Indy ref could spell Scotland versus England football disaster

“I can’t help but worry that there will be elements on both sides bent on causing bother in November.”

When the forthcoming Scotland-England clash at Celtic Park was announced, I was delighted.

But with two months to go until the Auld Enemies meet for the second year in a row, I fear that this time serious trouble may be inevitable. And sadly it’s all down to the independence referendum.

Whichever way this week’s vote goes, I can’t help but worry that there will be elements on both sides bent on causing bother in November.

In a footballing sense, I think the game is coming along at the perfect time. Scotland are resurgent under Gordon Strachan, playing attractive, attacking football, and were unlucky not to take at least a point off Germany last weekend.

England, meanwhile, are rebuilding nicely under Roy Hodgson, and having won away to Switzerland in their opening Euro 2016 qualifier, they are full of confidence.

As a result, watching the two teams get stuck into each other on the park is a prospect that excites me greatly. But there’s a huge risk that the punters will follow suit OFF the park and that’s terrifying.

With nearly 10,000 England fans at the game and even more sure to travel without tickets I can see problems developing quickly. We heard it loud and clear when England faced Switzerland last week.

The travelling support in Basel heartily sang about their desire for Scotland to, well, clear off.

How do you reckon similar chants will go down in the middle of Glasgow? Like the proverbial lead balloon, I suspect. And it’s not just Glasgow I worry about.

It’s the towns and villages where supporters’ coaches and cars might stop on the way.

There are so many potential flashpoints there, and for me, it doesn’t matter which way the vote goes. Nerves will be raw whether the final will of the Scottish public is “Yes” or “No”.

Most devastatingly, the consequences of trouble are likely to be disastrous in terms of re-establishing the fixture on an annual basis.

Last year’s friendly at Wembley went without a hitch, with 20,000 Scotland fans getting in and out without any trouble.

That gave the football authorities and the police hope that the fixture had a real chance of being played more regularly. The upshot of that was to stage a game in Glasgow.

Having come so far and having waited so long for the opportunity, it would be a disaster if we are served up a repeat of 1989.

Yes, the Tartan Army caused chaos around Wembley for years, most of it good-natured but some of it not. But the scenes of hooliganism in Scotland’s biggest city 25 years ago killed the annual game stone dead.

I hope and pray it doesn’t go that way because, having played in it, I believe Scotland versus England is the greatest fixture in world football.

The passion on show from the players and fans of both sides is unmatched anywhere else, the pride unparalleled.

Let’s all just keep our fingers crossed that politics doesn’t get thrown into to the mix this time around. The consequences could be awful for both countries.