Rangers vs Celtic derby atmosphere branded 'weird' by Chelsea legend as Ibrox crowd accused of turning on team
Sunday’s Old Firm clash was played in front of home supporters only - and Pat Nevin reckons the atmosphere fell flat
Former Chelsea and Scotland star Pat Nevin believes the atmosphere at Ibrox as Rangers trailed Celtic by two goals in Sunday’s Old Firm derby was “weird”.
Scottish football’s showpiece fixture was once again played out with no away fans in attendance, with the new agreement between the two clubs to resolve their current stand-off not coming into effect until next season.
Brendan Rodgers’ Hoops got off to an electric start at Ibrox, breaking the deadlock after only 21 seconds through Daizen Maeda before Matt O’Riley cooly-taken penalty made it 2-0 before half-time, with the hosts offering very little in an attacking sense during a sobering first 45 minutes.
That scoreline reflected Celtic dominance and it left Gers supporters smarting as an eerie silence descended over the stadium until James Tavernier’s converted spot-kick sparked a stunning second half fightback.
Nevin believes the absence of away fans made for a strange atmosphere, reminding him of a similar big game in European. And he has accused the Ibrox crowd turning on Philippe Clement’s side too soon.
Speaking on the the Football Daily podcast, Nevin said: "The only time you ever get anything like it is when you travel away to the big European games you go to the San Siro or somewhere like that and the way teams score a goal and there is kind of moment of silence. Well, it’s kind of like that.
"But the other thing that was weird that happened today, when Celtic were 2-0 up and Rangers were playing very poorly, the Rangers fans en masse turned on their team. And it was a very, very strange situation where all the fans were then under more pressure than everyone else. It was an odd, odd situation.”