Aberdeen and Rangers Meet at Hampden as Perth Neutrals Get Ready to Support Whoever Is Losing at Half-Time
League Cup semi-final takes over the weekend. Perth's football fans say being neutral is 'a full-time job with no pay'.
Hampden Park, where Perth's neutrals will be supporting the underdog, whoever it turns out to be. Photo: Dan Kearney, cropped by Blackcat, “Hampden Park (Glasgow) aerial view cropped”, via Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 3.0
Aberdeen face Rangers at Hampden in the League Cup semi-final this weekend, and Perth’s neutral football fans are already working out who to support.
“It’s simple,” said a Perth man who watches every semi-final in the same chair. “I support whoever’s losing. If it’s 1-0 at half-time, I switch. If it’s 1-1, I support the referee. He’s always losing.”
The Aberdeen manager has urged his players to seize their Hampden chance, and Rangers arrive with plenty of history in the competition. Perth’s pubs report demand for “a corner where nobody will shout at me”, which they say they cannot guarantee.
Some Perth families are split. “My dad’s Aberdeen, my mum’s Rangers, and my brother just likes it when someone falls over,” said a teenager from Scone. “Sunday dinner will be quiet.”
A Perth café owner has offered free tea to anyone who can watch the match without making any noise at all. He says no one has ever claimed it.
The real story: Scottish football (BBC Sport)
Letters to the Editor
The views expressed are those of the reader, and frankly that's on them.
-
Supporting the referee at 1-1 is genius. Nobody else ever does.
— Kev P., Hillyland, 31 October 2026 -
The free tea offer is safe. I’ve never watched a match in silence in my life.
— Mairi W., Scone, 31 October 2026
Write to the Editor