Derek McInnes' Rangers appointment has drawn Celtic criticism over his Billy Boys video and Rangers' history of religious discrimination.
- McInnes has been filmed singing The Billy Boys, a controversial song in Scottish football.
- Rangers operated an anti-Catholic signing policy for decades.
- The Billy Boys still surfaces from sections of the Rangers support.
- McInnes called Celtic's late penalty against Motherwell "disgusting".
As a Celtic supporter, Derek McInnes taking the Rangers job doesn’t worry me.
What interests me is what the appointment says about Rangers.
Because the more I think about it, the more it feels like a perfect fit.
Here you have a manager who has been filmed singing The Billy Boys, one of the most controversial songs in Scottish football.
And here you have a club that spent decades operating an anti-Catholic signing policy and continues to see The Billy Boys surface from sections of its support.
You can understand why many Celtic supporters look at the appointment and think: they deserve each other.
What I find most remarkable is the silence.
If a former Celtic player had been filmed singing a song with similar sectarian associations and was then appointed Celtic manager, does anyone seriously believe the reaction would be this muted?
I certainly don’t.
The story would dominate every newspaper.
Every radio phone-in would be discussing it.
There would be demands for statements, apologies and explanations.
The manager’s suitability for the role would be questioned daily.
Instead, McInnes’ appointment has largely been treated as a football story.
Why?
That’s the question I keep coming back to.
McInnes has never exactly hidden his views when Celtic are involved.
His reaction to Celtic’s late penalty against Motherwell was a perfect example. He called the decision “disgusting” and suggested he already knew Celtic would get the decision.
As a Celtic supporter, I’ve heard that type of argument for years.
When Celtic win, there always has to be another explanation.
The referee.
VAR.
The authorities.
Anyone and anything except Celtic being the better team.
It’s a grievance culture that never seems to disappear.
And that brings me back to Rangers.
The slogans.
“We Are The People.”
The obsession with being “staunch.”
The brown brogues.
The superiority complex that many outside Ibrox have been pointing to for years.
All of it feeds into a culture that seems permanently trapped between defending the past and complaining about the present.
What frustrates me most is the lack of scrutiny.
Keith Jackson, Tom English and the rest of the Scottish football media are quick enough to analyse every controversy involving Celtic.
Yet when Rangers are involved in uncomfortable conversations about sectarian songs, history or culture, the volume suddenly gets turned down.
Maybe that’s why these debates never go away.
Because they are never properly confronted.
Instead, they are ignored until the next controversy arrives.
For me, Derek McInnes’ appointment isn’t really about football.
It’s about symbolism.
A manager filmed singing The Billy Boys.
A club whose history includes decades of religious discrimination.
A support where that same song still refuses to disappear completely.
And a media that seems far more comfortable discussing formations than asking difficult questions.
As a Celtic supporter, I don’t look at this appointment and see a threat.
I look at it and see a club and a manager who fit together perfectly.
Derek McInnes and Rangers.
They deserve each other.
