NafisaDerek McInnes has once again found himself at the centre of a fiery Old Firm storyline after his latest confrontation with a member of the Celtic coaching staff.
The Rangers manager was involved in an animated exchange with Celtic coach Mark Fotheringham during Sunday’s clash at Parkhead, with the two men eventually being booked after squaring up on the touchline.
But while the latest confrontation may have lasted only moments, it has reignited a disagreement that goes back to last season.
McInnes and Fotheringham have already had a history of tense exchanges, and the Rangers boss has previously made it clear that he was unhappy with the Celtic coach’s behaviour during a previous meeting.
Now, following another confrontation between the pair, those old comments have returned to the spotlight.
And McInnes’ description of Fotheringham’s previous behaviour has given Celtic supporters another reason to take issue with the Rangers manager.
McInnes and Fotheringham clash again
The latest flashpoint arrived just four minutes into Sunday’s Old Firm derby.
Rangers defender Manny Fernandez brought down Celtic forward Camilo Duran as the attacker attempted to race forward, with referee John Beaton showing the Rangers defender a yellow card.
Some Celtic supporters believed the challenge deserved a red card, but Beaton decided that a booking was sufficient.
McInnes was clearly unhappy with the situation and made his feelings known from the Rangers technical area.
Before the free-kick could be taken, the situation escalated.
Sky Sports cameras caught McInnes and Fotheringham squaring up to one another on the touchline, with officials stepping in to separate the pair.
Both men were subsequently booked.
It was an extraordinary scene so early in a match that already carried enormous significance, particularly after Rangers had beaten Celtic 3-0 at Ibrox only seven days earlier.
But the latest argument was not happening between two men without history.
McInnes has already taken aim at Fotheringham
The Rangers manager’s previous comments about Fotheringham help explain why Sunday’s confrontation attracted so much attention.
Last season, while McInnes was still managing Hearts, he took issue with the Celtic coach’s reaction after Celtic scored at Tynecastle.
McInnes was particularly unhappy with what he viewed as an inappropriate celebration from Fotheringham.
And he did not hide his frustration when discussing it afterwards.
“One of their inexperienced coaches, I didn’t like his reaction to scoring the goal.
“Nothing to do with Shaun or Martin, just a poor reaction.”
The comments were a fairly clear indication that McInnes had taken exception to Fotheringham personally rather than simply being frustrated with the Celtic bench as a whole.
The Rangers boss later described the Celtic coach as “inexperienced”, a comment that prompted a response from O’Neill.
The Celtic manager defended his staff member by pointing towards Fotheringham’s coaching experience in Germany and English football.
That should have been the end of the matter.
Instead, Sunday’s clash showed that the tension had not completely disappeared.
McInnes gives his explanation
After Rangers secured another 1-0 victory over Celtic, McInnes was asked about the latest confrontation.
The Rangers boss insisted that his reaction had been about defending his team.
Asked about the incident, he said, via the Scottish Sun:
“It was 3-1 against me [fouls], and there was only two bookings.
“I was just sticking up for my team.”
It was a brief explanation, but it offered an insight into why McInnes had become so animated.
He believed Rangers had committed three fouls compared with Celtic’s one at that stage, yet the confrontation resulted in bookings for both himself and Fotheringham.
McInnes therefore maintained that he was simply protecting his players after Fernandez was cautioned.
But given the history between the Rangers boss and Fotheringham, it was inevitable that supporters would look beyond the immediate incident.
Another dig at the Celtic bench
The latest confrontation also contained another pointed moment.
McInnes was seen gesturing towards the Celtic bench during the exchange, including holding up three fingers.
The gesture was widely interpreted as a reference to Rangers’ 3-0 victory over Celtic at Ibrox the previous week.
It was another reminder of the result that had already given this particular Old Firm fixture an extra layer of hostility.
Rangers then went on to win 1-0 at Parkhead, meaning McInnes had overseen two victories against Celtic inside eight days.
That made the Rangers manager’s apparent reference to the previous result even more provocative for the home support.
For Celtic fans, the combination of the old Fotheringham comments, the latest touchline confrontation and the three-finger gesture provided plenty to be angry about.
For McInnes, however, the message was considerably simpler.
He had already explained that he was “sticking up for my team”.
And with Rangers once again leaving Parkhead as winners, the Rangers manager ultimately had the result to back up the confidence displayed during another extraordinary Old Firm afternoon.
The rivalry between McInnes and Fotheringham, however, clearly still has plenty of life left in it.
Nafisa
