da 888： There’s a match between Celtic and Rangers tomorrow, at Ibrox, in front of a sell out crowd and nobody is really that bothered. The build-up is quieter, neither camp is particularly treating it as anything other than a standard game and there’s absolutely nothing at stake.
da esport bet： Is this once famous derby dying as a spectacle?
The fact it’s the sixth meeting between the two sides doesn’t help but that’s not the only cause of this malaise. The two sides regularly went at it on multiple occasions per season for decades.
It’s also the second fixture in the space of six days, after the Hoops bested their rivals at Hampden on Sunday but again, that wouldn’t ordinarily cause a lack of interest.
This game used to be the vital occasion in Scottish football, the one everyone talked about and yet this season it’s grown increasingly dull.
Here are THREE reasons why it’s just not the same as it used to be…
Celtic have moved on to greater ambitions
Celtic used to be defined by their matches against Rangers and likewise the Gers by them. However, since the two teams from Ibrox and Celtic Park have been separated by divisions for many years, the Hoops have moved on.
They now measure progress not by how many points they have over Rangers in the league but how well they do in Europe. The biggest games of the season are now UEFA Champions League qualifiers. If the Hoops don’t qualify it’s a disaster, if they do it’s a successful and profitable season.
If this derby took place close to a qualifier, without doubt Brendan Rodgers would rest players. It’s still a big part of life for many Celtic fans but it’s no longer vital nor defining so when the two go at it with nothing on the line, it’s a bit of a damp squib.
Celtic are too far ahead
Another key reason this fixture isn’t drawing as much attention or fervour anymore is simply because it’s not competitive and likely won’t be for the foreseeable future.
Even if Rangers manage to grab a win on Saturday, it would be regarded as a fluke, it would say nothing about the gap between the two sides.
For this derby to really mean anything in the years to come, the Gers must be competitive in the league and there are no signs of that happening. Far from being the much famed derby it once was, it’s become more like a game against Hearts for Celtic – animosity in the stands but little fire on the pitch.
Celtic have won four of the five matches between the two sides this season and looked as dominant as ever just the past Sunday. Far from ‘the gap’ closing, it only appears to be widening and given the Hoops likely have much more to play with in this summer’s transfer window, that’ll only be more true by the time the new season kicks off again.
Fans are losing interest
Celtic fans are always going to love a gloat over their rivals but as Rangers fans grow more and more despondent, it’s becoming a fruitless exercise. Gers supporters know their team isn’t very good right now, Celtic fans know their team are much better. Where’s the drama?
There’s also a genuine perception amongst the Celtic support that the team they are playing are not the same club after liquidation at Ibrox in 2012. They don’t see this side as their great rivals anymore and it’s having a significant impact on the importance of the fixture overall.
There are still city bragging rights of course but with the Ibrox support so beleaguered, most of them would likely just want these fixtures to be over and done with so they can focus on other aspects of their season.
Without the fans on board to the degree they used to be, the derby is slowly losing more and more meaning.