1. Celtic 1 – 1 Rangers (Scottish Cup final, 17 April 1909)

Willie Maley's Celtic were the dominant team in Scotland. They were looking to complete their third double on the spin: later that month they would win fifth title in a row, and here they faced Rangers in the Scottish Cup final. The first match ended in a 2-2 draw, so the teams had to return to Hampden Park for a replay. That game was also a close encounter, played in front of a crowd of 61,000, and ended 1-1. A third replay would have to be arranged, with the Scottish FA rules clearly stating that extra time would only occur after a "series of three draws".

However, neither players nor crowd seemed aware of that. For a while it seemed like extra time would be played after all. Celtic hung around on the pitch waiting for the restart. A couple of Rangers players milled around with them. But when a linesman wandered over to a corner flag, and yanked it from its moorings, it was clear that proceedings were over for the day, and a third match was indeed required.

That match would never be played. Nobody in the crowd seemed much interested in the intricacies of the SFA rulebook. As far as they were concerned, both teams and the SFA were grifting them for more attendance money; this series of draws was nothing more than a whopping great con. "Of late, draws between Celtic and Rangers have occurred with monotonous regularity and the ill-informed man in the street has been heard to hit off the situation by the explanation that these indecisive matches have been 'arranged for a gate'," was the Manchester Guardian take on the crowd's thought processes. The game might have been off, but the heat was on.

Quite literally, too. Amid chants of "play the tie", thousands invaded the pitch, uprooting goalposts and yanking down nets. Stones, planks and chunks of loose terracing were wheeched through the air, while dods of the Hampden turf was ripped from the ground. Overwhelmed and overrun, the police retreated. Fans took the opportunity to set light to pay boxes, reportedly fuelling the flames with their whisky, an illustration of just how jolly baity they were. "We cannot get our money returned, but we will get our money's worth!" screamed the crowd, according to a painstakingly edited Guardian report.

When the fire brigade arrived, they were met with what the Daily Record referred to as "interference of the crowd, who pelted them with stones and missiles". It took the best part of three hours to clear the 9,000-strong protest group; 130 people ended up in hospital. Celtic and Rangers asked the SFA to cancel the third replay, and so the 1909 Scottish Cup was never awarded. Celtic would not get their third double in a row.

On the same evening, Charlie Chaplin was starring at the Glasgow Hippodrome as part of the Fred Karno Comic Company. But somehow that doesn't seem quite as exciting a performance.

The game that set Celtic, and Jock Stein, on their way to nine league titles in a row. Scot Symon's Rangers side were the prime force in Scotland during the first half of the 1960s, while Celtic hadn't won either of the big prizes – league or Scottish Cup – since 1954. But this was when the balance shifted.

Celtic were in form – they had gone 21 games without defeat, since losing to Rangers at Ibrox early in the season – and had kept on the tails of their arch rivals. But in a match played in a pea-souper fog, with drizzle and a treacherous sanded pitch to also contend with, they didn't start this game well. Davie Wilson scored after two minutes, latching on to a deflected John Greig shot, and Rangers held their lead until half time.

Stein's side were, however, roadtesting some new lightweight boots, and proved fleeter of foot in the second half. Stein had built his attack around Stevie Chalmers – a legend now thanks to his winner in the 1967 European Cup final, but not an altogether popular figure with the fans at the time. Needless to say, the big man knew what he was doing. Chalmers equalised soon after the break with a powerful shot, at which point Rangers fell apart. Chalmers put Celtic into the lead, heading home a Charlie Gallacher corner from the left. Gallacher made it three by blootering a shot from the edge of the area on to the underside of the crossbar and in.

Bobby Murdoch made it four with a 25-yarder, before Chalmers completed the scoring after a wee game of pinball in the Rangers area. His three-goal haul is still the last Old Firm hat-trick in league competition. Celtic leapfrogged over Rangers at the top of the table, and never looked back, landing their first title in 12 years by two points; these were the decisive ones. For Stein, it was one down, eight to go.

By the early 1970s, Stein's Celtic weren't so much pressing their lightweight boots on Rangers' necks as soft-shoe shuffling back and forth across their throats. By the 1972-73 season, Stein had seen off three managers at Ibrox: the old-fashioned Symon, the newfangled Davie White, and the legendary Willie Waddell. None had been able to break Celtic's stronghold on the league. Symon was trading on past glories. White was generally regarded to have been promoted too quickly, though in his first season the team went undefeated until the final minute of the final match of the campaign; that loss ensured Celtic finished two points ahead. Even Waddell, who had proved his qualities by winning the league when at Kilmarnock, and leading Rangers to the Cup Winners' Cup in 1972, couldn't quite cut it against Stein week in, week out; his 1970-71 Rangers side, for example, ended in fourth behind Celtic, Aberdeen and St Johnstone, the club's worst performance since the war.

