Concerns are raised over Old Firm SPL title decider

Fears over the title decider have been played down. Picture: Robert Perry

By ALAN PATTULLO
Published on Tuesday 21 February 2012 00:00

CONCERNS that the Scottish Premier League championship could be clinched at the next Old Firm match have been played down by both the police and the SPL.

There are fears that the title race could be decided at Ibrox on 25 March – the day the teams meet for a third time in the league this season.

Attempts are usually made to prevent this scenario occurring after previous outbreaks of trouble. Rangers clinched the title in 1999 after an ill-tempered 3-0 Old Firm win at Celtic Park. Referee Hugh Dallas was struck by a coin thrown onto the pitch by a supporter. The violent scenes led to a call from the Scottish Police Federation to ban the fixture completely.

SPL officials have since sought to minimise the risk of an Old Firm clash being plied with the same significance. The final meeting between the teams in each league campaign has usually been arranged to be one of the first post-split fixtures, thereby reducing the chance of it being a winner-takes-all encounter.

But because the next Old Firm clash is a pre- split game it is unlikely the fixture can be changed, with Rangers’ entry into administration having been an unforeseen complication. The resultant ten-point penalty imposed on the Ibrox club, coupled with Celtic’s run of good form, means it is a realistic possibility that Neil Lennon’s side could clinch the title at the home of their fierce rivals. Both clubs have three games to play before the next Old Firm match. If at the end of those Celtic have stretched their current 17-point lead over by a further two points they will be able to clinch the title with victory at Ibrox.

A source at the SPL last night pointed out that a lot of water has to go under the bridge before this comes to pass. Celtic face Dunfermline at home tomorrow night in a rearranged fixture and then host Motherwell on Saturday. They then travel to play Aberdeen seven days later.

Rangers, meanwhile, have a tricky fixture at Inverness Caledonian Thistle this weekend before hosting Hearts at Ibrox. They then must travel to Tannadice for another tough encounter with Dundee United.

A Strathclyde Police spokesman yesterday said that it would be “preferable” if a potential title decider could be avoided at Ibrox next month. However, the force will hold talks with the SPL and both clubs before the fixture takes place, whatever lies at stake.

View the original article here