It all started with a drubbing at Ibrox 14 years ago and on recent derby form few would bet against it ending that way in Govan.
But since that disappointing 3-0 loss for Scott Brown in October 2007 there have been plenty of highs, records broken, red cards and iconic celebrations in the Old Firm showdown.
It’s fair to say there has rarely been a dull moment when Brown, who had the option to sign for Rangers, has been around in one of the world’s most famous fixtures as he prepares to bid farewell to the derby on Sunday.
That is, of course, assuming interim Celtic boss John Kennedy starts his captain in the middle of the park or at least gives him time off the bench for one last hurrah before the next chapter of his career.
It won’t be the last Rangers see of the man who has often played the role of pantomime villain as he will face them with new club Aberdeen but while there is no love lost between the Dons and the Light Blues it is still second to the Old Firm rivalry.
Current gaffer Kennedy actually came off the bench at half-time in Brown’s derby debut on an afternoon of misery as Walter Smith’s side ran out comfortable 3-0 winners thanks to Nacho Novo’s double either side of a Barry Ferguson strike.
Brown’s pal and former team-mate Kevin Thomson netted the only goal at Ibrox in the next meeting that season and Brown had to wait until the final derby of his maiden season at Parkhead before experiencing the joy of a win over Gers, coming off the bench for the final seven minutes of a 3-2 victory that was crucial in Gordon Strachan’s men winning the title that year.
The 36-year-old has played in 43 games against the Light Blues and has a 51% win rate with one red card (1-0 loss at Ibrox, February 2010) and one goal (2-2 Scottish Cup draw Ibrox, 2011) which was followed by his iconic ‘Broonie’ celebration in the face of El-Hadji Diouf.
There have been other famous celebrations such as his shirtless jig in front of the jubilant travelling support in the Broomloan Road stand as he sported a pair of sunglasses after leaving their rivals in the shade again with a 3-2 victory despite being reduced to 10 men under Brendan Rodgers in March 2018.
Steven Gerrard watched from the stand that day and the former England captain’s arrival as Rangers boss three months later would eventually see a power shift in Glasgow with the Light Blues currently on a five-game undefeated run going into Sunday’s meeting.
It wasn’t until Gerrard took over at the Ibrox helm that Brown tasted defeat in the fixture again when Ryan Jack scored the only goal at Ibrox in December 2018 with Celtic undefeated in TWELVE derby games prior to that.
The previous loss was the dramatic Scottish Cup semi-final penalty shoot-out defeat at Hampden after which many wrote Brown off, only for him to bounce back under Rodgers to play an instrumental run in an unprecedented invincible treble.
It was during Rodgers’ time in charge, and with their rivals at their weakest while in the top flight, that they showed their superiority with a record 5-1 win at Ibrox during which Brown was confronted by an angry fan who leapt over the advertising hoarding.
While that punter overstepped the park, Brown has thrived in the Ibrox bear pit and that became more intense when Rangers reduced their rivals’ ticket allocation to just 900. But while he revelled in the rivalry, he showed there are more important things when he embraced Glen Kamara prior to a Parkhead meeting this season just a few days after the Finn had been racially abused against Slavia Prague.
But Brown revelled in the role of pantomime villain and it is sad, therefore, that he will bow out at an empty Ibrox Stadium.
Scott Brown's Old Firm record
P43 W22 D6 L15 (one on penalty kicks)
At Ibrox
P18 W6 D2 L10
At Parkhead
P17 W10 D4 L3
At Hampden
P8 W6 L2 (one on penalty kicks)
