Glasgow braced for bitter Old Firm finale

Rangers and Celtic clash at Ibrox today in a match which is likely to determine the destination of the Scottish Premier League title as well as illustrate again the depth of bitterness which underscores the fixture. It will be the final meeting of the Old Firm in a season which has seen the Glasgow giants meet a record seven times and where the ugly side of their rivalry has come to the fore. Rangers hold a narrow one point advantage going into the showdown although Celtic have a game in hand. Rangers manager Walter Smith is hoping for a third successive championship in his second spell at the club to go with the six he won the first time round before he hands over the reigns to assistant Ally McCoist in the summer. His opposite number Neil Lennon, in his debut season in charge of the club he formerly captained as a player, is equally determined to claim the first trophy of his short managerial career. With so much at stake the emphasis would usually be entirely focussed on the football but matters off the pitch have been hitting the headlines in recent weeks. In March a fiery Scottish Cup encounter between the sides at Parkhead saw Lennon and McCoist separated after a touchline bust up, three Rangers players sent off while there were 200 arrests in and around the stadium. Then came the news this week that the Celtic manager, his lawyer Paul McBride and prominent Celtic supporter Trish Godman, a former deputy presiding officer of the Scottish parliament, had been sent explosive devices in the post. Lennon thanked the Celtic fans for their support they gave him during his side’s 4-0 win at Kilmarnock on Wednesday and said the threats wouldn’t distract him from his aim of winning the title. “It was a tremendous gesture and I can’t thank the supporters enough for the following they gave us, not just me personally, but the team,” the Celtic manager said. “We are going to need that between now and the end of the season, but from a personal point of view, I really can’t thank them enough. “I have a target in mind that I have had since the start of the season - and that’s to try to bring the championship back to the club - and I have not been swayed on that by any means. “I am just totally committed to and concentrated on my players and how to keep them in the best possible form between now and the end of May.” Celtic hold the upper hand with three wins in the six matches so far but Rangers triumphed in their last meeting to claim the League Cup. Rangers captain David Weir, who turns 41 in May, is relishing the clash which should be his 22nd consecutive derby since joining the club in 2007. However with his deal up at the end of the season the veteran is determined to get a win in what could be his final derby match. “It could be my last Old Firm game, but I don’t mean that as in I’ve decided I’m leaving Rangers in the summer, I genuinely don’t know what I’m going to do,” the 40-year-old defender said.