Rangers skipper James Tavernier will be at risk of being branded a hypocrite if the Glasgow giants refuse to give Celtic a guard of honour when the two clubs do battle at Ibrox on Saturday afternoon. The race for the Scottish Premiership title came to an end last week when Celtic wrapped up their second successive triumph with a comfortable victory over 10-man Hearts, a result which condemned Rangers to yet another season behind their bitter rivals in the domestic pecking order.
The big question for Rangers will now be whether or not to follow tradition by giving Celtic a guard of honour before kick-off at Ibrox on Saturday in a move that would certainly not go down well among the club's fiercely loyal fanbase. Tavernier could be made to look silly if Rangers fail to honour their rivals before the start of this weekend's match, with the 31-year-old aiming a dig at Hibernian for refusing to do so for the Gers when they breezed to the Scottish Premiership title back in 2021.
No guard of honour was received by Rangers at Easter Road after they had sealed the end-of-season honours two years ago, a snub which led Tavernier to have a pop on Twitter after a game at Alloa Athletic in which the traditional gesture was made prior to the start of the match.
He wrote: "Great respect to Alloa Athletic for the guard of honour today!! True sportsmanship unlike some!!"
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Tavernier could find himself on the receiving end of some pointed barbs from Celtic supporters if Rangers decide against honouring Celtic prior to kick-off on Saturday, with such a move unlikely to take place based on previous Old Firm derbies that have taken place after the title has already been sealed. There will also be no Celtic supporters at Ibrox this weekend due to concerns over safety, meaning that only Rangers supporters and players would be clapping their bitter rivals onto the pitch.
Rangers previously chose not to give a guard of honour to Celtic back in 2019, with then-manager Steven Gerrard explaining at the time: "To be honest, my thoughts are not important on that subject. The club have made a decision on that and decided there won’t be a guard of honour so I think my thoughts on it are irrelevant. I will follow what I am told to do by the people who are in charge of the club."
The refusal by Rangers to offer Celtic the traditional pre-match greeting sparked plenty of criticism aimed in their direction from the other side of Glasgow, with the Hoops going on to use the previous example as a reason to avoid giving a guard of honour at Celtic Park in 2021.
Interim Celtic boss John Kennedy said: "We spoke collectively about it and we won’t do it. It is not about lacking class, nothing like that, because we are a club that always shows class and dignity and do what is right, but ultimately this same group of players went in as champions [in 2019] and didn’t get the respect that time, if you want to call it that."
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