Martin O'Neill Prepares for Unusual Old Firm Clash
Martin O’Neill has never been a stranger to the noise around an Old Firm game. This time, there will be none of it coming from his own support inside Ibrox.
On Sunday, Celtic walk into a 50,000-seat stadium with not a single Hoops fan allowed through the turnstiles for their Premier Sports Cup quarter-final against Rangers, after Police Scotland and the authorities clamped down in the wake of recent disorder. The build-up has been dominated not by tactics or team selection, but by behaviour, sanctions and a bitter ticketing row between the Glasgow rivals.
The fallout from March’s Scottish Gas Scottish Cup quarter-final in Govan still hangs heavy. That tie, goalless over 120 fraught minutes and settled only by Celtic on penalties, was scarred by crowd trouble. The punishment has been severe: both clubs must play their next home Scottish Cup ties behind closed doors and share a £100,000 compensation bill, paid to whichever side is drawn away in those fixtures.
Against that backdrop, O’Neill revealed that Police Scotland delivered a direct message to his players this week.
“We had the police come in today, just a little 15 minute meeting with us, just reminders of our behaviour, which I think is actually a timely reminder. It a good thing as well,” the 74-year-old said, lifting the lid on a briefing that underlines the scrutiny on this fixture.
No megaphones. No dramatic presentations. Just a clear warning about “general behaviour” – and an unspoken understanding that what happens on the pitch can inflame what happens off it.
“I think it’s the overall picture. Gosh, it’d be nice to have something to celebrate. I think it’s just general behaviour from us,” O’Neill added. “They didn’t mention this but I would have assumed that one of the things that they considered is what happens on the field of play, because these things can be taken further.
You don’t want any sort of punch-ups for a start; secondly, you don’t want too excessive celebrations, stuff like that, if that was the case.
I mean, I’d be delighted to be celebrating something in the game. But it’s the behaviour in the light of what has happened in recent fixtures.”
No Celtic end. No shared roar. Just the raw edge of an Old Firm at Ibrox, with only Rangers fans filling the stands and every reaction from the away bench under the microscope. O’Neill knows how odd that will feel.
He admitted “it’ll be a bit strange not having the (Celtic) fans in but I’m nervously and excitedly looking forward to it, it’s a great fixture.” The contradiction in his voice fits the occasion: anxiety and anticipation, all rolled into one.
Selection calls amid the noise
While the headlines swirl around policing and punishment, O’Neill still has a team to pick and a goalkeeper to trust in the most unforgiving environment Scottish football offers.
Midfielder Mika Baur, who missed Friday’s session with a knock, will train on Saturday and is in contention. The bigger decision sits between the posts.
Sam Johnstone, the experienced England international on loan from EFL Championship side Wolves, made his Celtic debut in Wednesday’s 1-0 William Hill Premiership win over St Johnstone at McDiarmid Park. It was a controlled first outing, a chance for O’Neill to see the 31-year-old in competitive action at last.
But Viljami Sinisalo, the man who started the season as number one, has done “exceptionally well” in O’Neill’s own words. Dropping him for an Old Firm at Ibrox is no small call.
“I haven’t made my mind up at all. It was a matter of getting a look at what Sam can do,” O’Neill said. “It’s great to have the two of them. Big Viljami has done exceptionally well for us and it was just, again, an opportunity to see what Sam can do now.
What he could do a couple of years ago was fantastic, what he can do now might be a totally different picture. I will let them know first.”
That last line tells its own story. The decision will be made late, kept tight, and delivered to the players before anyone else hears it. Classic O’Neill.
On Sunday, with no Celtic voices to drown out the Ibrox roar, whoever gets the nod in goal will hear every shout, every whistle, every groan. In a tie framed by warnings and sanctions, composure might matter more than any tactical tweak.
