Old Firm: why the old firm derby is double jeopardy at Ibrox
The old firm meeting at Ibrox on 01. 03. 2026 pits second against third in the Scottish Premiership and arrives with pressure on both clubs that goes well beyond normal rivalry. The match at Ibrox Stadium will be staged on Sunday and carried an attendance of 50, 129; a live blog for the fixture showed the message: "Sorry, this blog is currently unavailable. Please try again later. "
Game context and league positions
Ibrox will stage a game between second and third in the Scottish Premiership while Hearts sit stubbornly at the top of the table, refusing, it seems, to do what is expected of them by the old order and kindly go away. That persistence from Hearts has pushed pressure back onto Rangers and Celtic, turning this fixture into what one columnist called a "must-win to end all must-wins. " A draw is of little use to either club now; the column insisted this game demands a winner and that, if there is a winner, there must be a loser.
Managerial and boardroom turmoil
Rangers owner Andrew Cavenagh has made seismic off-field moves: he got rid of a manager, a chief executive and a sporting director, as fans hoped, and then spent millions on players in the January window on top of the millions he spent in the summer. That activity included a summer described as a "£20m net spend" for Rangers, and further heavy investment in January. The boardroom changes have left Rangers with a popular manager in Danny Rohl and what looks like ambition in the boardroom, contributing to a sense that, in the grand scheme of things, Rangers fans do not have a huge amount to complain about.
Directionless Celtic and fan fury
Celtic are in a markedly different place. Most Celtic supporters are described as apoplectic with their board and split on how to voice that anger. With no manager in place, and the same unpopular people who appointed Wilfried Nancy in charge of finding the next appointment, Celtic look directionless. The column posed the blunt question: what plan can they have in the badly needed rebuilding of a team when there is no manager there to rebuild it?
Fans, social media and emotion
At the fan level, Celtic supporters are said to be an angrier and more frustrated crew right now. In the underworld of social media they are arguing among themselves; accusatory language is flying. Toxicity is pervasive, draining and self-defeating, but almost unavoidable. With emotion can come suspicion, bitterness and rancour — the columnist described "The Celtic Way" as encompassing all of those things at the moment. Rangers folk, the piece argued, are unlikely to shrug in defeat, either; it is not exactly their style.
Threats from Hearts and Motherwell
When the Old Firm look over their shoulder they can also see the coming force that is Motherwell, a side described as winning and entertaining and almost incapable of conceding a goal in the league under the brilliant management of Jens Berthel Askou. Derek McInnes' Hearts remain ahead of the Glasgow pair, and Rangers and Celtic must contend not only with each other but with the challenges posed by Hearts and Motherwell.
European income and transfer figures
Over the past decade in Europe, Celtic have made an estimated £195m in prize money and television rights. They have sold three different players for £25m apiece, another five for between £10-£20m and a bunch of others in the £5m-£10m bracket. The columnist noted significant profit has been made and that Celtic hold £67m in cash reserves. Rangers have made close to £100m from European football in those 10 years. Hearts have earned about a tenth of that, and Motherwell have made about a tenth of what Hearts have made.
