Frank McAvennie isn’t one for pulling punches, but his recent assessment of the Rangers vs Celtic fan Ibrox disorder on the Let Me Be Frank podcast moves beyond mere fan frustration.
McAvennie places the blame squarely at the door of Police Scotland’s leadership, after Celtic staff were attacked by Rangers fans on the Ibrox pitch.
The former Hoops striker said the passive actions of the police and security were one of the reasons Celtic staff and players were targeted.
How can we ensure that the Glasgow derby can continue having full allocations after the latest incident?
Frank McAvennie nails Rangers over Celtic staff attacks
The Hoops legend was clearly in no mood to take any excuses as McAvennie laid the blame firmly at Rangers’ door first of all.
McAvennie told the Let Me Be Frank podcast, “All this coming on and attacking people. I’m not having it. And unfortunately, Rangers have done it a few times and that’s three times the Celtic staff have been attacked.
“And no matter what, people trying to say it’s both sides, that’s three times Celtic staff has been attacked Simon, and it’s not right.”
Celtic hero slams Police Scotland for Ibrox scenes
Next up was Police Scotland as McAvennie took aim at Chief Superintendent Emma Croft for her role in the Ibrox shambles.
The former Hoops man continued, “Well, listen. I’m laying the blame right at the door of this Emma, Chief Superintendent of the Police, giving all that, ‘Anyone with video…’. Do your job!
“There’s a lot of people on that pitch that didn’t know what was happening. The yellow jackets on and they were letting people run by them.
“One of the policewomen got kicked in the air. I’m thinking nobody went near that guy [who attacked the Celtic coach].
“If he’d have done that in the 80s, that guy would have been jumped on by three police. But kicking a female, it’s embarrassing. And he was just laughing.
“So listen, the police, don’t care what you do, you’ve got to get more money off the Scottish Government or whoever.
“But I knew that was going to be toxic yesterday. And if she didn’t know, then she shouldn’t be the head of the police. That’s for sure.”
You can watch McAvennie’s explosive rant below.
McAvennie backs up 67 Hail Hail’s verdict where we asked three big questions about the Ibrox security for the visit of Celtic.
The complete lack of police presence and stewarding at full time must be questioned as the SFA and the police investigate the shameful Rangers scenes.
For Celtic, the issue is no longer just about the result on the park; it’s about the toxic environment McAvennie described.
If the authorities cannot guarantee the safety of those in the dugout, the questions being asked of the Chief Superintendent must move from private correspondence to public accountability.
McAvennie is right: if the warning signs were there and the response faltered, the responsibility lies at the top.
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