‘After my Old Firm goals for Rangers, there were parts of Glasgow I was warned to avoid’

Former Rangers striker Peter Lovenkrands has opened up about life as a player during his stint in Glasgow and how he had to avoid certain areas of the city after Celtic games

The Old Firm derby is one of the fiercest rivalries on the planet, so it’s little wonder Celtic and Rangers players were given safety advice after the games.

‘Gers icon Peter Lovenkrands was a big favourite at Ibrox, not least because of his habit of netting against the Hoops. He joined Rangers from Danish club Akademisk Boldklub in 2000, knowing little about Glasgow or the intense hatred between the two sets of fans in the city.

But after scoring a couple of goals in the Old Firm he couldn’t walk down the street without getting bombarded with verbal expletives from angry Celtic supporters out for revenge. Fortunately, the 44-year-old revealed, his local mates told him which parts of town to avoid in order to steer clear of trouble.

“Celtic fans did not like me and I understand it. It’s such a big rivalry, the biggest you will ever get, and unless you experience it, you will never understand,” Lovenkrands exclusively told Ladbrokes Fanzone. “In my second season there, I scored a few goals against Celtic. So after that year, it all took a big turn for me.

“I went from being able to walk down the streets no problem, to everyone looking for autographs and photos. The negative side then was the shouting and what not on the street from Celtic fans, but that is part and parcel of it. I had good friends around me who helped me in terms of telling me what not to do, places to go, and so on.”

Despite the perpetual animosity, Lovenkrands says he feels honoured to have played a small part in the Celtic-Rangers rivalry. “It is the most amazing derby to be part of and to be fair, people now won’t understand what it was like; back then it was crazy because the away fans were allowed over 8000 and the noise at those games was just incredible.

“Now, there’s no away fans so it’s not the same. I feel for the players and fans because they don’t get the actual Old Firm experience. The atmosphere was insane.”

Lovenkrands scored 54 goals in 182 Rangers matches, with six of them coming against Celtic. He left in 2006 to join German club Schalke 04, but returned to British soil two years later to sign for Newcastle. He hung up his boots in 2014 after a short stint with Birmingham.