Welcome to Wrexham hit the Disney streaming platform over the past few months, chronicling the story of two American actors; Ryan Reynolds and Rob Rob McElhenney after they bought Welsh side Wrexham. We didn’t expect Celtic to make an appearance on the show, but they have!
In an episode named ‘Hooliganism’ Celtic and Rangers rivalry comes up. The show is aimed at an American audience and tries to give you entry level information into the world of UK football.
Narrated by McElhenney, the synopsis of Celtic and Rangers fans couldn’t be more remedial and outdated. It’s as if they’ve picked up a book from the 1980s and read it verbatim.
They cited the Hampden riot between Celtic and Rangers back in the 80s. Branding Celtic as the predominantly Catholic side and Rangers the Protestant.
It doesn’t reflect a multi-cultural Celtic I know in the present 2020s
Have a watch.
https://twitter.com/celticlisboaa/status/1575469428841611265?s=21&t=Ngs-9jHJKCVRqcXFx90kIQ
The Hampden pitch invasion was before my time. It did bring the end of alcohol being sold in football, a rule within our game that still stands to this day.
The rivalry is much more complex than what it’s boiled down to in the short clip.
Celtic have ceased using the term ‘Old Firm’ since before Rangers 1872 liquidation in 2012. The club and fans don’t want to be lumped in or defined by our local rivals, and for good reason.
On the other hand, Rangers seem all too comfortable hanging onto their rivals coattails. The last derby at Ibrox seeing the club plaster the word ‘Old Firm’ everywhere around the stadium. This was days after they walked away from their deal with the Sydney cup organisers because Celtic were receiving top billing.
People point to Celtic renewing the trademark ‘Old Firm’ alongside Rangers as an admission they’re happy to keep the name running. In reality, we’ve been told by sources inside the club, Celtic only renew the trademark so it can’t be used for monetary gain by the other side of Glasgow.
The Welcome to Wrexham documentary is worth a watch, despite their reading of Celtic’s rivalry.
