Celtic hero reveals the Rangers icon who ‘completely blanked’ him

Charlie Mulgrew reveals Rangers icon Ian Durrant ‘completely blanked’ Celtic players at Tennent’s Sixes

Charlie Mulgrew has lifted the lid on an awkward encounter with Rangers legend Ian Durrant during the revived Tennent’s Sixes tournament.

The former Celtic defender claims Durrant deliberately kept his distance from the Hoops contingent throughout the event at Braehead Arena, despite several other Rangers personalities happily mixing with their Celtic counterparts.

Mulgrew was part of the Celtic side that eventually lifted the trophy after an extraordinary final victory over Rangers, but his animated celebrations afterwards had apparently been building throughout the weekend.

Speaking on The Breakdown podcast alongside former Rangers midfielder Kevin Thomson, Mulgrew explained that the atmosphere away from the pitch had initially been friendly.

The players and former stars from the participating clubs shared a communal area at the venue, giving old rivals plenty of opportunities to catch up.

Mulgrew said he had no problem chatting with several Rangers figures, including Barry Ferguson, Andy Halliday, Kirk Broadfoot and Charlie Adam.

However, he claims Durrant was the exception.

“Rangers, in particular Ian Durrant, I just felt he wouldn’t engage with anybody,” Mulgrew explained.

“I was talking to Barry Ferguson; obviously I know him. I was also chatting away with Andy Halliday, Kirk Broadfoot, Charlie Adam, and it was sound, all good.

“But Durrant wouldn’t even look in your direction. He’d look the opposite way, not engaging with you at all.

“Even when you passed him in the corner, there was no ‘Alright mate, how are you doing?’ He completely blanked you.

“Maybe it was part of the game plan, I don’t know.”

The comments come after an eventful tournament which saw Rangers initially dominate their Old Firm rivals.

The Gers hammered Celtic 7-1 on the opening day, but Celtic produced a remarkable response to reach the final and eventually beat Rangers 5-4 to claim the trophy.

For Mulgrew, the final whistle brought an opportunity to express some of the frustration he had felt during the tournament.

He admitted he immediately headed towards the Rangers bench and aimed his celebrations in Durrant’s direction.

“So when the final whistle went, I was straight over to the Rangers bench like ‘Get it up yous,'” Mulgrew said.

“Especially towards Ian Durrant.

“Did I need to do that? It’s not usually what I’m like, but it was the heat of the moment.”

Thomson, who was sitting alongside Mulgrew during the podcast, appeared surprised by the story.

The former Rangers midfielder insisted Durrant is normally someone who embraces banter and questioned whether the Celtic hero’s interpretation had been fair.

“That’s not like Durranty, he’s normally one for the banter,” Thomson said.

Mulgrew, however, remained adamant about what he experienced.

“Mate, I’ll believe that when I see it,” he replied.

“I’ve heard he’s a good guy, but he didn’t even engage with any of us.”

Thomson later came to the defence of his former Rangers team-mate, describing Durrant as “the life and soul of the party.”

He suggested that Durrant’s deep-rooted connection with Rangers could perhaps explain why he was less inclined to interact with Celtic players during the tournament.

Whatever the reason, the incident clearly added another layer to an already fiercely competitive weekend between the Old Firm rivals.

And after Rangers’ emphatic 7-1 opening-day victory, Celtic’s comeback and dramatic 5-4 final win ensured Mulgrew and his team-mates had the last word on the pitch.