Brendan Rodgers in Celtic marriage of convenience and one thing can stop annulment as Rangers disguise sins – Hugh Keevins

Mother Nature and Father Time entered into a marriage of convenience at Celtic Park yesterday and Brendan Rodgers was the best man.

Sometimes it’s not about the football. It’s about the fickle finger of fate. From the moment Rangers’ game against Ross County on Wednesday night was postponed because of bad weather that was a danger to personal safety, the dynamics surrounding the Old Firm contest were altered in Celtic’s favour. By co-incidence and not because of a conspiracy.

To turn domestic chaos, impassable roads and the consequent threat to human life into a conspiracy theory over covert arrangements being made to suit one football club as opposed to another takes mindless behaviour to new depths of incredulity. Taking that threat out of the atmosphere due to the cancellation of what should have been Rangers’ previous match lightened the psychological load for Rodgers’ side pre-match, and playing in front of a stadium only housing home fans contributed towards what followed thereafter.

It’s all very well for Brendan Rodgers to instruct his players to block out the “Noise” that surrounds the Old Firm. And he’s welcome to take the dispassionate view that you could be forgiven for thinking his club exists on what could be construed as a permanent crisis footing.

But the fact of the matter is it is his team’s own supporters, every man, woman and child among them, who live in a fevered world of rivalry equal to that which exists around Rangers. That’s why Rangers’ team bus left Ibrox before yesterday’s game after a farewell with flares choreographed by hundreds of supporters denied access to the match itself because both clubs have safety and security fears concerning the admission of away fans on derby day.

Players,