IT WAS invariably billed as The Greatest Club Match In The World and, in those dark days before satellite television and the discovery of Barcelona v Real Madrid, it was a claim generally held to be true.
What's more, the Celtic v Rangers matches at Ibrox and Parkhead were as much a part of the traditional Scottish New Year celebrations as shortbread, whisky, Andy Stewart and Jimmy Shand.
Nowadays the influx of footballers from all over Europe, Afr
ica and South America has somewhat diluted the Caledonian nature of these clashes.
Indeed, it may come as a shock to both sets of supporters that the last time TGCMITW was competed for solely by Scots was 33 years ago. On January 4, 1975, to be precise. Every single one of the 25 players on view was eligible to represent Scotland and, remarkably, 18 of them did just that.
The fixture was a pivotal one in that campaign, marking in many ways the end of an era. Jock Stein's Celtic went into the match at Ibrox two points clear of their arch rivals and looking to claim a tenth successive title. Instead, the balance of power in Scottish football swung to Govan for the first time in a decade as goals from Derek Johnstone, Tommy McLean and Derek Parlane gave Rangers an emphatic, morale-boosting victory.
Celtic had won their previous six matches, scoring 18 goals in the process but, their confidence shattered by the defeat at Ibrox, they won only two of their next nine and eventually finished third, 11 points behind Jock Wallace's champions and four behind Hibs.
That collapse precipitated the break-up of Stein's all-conquering side and, for Lisbon Lions Billy McNeill and Jimmy Johnstone plus Ally Hunter, Stevie Murray and Jim Brogan, it was to prove their final Old Firm outing.
For Rangers and their fans, though, there were celebrations as their team finally moved out of Celtic's shadow. They didn't lose again until Airdrie defeated them 1-0 at Ibrox on the final day of the season. However, there is no doubt that their success was due in large part to their biggest victory over Celtic since the 1963 Scottish Cup final replay.
"It was neck-and-neck between us so we were all aware of the importance of the outcome," recalls Colin "Bomber" Jackson, the former Rangers and Scotland centre-half. "We were expecting the title race to be pretty close but we were confident going into the game.
"Earlier in the season I scored the winner when we beat them 2-1 at Parkhead. We hadn't won there for six years so that had also been a psychological boost for us. In the game at Ibrox we started well and Derek Johnstone put us in front early on. We were on top form that day and Celtic really weren't in the game very much at all, which was unusual for them."
Celtic still led the table on goal difference but it was the last weekend they would claim the honour that season.
Jackson, who made 505 appearances for the club, had been at Ibrox throughout Celtic's nine-in-a-row and had grown impatient for success.
"It was a barren spell for us," he said. "We had some good teams during that spell but Celtic were an excellent outfit, with some smashing players so during that ten years the best we managed was the odd cup here and there. However, that 3-0 win set the tone for the rest of the year. It was the first time we thought we might do something instead of being second-best again. We had a good squad and we went on to win two trebles.
"I hadn't realised that it was the last time that only Scots played in an Old Firm match but I'm certain that it won't happen again. There is a nostalgia for those days now because there has been a decline in the number of talented Scots available to clubs. There are too many distractions for kids now.
"Football always provided working-class kids with an escape route – players came from the Gorbals rather than Newton Mearns – and the hunger just isn't there any more, which may be good for society but it's had a negative impact on the game. That's probably why we have so many black and eastern European lads making a name for themselves right now: they're the ones who want it most."
January 4, 1975: Rangers 3, Celtic 0.
Scorers: Derek Johnstone, Tommy McLean, Derek Parlane.
Rangers: Kennedy; Jardine, Forsyth, Jackson (Miller), Greig; McDougall, Johnstone, MacDonald, McLean, Parlane, Scott (Young).
Celtic: Hunter, McGrain, McNeill, McCluskey, Brogan; Glavin, Hood (Johnstone), Murray, Callaghan; Dalglish, Wilson.
The full article contains 804 words and appears in Scotland On Sunday newspaper.
