Fourteen years on from their infamous touchline clash Neil Lennon has shed some light on what went on with Ally McCoist as Celtic knocked Rangers out of the 2011 Scottish Cup.
It had been a fiery replay under the lights at Celtic Park with three of the visitors sent off as McCoist, assistant manager at the time, delivered instructions from the dug-out with Walter Smith watching most of the action from the Directors Box.
The cheeky chappy was going to take over as manager the following season and was put in charge of cup ties to gain experience (of losing).
The first match at Ibrox had finished 2-2, the final goal coming from Scott Brown as an iconic celebration appeared, after curling a 25 yard shot beyond Allan McGregor he turned towards El Hadji Diouf to see his reaction.
Diouf had previous with Celtic fans, spitting into the front stand while playing for Liverpool in the 2003 UEFA Cup quarter-final that led the hoops all the way to Seville.
That incident was one of the motivators for Smith as he brought Diouf to Rangers, a nasty piece of work in every way found the perfect environment where he was valued by the management and supporters.
The midweek replay at Celtic Park was much anticipated. Celtic had kicked off 2011 with a 2-0 win at Ibrox, before the season ended the two clubs would clash six times, three in the SPL, twice in the Scottish Cup and also in the League Cup Final.
Plenty of resentment to build up all round with Diouf the catalyst for an explosive night that eventually saw Peter Lawwell and Martin Bain called to Hollyrood as the Offensive Behaviour at Football Matches Bill was hatched.
There had been nothing out of the ordinary among the fans that night but as Steven Whittaker, Madjid Bougherra and Diouf were sent off tensions were building trackside.
Lennon was in his first full season as manager, McCoist was being groomed by his mentor with Diouf providing the X-factor.
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All is fair in love and war, it was heavy then. There was no love lost between either team, either set of fans, it is a little more sanitised now, certainly between the dug-outs there was no love lost either.
El Hadji Diouf started it all. Emilio Izaguirre got injured, Steven Whittaker had fouled him, second yellow and got sent off. Diouf came over to get instructions when Tim Williamson was running on to treat Emilio [Izaguirre]. Diouf gives him one of them [motions an elbow]. I clocked it and said, ‘you f*****g leave my staff alone’.
Coisty then came on to say, ‘don’t talk to my players’. So, that was the start of it really, then it got really spicy in the game. We won 1-0, they had three men sent off. I shook hands with Walter, then he goes and Coisty said ‘don’t speak to my players like that,’ and I f***ing snapped.
The normal thing to do is to shake hands and leave it, we will discuss it afterwards but I said, ‘is that right?’ The next thing is you see Parks (Celtic coach Gary Parker) trying to split us and then there is a throng of people, Parks gets punched by the fourth official (Ian Brines) or something like that in the melee which was really, really funny.
In those days I really did not want to give an inch, I knew how it worked. I wasn’t letting anyone get the upper hand on us.
McCoist was first to quit the scene, racing down the tunnel into the away dressing room. After the match Lennon and Smith faced the media, down playing the post match clash while everyone focussed in on that ahead of three red cards.
For days afterwards that incident overshadowed a match, instinctively it was branded an O** F** Shame Game with the blame split 50-50. Politicians piled in to express their shock and horror, promising that it would never happen again. The following season the clubs met four times, Celtic winning the final match 3-0 on home soil as a historic fixture was enacted for the final time.
Celtic went on to beat Motherwell at Hampden to win the Scottish Cup in May 2011, McCoist succeeded Smith, leading his club to defeats against Malmo and Maribor, soon after he also lost out to administration and liquidation.
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