Old Firm hostilities in Glasgow have gotten so bad, players are changing their lifestyle and not going out in public to avoid potential violence.

Via TheTimes

“Celtic players are being forced into an increasingly claustrophobic life off the pitch, according to Scott McDonald, who said they now find it impossible to do anything in public for fear that it will be splashed across the newspapers.

The Celtic striker revealed that he has changed his lifestyle since moving to the champions two years ago from Motherwell to try to avoid any potential flashpoints. However, even escaping the goldfish bowl of Glasgow is no guarantee of immunity from the constant Old Firm scrutiny.

Scott Brown was alleged to have been part of a group of men warned by police in Newcastle on Sunday about their behaviour. The Celtic and Scotland midfield player had gone to the city to celebrate the 23rd birthday of his club colleague, Aiden McGeady. The pair were involved in a row with Rangers supporters at Newcastle Central train station. McGeady then left to return home by car, before Brown took the train to Edinburgh.

Gordon Strachan, the manager, banned Celtic’s players from going out in Glasgow five months ago because he felt the risk of trouble with opposition supporters was too great. In February, two men were jailed for an attack on Neil Lennon, the former Celtic captain and current first-team coach, after the Old Firm derby last August.

McDonald has heeded his manager’s advice but said: “This is not a city we live in, it’s a village. You have to be careful in what you’re doing. Everything gets out these days and people know everything. The internet and camera phones make it that way so you’ve got to be careful where you go to eat, or do your shopping or even park your car.”

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