English football fans can say what they like about Rangers, Celtic and Scottish football – but at least the Old Firm still understands the concept of a rivalry.
They say you should never say never, but the notion that an ex-Ibrox gaffer could take the reins at Parkhead would’ve seemed as fanciful as Rafa Benitez taking over at Everton only a month ago.
Rafa is a Liverpool legend – Steven Gerrard was his captain and remains in awe of the Spaniard – and for many the thought of crossing the Merseyside divide was unthinkable.
Now it’s a reality.
Rafa is the new Everton manager and there’s little doubt that amongst the hardcore of the Kop this Champions League winning boss has almost certainly tinged his Anfield reputation.
A sign of the times certainly – “legacy fan” thinking has no place in the modern football era – this is one of the most recognisble managers in Liverpool history joining their fiercest rivals.
It makes a mockery of the term rivalry.
Of course sporting rivalry in football is not without its own demons but the culture of the game in Scotland is defined very much so by the rivalries within it.
Hearts v Hibs, Killie v Ayr, even the Dundee derby of an occasion, all have their own charms but only the Old Firm can really compete with the big derbies down south and on foreign shores.
The Old Firm stands as the fiercest derby around and for a manager to do this would be unthinkable.
Only a handful of players have ever braved it.
It’s not just that many wouldn’t be open to crossing such a tense divide, but supporters would almost unilaterally resist any move for someone who’s flag is planted in the other trench.
Similarly, as Manchester United prepare to splash a reported £73m on Jadon Sancho, £10m of that fee will go to cross city rivals Man City [Goal].
That may be chump change south of the border but it reperesents a substantial enough investment in your biggest rivals’ coffers.
Legendary Chelsea coach Jose Mourinho has also defied club loyalties on two occasions, firstly moving to title rivals Manchester United but then onto London rival Tottenham Hotspur.
This is unthinkable at Ibrox and Celtic Park.
Call it petty, but whilst the Premier League has its glitz and glamour Scottish football has a fierce essence which only years of proper disdain and rivalry can build. It cannot be bought.
So whilst the rest of the footballing world – and the UK – moulds itself with a more global, American mindset, there’s something raw which remains north of the border.
The bickering and the bluster is one thing, but if Benitez’s transfer to Everton proves anything, it’s that Rangers v Celtic and the Old Firm derby is the biggest domestic rivalry left in the UK.
Speaking of the Old Firm derby, Rangers have a real opportunity to assert their dominance this season and keep the Banter Era at Parkhead rolling on.
