THE pitch was thick with mud which meant neither team were able to play much football.

This meant that the Old Firm wasn’t much of a game on this particular day. It was more of a battle.

It was overly physical from the start all the way to the final whistle. We won 3-1, but the newspapers weren’t all that interested with the result. The back and front pages were filled with pictures of players squaring up to one another.

This was in 1970 at Celtic Park. I’ll always remember the mud - there was hardly any grass at all - and that contributed to a derby which would see both teams up in front of the SFA so we could explain ourselves.

Wee Alex MacDonald was sent off for them. A few more could have gone. It was the most bad tempered match I ever played against Rangers.

So, sorry, having a fight in the Old Firm is hardly new news.

Did I ever find myself in trouble? No. And that’s because I never got caught. The trick was to look after yourself - but only when the referee wasn’t looking.

There weren’t 30 television cameras in the ground that day. Thankfully.

Glasgow Times:

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I can’t quite understand the fall-out from Sunday. Sure, there were incidents and red cards, but it was hardly World War Three. A sense of perspective would be nice.

I wasn’t at the game so didn’t see for myself what Scott Brown did or didn’t do at the end.

From my point if view, Brown was a superb captain, a great leader on the day. It was clear to me he was out to make a point after having a bad game at Ibrox.

And, boy, did he do that and then some.

It was a great day for Celtic. It always is when we beat Rangers. And to so in such a dramatic manner was even better.,

However, I have to say something about Rangers. I thought they deserved a draw.

They were superb when down to ten men. They got organised and were the better team in the second-half.

Had they held on to take a point, I wouldn’t have begrudged them. Ryan Kent took his goal really well.

Glasgow Times:

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Celtic perhaps had just that bit more about them up front and they are some team for scoring late goals.

That’s not luck. That’s desire.

Both our goals were terrific. James Forrest’s brilliant first time pass for Odsonne Eodourd at the first was matched by a wonderful finish.

And then two brilliantly combined for Jamesie to score. He’s been superb again.

However, the one who stood out for me was Kristoffer Ajer and I’m so happy that he’s found consistency.

He signed for Celtic at 17, went on loan to Kilmarnock where he toughened up and now we have a ball-playing centre-half who doesn’t mind putting his head where it hurts.

I thought he was brilliant against Rangers.

A defender’s first job is to defend. Ajer now knows that, which is something he had to learn.

But I love the way he comes out from the back, with the ball at his feet and head in the air, looking to find a team-mate with a pass.

At only 20, there is a lot more to come from the Norwegian which excites me.

And when tempers did flare, Ajer was in the middle of it, showing me has a bit of steel about him.

Forget about the afters, it was a great Celtic day. And I can’t wait for the next one at Ibrox. It should be fun.