For decades previously, Aberdeen supporters had felt - even if it was never so vividly expressed as now - contempt towards Rangers and the Glasgow football establishment, just as Rangers dismissed Aberdeen as a distant, provincial irrelevance.

During the dominance achieved by Aberdeen under Alex Ferguson, red cards were strewn like ticker-tape as Rangers bridled at northern arrogance and Aberdeen met force with force. Post-[Ian Durrant], attention moved away from the field. Aberdeen supporters have been guilty of throwing golf balls at Rangers players, assaulting Mark Hateley, and celebrating [Neil Simpson] and the Ibrox disaster during a minute's silence for Rangers legend George Young. Rangers fans are responsible for throwing missiles on the travelling Dons support in Ibrox's Broomloan Road stand, while club employees have fanned the flames in print. Durrant and John Brown referred to Aberdeen supporters as "morons" in autobiographies while earlier this season Rangers were reprimanded by the SFA for labelling a section of Dons fans "scum" in their official match programme.