures up images of the neverending battles in Ireland between the south and the north. Protestant midfielder Neil Lennon has been recieving death threats for years simply because he played and coaches now for Celtic. It is intense. Period.

As for the game itself, as if it really matters, Celtic come in playing very well in the league but really poorly in Europe. Rangers come in playing poorly in both. Celtic are the better side and should win the match. The game is at Ibrox however and the Rangers fans will give their side a massive boost.

I see this one ending 2-1 to the Celts' and hopefully, for everyones sake, nothing too crazy happens in the stands. Although it would make for a good blog post...