Scott Allan has opened up on the abuse he received from Rangers fans after opting to join Celtic in 2015.
The Hibs midfielder left Hibs for the Hoops after becoming embroiled in a tug-of-war between both sides of the Old Firm. Rangers had lodged several bids to take the Scot to Ibrox before Celtic swept in under Ronny Deila to complete the signing.
Despite growing up a boyhood Gers supporter, Allan was happy to join Celts in a bid to play Champions League football. But he sacrificed an easy going life outside of football in making the switch.
Speaking on Open Goal's Keeping the Ball on the Ground podcast, Allan revealed he received constant ridicule from Rangers fans who could not accept that he'd opted to sign for their rivals.
And he claims he is still often on the receiving end of abuse from Light Blues supporters. "The whole time was kind of blurry for me because I was getting abused everywhere I went," he said. "That whole first year, even still to this day I still get a lot from Rangers fans because I went.
"The first month of that, leaving the house even to get petrol. I'd had my wee boy at that point and there were guys rolling their windows down while I'm holding a baby, shouting things out the window."
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Allan, 28, insisted it never came down to choosing which club he'd rather play for. Celtic offered cash while Rangers could not afford to splash out on his signature. "It never came down to [choosing between them] because Rangers had made a few low bids in instalments and I think that's what angered Hibs to begin with," he added.
"By the time that happened they didn't have the transfer fee that Celtic were going to pay. And Celtic gave Hibs [Dylan] McGeouch and [Liam] Henderson as well."
The playmaker, after four years and only a handful of appearances at Parkhead, was desperate for a way out of Glasgow and hoped to re-join Hibs in 2019.
But he explained that Hoops chief Peter Lawwell kiboshed that move - because Celtic had done Hibs "enough favours". He said: "I got myself to Christmas, I thought I'd manage to get myself to Hibs in January with Lenny, but then I didn't go.
"Why? Peter said I couldn't go to Hibs. They always said they had done too many favours for Hibs in the past, so that was off the table. I thought that would have got pushed through."
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