Friday 1 May 2020 11:00, UK
At a time when football grounds have closed their doors, we've asked Martin Tyler to share some of his favourite facts and memories of the homes of clubs around the world.
This week, Sky Sports' Voice of Football is looking at some grounds in Scotland, Wales and Spain. Today, he takes us on a trip to the home of Rangers.
Keep an eye on The Football Show on Sky Sports News and @SkySportsPL for some special Tyler's Teasers from Martin.
Ibrox is nearer to Glasgow airport than Celtic but it is only a marginal convenience. The key to travelling to games as far away from my home as Scotland is to allocate plenty of time for the journey. Being a commentator entails being aware of a "worst-case scenario", particularly in travel, so the risk of bad weather or any other kind of disruption has to be factored in.
The gantry is lower than at Celtic Park, right in the midst of the passionate Rangers support.
In 1939 Ibrox recorded an official attendance of 118,567 for the annual New Year's Day Old Firm fixture against Celtic, the highest total for a league game staged in the United Kingdom.
On April 1 1990, Rangers against Celtic became the first league game shown on satellite television in Britain, very significant when you think what has happened in football broadcasting in the 30 years since.
Graeme Souness had transformed Rangers since joining as player-manager in 1986, particularly in his recruiting from England. Chris Woods, Gary Stevens, Terry Butcher, Nigel Spackman, Trevor Steven and Mark Walters all started on this historic day and were very familiar faces to me. The signing of Mo Johnston had bridged the much wider divide of religion which has always been at the core of the rivalry between the two Glasgow giants.
My recollection is that Celtic started well but crumbled on the back of a huge error of judgement by defender Anton Rogan after 28 minutes. Butcher hoisted a ball into the visitors' penalty area. Mindful of the strength in the air of the arriving Richard Gough the Northern Ireland international jumped with arms above his head, a clear handball, a blatant penalty. It was foolish on any day of the year but on April 1 made the headlines easy at the expense of poor Rogan.
Goalkeeper Packie Bonner got a legitimate hand to Walters' penalty but could not keep it out and there was barely a squeak from Celtic after that. Before half-time, the predatory Johnston struck against the club he had been about to re-join until Souness came up with a better offer. That chance was cleverly created by Ally McCoist who then became the main story of the second half.
Unusually for such a prolific marksman McCoist had gone a couple of months without scoring, and been stuck on 132 league goals for Rangers, which equalled the post-war club record set by Derek Johnstone. I had been chatting to Derek in the ground prior to the kick-off. When Celtic conceded a second penalty with 12 minutes left - Peter Grant nudging over Johnston - McCoist seized the ball, the opportunity and the outright record. A 3-0 scoreline was a fair reflection on the day.
At the time commentating on a rivalry with such an edge was an eye-opening experience for me. I now know that most Glasgow derbies have been much more raucous than this one, but it will go down as a notable day in the history of television, a story in which Mr Souness is still playing a part!
Very few, if any, football grounds went through a transformation like Ibrox in the late 1970s. Its previous massive size had exposed weaknesses in safety and Rangers spared no expense in righting that wrong. The rebuild was able to retain the superb red-brick façade outside the redeveloped main stand. It is architecturally neo-classical and extraordinarily impressive.
I always feel that I am a rarity at an Old Firm game, a genuine neutral. Honestly it takes a bit of getting used to, the sheer force of the rivalry, and shortly after the game I have described above, I was talking to the former Scotland and Aberdeen skipper Willie Miller about my one or two reservations. He said to me 'Look Martin, it is what it is. Enjoy the positives and don't try and change anything because it won't change'.
It was a kind remark where he was basically saying: 'Look son, let it be'. It was great advice!
On Wednesday: Martin brings us his guide to the Millennium Stadium in Cardiff
