Welcome, everybody to soccer 101.

My name is Taylor Rockwell.

On this show, we attempt to scratch the soccer itches

you never knew you had. That's Ryan Bailey's phrasing for what this episode is. For me,

it's about exploring some basics, some intermediate topics, getting into them in more detail

so that we can answer some questions you may have had or never knew you had. There you go. It all

connects. On this episode, we're going to be talking about the old firm Derby, what it is, it's history, the intensity of that game and much, much more. To do so, I'm joined by a man who has been to several old firm games. It's Graham Ruffin. Hello, Graham. Hello, Taylor Rockwell. And this topic was suggested by Morrissey. I presume not the Morrissey of the Smiths, a different Morrissey, in the TSS Plus Discord. So thank you for the suggestion and for indulging me, who will now have 30 minutes to talk about Scottish soccer. So thanks for that.

Morrissey, not the artist. Also definitely not Graham Ruffin pseudonym that he used to ask this question, correct, Graham? Damn, I've been caught. You should have gone with Robert Smith. Then I would have answered it immediately. Always the cure, never Morrissey. Graham, we are going to talk about the Old From Derby, which is basically going to be me asking you questions and then sitting back and

hearing you talk about it. For people who are unfamiliar, what is this rivalry, which many will

say is one of, if not the biggest rivalries in world soccer? Yeah, so let's start right at the

beginning. Let's talk about what the game actually is.

So for anyone who hasn't heard of the old firm,

this is the name given to the rivalry between Celtic and Rangers,

the two biggest soccer clubs in Scotland.

And over the decades and centuries,

actually, the old firm derby has established itself

as one of the fiercest derbies in the world.

And the first meeting between the two took place in 1888, so that gives you an idea of how long

these games have been taking place. And it's a rivalry and a derby that completely dominates Scottish culture.

I'll talk a little bit more about that later on.

But it's a completely dominant part of Scottish culture.

It completely transcends soccer.

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