Since 1888, Rangers and Celtic football clubs have been locked into an intense and frequently explosive rivalry: Rangers the product of West Scotland's Protestant establishment, Celtic the team founded to raise money for the Catholic underclass of Glasgow. On 2 January 2010 the two teams met in the Old Firm's New Year Derby, a fixture that had been banned for ten years because of the trouble it brought with it. Richard Wilson puts that game at the centre of a book which delves into the history and widens out to the cultural resonance of the fixture within Scotland. It is a potent mix of close-up observation and big-picture thinking, with insight, understanding and depth. Fully updated to cover the latest Old Firm stories, including Rangers' dramatic collapse into administration.

'This is like a scene from Apocalypse Now' Archie Macpherson examines the story of football's most explosive rivalry - Celtic v Rangers. In this book he centres on the infamous riot at the Old Firm Scottish Cup Final at Hampden on 10 May 1980, at which he was the match commentator, and which resulted in the banning of alcohol in football grounds. He explores his memories of the many clashes between the two clubs over his half-century broadcasting career. This leads him inevitably to the sources of the sectarianism which has characterised this fixture and the West of Scotland. He weaves his experiences, and those of others, into the complex tapestry of social issues and club loyalties and takes us through the wider political context: World War II, the invisible hand of Margaret Thatcher and Scotland's independence referendum. This vitriolic conflict is more than a game. It is a kaleidoscope of bitter dispute, and occasional violence, and Archie Macpherson provides a colourful insight into how it was to live with the Old Firm for over five decades.

This text is an account of the interaction of sport, politics and society from the formation of Rangers and Celtic at the end of the 19th century, detailing the changes and rivalry of these two clubs.

Celtic and Rangers. Glasgow Giants. The Bhoys and the Bears. The 'Old Firm'. Despite the rivalry of the great Glasgow teams, their traditions are inextricably intertwined in what has been called 'a business based on bigotry'. Rangers entered a new world of sport and big business in April 1986 when they signed Graeme Souness as player and manager, and more notably when he was joined by a new owner, millionaire businessman David Murray. Both were committed to taking the Ibrox club into the elite of European football - even at the expense of signing Catholic players, which the club had hitherto avoided.Celtic were slow to react to this challenge but after years of squabbling found unlikely salvation in th form of expatriate millionaire Fergus McCann. Under McCann and Murray the Old Firm rivalry was modernised beyond recognition as the clubs entered a new world of globalised sport in which the bigotry of the past was a barrier to the riches awaiting Europe's top footballing sides. After five momentous years at Celtic. McCann left the club shortly after the frustrated Rangers attempt to beat the Jock Stein record of nine League flags in a row. With that albatross removed from the necks of both clubs, it might have been expected that a sense of sanity would prevail. But turmoil continued: new managers came and went and after an interlude with Dutch coaches both teams sought inspiration nearer home: Celtic with Ulster-born Catholic Martin O'Neill and Rangers with former Aberdeen and Scotland player Alex McLeish. In the mean time, Murray passed the chairmanship at Ibrox to John McCelland and once more the two clubs seemed to have entered another era. it was one in which the past continued to haunt them, however. Celtic with their 'Bhoys Against Bigotry' campaign and Rangers with their 'Pride Over Prejudice' project tried to present a new image of the Old Firm, emphasising the best aspectss of their long history. Getting rid of their old image, though has often seemed...

The Celtic v Rangers clash in Glasgow is one of football's major events, attracting a huge TV audience worldwide. Author David Potter revels in the joy that a victory over the old rivals brings to the Celtic support, reliving some of the club's greatest ever derby-day triumphs from the 1890s right up to date.

This revised and updated edition of Voices of the Old Firm tells the story of Rangers and Celtic in the words of those who can say 'I was there'. By interviewing players, managers but above all supporters of the two great clubs, Stephen Walsh has built up a unique portrait of sixty years of football in the city. Full of evocative social and historical detail, the book surveys all the great moments since the war - the ups and downs, the triumphs and disasters. What was it like to be in Lisbon for Celtic's epic 1967 European Cup victory, or in Barcelona for Rangers' European triumph of 1972? The different 'voices' which describe these and many other key events include some of the greatest players ever to pull on a green or a blue jersey and they have vivid tales to tell of encounters on the field. But the book also hears the voices of those who have spent their time standing on the terraces or sitting in the stands cheering on their heroes. Ordinary supporters tell of their adventures at home and abroad while following their clubs with sometimes ridiculous levels of devotion. In their own words, they tell of great games of football, but they also describe the fabric of the fan's life - the buses, the songs, the drink, the clothes, the bigotry and the passionate emotion which marks Glasgow out from almost all other footballing cities. This classic oral history has been brought fully up to date with the addition of new material reflecting the way the teams have come to dominate the Scottish football scene in the last ten years. Highlights include Celtic's pilgrimage to Seville for the UEFA Cup final and Rangers' unforgettable championship win of 2005.

A multidisciplinary analysis of sectarianism and bigotry in Scottish football Sectarianism and bigotry are among the most publicly debated issues in Scotland, often reported in the newspapers as the "e;shame"e; of Scotland's national game. The current crisis in Scottish football includes high profile controversies and disorder related to bigotry and sectarianism which resulted in new legislation to tackle offensive behaviour in and beyond football grounds. In this collection, contributors from a range of disciplinary positions present the latest empirical research evidence and social theory to examine and debate fundamental issues about bigotry in Scottish football and society. The topic has raised many questions. How should sectarianism and bigotry be defined and understood? What are the experiences and impacts of bigotry on different populations in Scotland? Are recent events unique or do they have historic precedents and contemporary comparisons beyond Scotland? What should be the response of government, football authorities, clubs, football supporters and other institutions and organisations in Scotland regarding legislation? What vision should we have for a future Scottish society and its diverse population? Bigotry, Football and Scotland will appeal to all those interested in Scotland's national game, the role of football in the 21st Century and how multicultural contemporary societies attempt to resolve prejudice and promote diversity.