The Old Firm Derby’s Most Violent Clashes

The Old Firm derby is always a fiery affair, regardless of if you are in the stands or on the pitch, emotions often run wild, especially when fueled by copious amounts of Tennents lager, and that’s just the players. Over the years this spicy affair has seen some shocking moments of violence as the two Glasgow sides fight it out for the pride of the city and in many cases the pride of religion. Let’s take a look at some of the events that have taken place over the years which has given this derby the reputation as one of the most passionate affairs in the footballing calendar. If you ever happen to get caught in the middle of one of these fearsome battles it would be a good idea to have a non lethal weapon on your person to protect yourself.

October 17th, 1987 – Rangers 2 – 2 Celtic

Possibly the most brutal of all Old Firm derbies and a field day for the tabloids who headlined this one as the ‘Shame Game’. With more than 62 arrests in the stands alone coupled with 3 red cards shown in the game, pretty impressive considering in ’87 you could practically behead someone and consider a yellow a little harsh. After the game 4 of the players were even charged with “conduct likely to cause breach of the peace,” brutal stuff!

March 2nd, 2011 – Celtic 1 – 0 Rangers

Everyone knows that El Hadji Diouf is basically a cunt, it was no surprise then that in this 3rd round League Cup tie that the Rangers man would see red following a 35th minute second bookable offence. Following the red card tempers flared on the touchline as Celtic’s fiery manager Neil Lennon could no longer control his rage and looked to knock oot Rangers’ Ally McCoist. The game continued in the same vein and eventually saw Celtic progress to the next round of the cup.

May 10th, 1980 – Celtic 1 – 0 Rangers

This Old Firm derby will be less remembered for Celtic’s victory over their rivals and more for the mass riot that ensued after the final whistle as rival fans looked to kick 7 shades of Glaswegian shit out of each other on the pitch. Somewhat surprisingly, it is reported that on that fateful day there were just 12 police officers on duty to attempt to control the crowds, unsurprisingly, they couldn’t. It was following this game that alcohol was banned from stadiums at all Scottish football matches.

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