Rangers legend Ally McCoist fires ‘water bottle’ jibe at Celtic | OneFootball

Rangers legend Ally McCoist cheekily suggested that if Rangers were ever going to give Celtic a guard of honour, it should be done with water bottles rather than applause. Speaking with his usual tongue-in-cheek tone on talkSPORT, McCoist brought some humour to the always fiery debate surrounding the Old Firm’s refusal to partake in that traditional show of respect.

The guard of honour – where players line up to applaud newly-crowned champions onto the pitch – is common across football, but in Glasgow, things are different. With Rangers and Celtic locked in one of the fiercest rivalries in the game, neither club has made a habit of recognising the other’s success. That has continued this season, with Barry Ferguson confirming his Rangers side will not line up for Celtic, who secured the Premiership title with games to spare.

McCoist, never shy to take the mick, offered his own alternative. Referencing a now-infamous incident involving Václav Černý, the Czech winger who sprayed water towards Celtic supporters after Rangers’ recent 3-2 win at Parkhead, McCoist joked that Rangers should line up with bottles in hand instead. “We could’ve done a guard of honour – with Super Soakers,” he laughed. “One spray for every title.”

Černý’s antics, though criticised in some quarters, seemed to delight McCoist, who quipped the winger “deserves to be knighted” for his part in winding up the home crowd. He even suggested Černý had done a full circuit with water bottles just to reload. It was vintage McCoist – irreverent, sharp, and perfectly in tune with the feelings of many Rangers fans who have no desire to honour their rivals.

While the idea of a water bottle guard of honour will never happen, McCoist’s comments once again highlight the layers of needle and humour wrapped up in this age-old rivalry. It’s never just about the football in the Old Firm – it’s about pride, respect (or lack of it), and occasionally, a very public soaking.

Whether anyone at Ibrox takes his “proposal” seriously is another matter, but McCoist knows exactly how to play to the crowd. And for a support not in the mood to clap their rivals onto the pitch, his water bottle plan might just be the next best thing.