McCoist urges Celtic and Rangers to increase away Glasgow Derby allocation
Oliver Birch 
Ian MacNicol/Getty Images Sport
Ally McCoist has urged both Celtic and Rangers to increase the ticket allocation for away supporters in the Glasgow Derby, and the pair should listen to what he has to say.
Speaking on talkSPORT on Thursday morning (02/04/2020), as cited by the Glasgow Times, McCoist claimed the pair should make the decision after the brilliant atmosphere generated at the League Cup final in December when there was an even split of fans in attendance.
I haven’t been to Parkhead for an Old Firm recently but I have been to Ibrox when Celtic only had 800.
But then I went to the League Cup final when Celtic won, the stadium was split and the atmosphere was just brilliant, you realised what you were missing. The atmosphere as you can still imagine for the home team with the vast majority of fans is good, but when the away section have a good support the atmosphere is fantastic. I don’t really know how it started it was probably a bit tit-for-tat.
It doesn’t matter how it started, but it needs to end that’s what it needs to do.
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As somebody who has played and managed in his fair share of Glasgow Derby’s, McCoist is well-placed to voice an opinion on what he believes adds to the atmosphere in such a match.
And the former Rangers hero does make an excellent point here, as the atmosphere at Hampden in December was spine-tingling and something that should be a regular occurrence in the Glasgow Derby instead of reducing away allocations.
The logic behind the decision is understandable at an extent, as having fewer away fans in such a fierce rivalry could play a part in determining the outcome of the match, as well as giving the home side an advantage due to the larger support.
But away fans can often add to the atmosphere at the match, especially in a fixture as intense as this, as McCoist eludes to.
It doesn’t have to be a big increase in the allocation, but the atmosphere at Hampden in December emphasises why the pair should consider bolstering away allocations in the future.
