What Celtic fans know: supporting Rangers is bad for mental health

The claim emerged after psychologists identified a series of mental disorders currently afflicting supporters of Rangers FC, ranging from depression to an aversion to human contact, following seven straight defeats by their bitter city rivals Celtic.

Researchers at Staffordshire University conducted the study from a sample of 180 Old Firm supporters, who were asked to record any physical or mental health problems they experienced in the days immediately following Old Firm games.

The research team, led by Dr David Sheffield, also concluded that Rangers fans were more prone to heart attacks, headaches and insomnia as a result of Celtic’s recent dominance in Old Firm fixtures - which recently culminated in a new Scottish record for the club following seven victories on the bounce over their Ibrox rivals.

Last season, Celtic won all five encounters with Rangers and took the SPL title 17 points clear of the Ibrox side. Just one month into the current league campaign, and Celtic are already five points clear at the top of the table.

Dr Sheffield, a senior lecturer in biological psychology, said he had also been trying to gauge the reaction of Celtic supporters to an Old Firm defeat as part of the study - but so far hadn’t been able to.

He said: "The seriousness of the physical symptoms suffered by some Rangers fans after losing to Celtic was really quite startling.

"They reported being irritable and anxious, they struggled to sleep properly and were far more likely to suffer headaches than Celtic fans. Many Rangers fans were also found to be extremely withdrawn after they lost to Celtic, and tended to avoid human contact. But there is a much wider issue here, which is that many of these Rangers fans are suffering from fairly serious anti-social conditions as a direct result of their team’s poor performances. They would therefore presumably not be very nice people to have to live or work with."

The research, however, also revealed that stress levels among Celtic fans were virtually nonexistent due to a "feel good factor" brought on by total dominance of the league and some excellent performances in European competition, including a UEFA Cup final appearance two seasons ago.

John McMillan, the secretary of the Rangers Supporters’ Association, said he could identify with some of the research results.

He said: "I’m sure many Rangers fans will associate with wanting to avoid human contact after an Old Firm defeat.

"But that’s only because of the ribbing they know they’ll get from their Celtic-supporting workmates. Of course we feel a bit down after a defeat, but I honestly don’t believe it can have any long-term impact on our health."

The study, however, concludes that stress-related disorders could have serious implications for society. As Rangers fans are also more susceptible to heart attacks brought on by stress, an intolerable strain could be placed on an already under-pressure NHS.