Soccer Football - Scottish Premiership - Celtic v Rangers - Celtic Park, Glasgow, Scotland, Britain - April 8, 2023 Rangers manager Michael Beale shakes hands with Celtic manager Ange Postecoglou before the match REUTERS/Russell Cheyne
Ange Postecoglou has brushed aside the media frenzy over Celtic getting a Guard of Honour at Ibrox on Saturday.
Celtic clinched the SPFL Premiership title away to Hearts on Sunday with tradition being that their next opponents clap them onto the pitch.
Most traditions get put to one side when the two main Glasgow sides face up with no away supporters attending tomorrow’s match just as happened at Celtic Park last month.
Picking up on the Guard of Honour issue being raised in an interview with Sky Sports, the Daily Record reports Postecoglou saying:
It’s no big deal for me. Those kind of things seem to be a bit symbolic rather than anything real. Respect is shown in different ways and we don’t need a guard of honour to know that.
There’s respect between the two sides and certainly between the two sets of players. It might be grudging but they know how hard it is to be successful. Rangers won it two years ago and we have won it the last two years so that respect is there and we don’t need a guard of honour for that.
With just one defeat in the SPFL this season and a 13 point gap between the two clubs Celtic have plenty of incentives going into tomorrow’s match even though the Premiership title has been wrapped up.
In five Derby matches this season Celtic have won four and drawn one, another victory is of more importance than any pre-match ceremony.
?? ‘Still a big game’ despite league being over
???? Don’t need guard of honour to show respect
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? Could have had ‘half a dozen’ player nomineesWe’ve been speaking to Celtic boss Ange Postecoglou ahead of tomorrow’s game vs Rangers, live on Sky ? pic.twitter.com/lqnHDOw6KI
— Sky Sports Scotland (@ScotlandSky) May 12, 2023
