Alan Brazil comments on Rangers – Celtic rivalry

Follow us on Google Discover

Pedro Caixinha’s Glasgow Rangers lost 2-0 to Old Firm enemies Celtic at Ibrox last month.

Alan Brazil has told The Sunday Post that nobody outside of Scotland cares about Celtic’s battles with Rangers any longer and claims it will stay that way until the Gers can call themselves a worthy competitor of their Old Firm enemies once again.

The talkSPORT host claims he was “stunned” that the first Old Firm derby of the season – a 2-0 win for Celtic at Ibrox which was televised by Sky Sports – attracted viewing figures of only 275,000 in what Brazil believes is a big “wake-up call” for Scottish football.

The former Scotland international says that such paltry figures reflect a growing sense of disinterest from South of the border when it comes to Scotland’s El Clasico.

According to The Daily Record, more than one million people tuned in back in 2015 when the Hoops took on Rangers for what was the first local meeting between the sides in three years.

Former Celtic forward Craig Bellamy attracted criticism up North last month when he claimed that Bhoys boss Brendan Rodgers – who masterminded a domestic treble without losing a game last season – would struggle to find another job in the Premier League on the basis that his achievements in Scotland are largely going unnoticed in England.

And Brazil has told The Sunday Post that he is beginning to agree with the former Wales international to some extent

“I was stunned by the TV viewing figures for this season’s first Old Firm clash. Just 275,000 people tuned in across the Sky Sports Football and Sky Sports Main Event channels to watch Celtic’s 2-0 victory at Ibrox,” he said.

“That’s 26,000 fewer than watched the same day’s Championship clash between Aston Villa and Nottingham Forest. It’s a whopping 145,000 fewer than the following day’s Sheffield derby. Talk about a wake-up call.

“The figures don’t lie. Fewer people than ever south of the border feel the same way. Craig Bellamy got pelters before the Ibrox game for saying nobody in England cares about Celtic’s success. We laughed at the time – but he had a point after all.

“Until there’s a real prospect of a title challenge from the Gers, or at least a drastic improvement, I can’t see people down south tuning in again. Closing the gap will be Rangers’ objective for the foreseeable future.”