Waddell moved upstairs having won the Cup Winners' Cup, and left the day-to-day running of the side to his coach, Jock Wallace. The new man – who shipped out Colin Stein and Willie Henderson – would not start well, losing three of the first five games. But at the turn of the year, Wallace's new side, which now included Tom Forsyth, Quinton Young and Joe Mason, began a 25-game unbeaten run until the end of the season. It wasn't quite enough, though, as Celtic kept on keeping on, finishing two points clear of Rangers, champions yet again. Eight in a row.

Rangers had a chance to salvage something from their campaign, though, having reached the SFA's centenary Cup final. Given that 1972-73 was also Rangers' centenary season, victory was essential. The only problem was, Celtic stood in their way. Stein's favourites got off to a good start, Kenny Dalglish thrashing home the opener after 24 minutes, but Derek Parlane levelled 10 minutes later with a header helped into his own net by the Celtic keeper, Ally Hunter.

This time it would be Rangers who flew out of the blocks after the restart. Within 20 seconds Alfie Conn had put them ahead, and although George Connelly equalised with a penalty on 54 minutes – John Greig having comically stopped a shot on the line with a full-length diving save – the deciding goal was scored on the hour when Forsyth bundled over from close range after Derek Johnstone had hit the post. Celtic had nothing left in the tank, Rangers ending the stronger, all those afternoons spent running up and down sand dunes in Gullane at the behest of Wallace paying dividends.

It was a pivotal result, in as much as it gave the new manager time. Celtic had one more league title in them, but Wallace's side would deny them 10 in a row by winning the last-ever old Scottish First Division, and then the first Scottish Premier Division title. Within five years, he had become the first Rangers manager to win two trebles.

As a footnote to the 1973 Cup final, two days after the game, Celtic travelled south to play a friendly – against losing FA Cup finalists Leeds United, who had just been stunned by Sunderland. Jimmy Johnstone was the star of the show in a 4-3 win for Celtic. It was Jack Charlton's testimonial, and his last outing in a Leeds shirt. "Defeat seems somehow appropriate," mused the Guardian.

Both Old Firm teams had new managers. Billy McNeill had taken over at Parkhead, after Celtic Pools target Jock Stein had been insulted all the way to Leeds, while Jock Wallace – another man buggered about by his own board in spite of all the work he'd put in – had left for Leicester in high dudgeon, to be replaced by John Greig. One of the new guard would become a champion in his first season – and it all came down to what was effectively a winner-takes-all Old Firm derby at the very end of the campaign.

At the very end of Celtic's campaign, anyway. Celtic were three points clear at the top going into the game, a rearranged fixture. Anything other than a win would practically hand the title to Rangers, who had two other games left, eminently winnable fixtures against Partick Thistle and Hibernian. A draw would probably be enough for Rangers. And it looked like that would be the least they would achieve. Alex MacDonald put Rangers ahead on nine minutes, the team holding on until half-time. Ten minutes into the second half, MacDonald was then clouted by John Doyle, who was sent packing for an early soak in the bath, and a wallow in the pit of despair; he had surely cost Celtic the title.

But Celtic rallied in heroic fashion. Roy Aitken equalised on 66 minutes, and George McClusky put them ahead after 74. Bobby Russell equalised two minutes later, but the home side came again: a McClusky cross led Peter McCloy and Colin Jackson into a world of confusion and pain, the former palming the ball off Jackson's head and into the net. Celtic had made it. A last-gasp Murdo MacLeod strike sealed the deal. Greig had been 24 minutes from glory, but would never lead his team to a Scottish title.

On the morning of the final Old Firm derby of the 1985-86 season, the Daily Mirror ran a transfer exclusive ahead of the looming deadline. "Terry Butcher will be on the move from Ipswich before next Thursday's transfer deadline – and Manchester United are favourites to sign him. United boss Ron Atkinson will make a £650,000 bid ... Tottenham and Arsenal are also keen to snap up Butcher, but Spurs are struggling to raise money and the uncertainty over the manager's position at Arsenal makes it unlikely that they will move in. That leaves the field for United."

Anyway, up in Glasgow, what a match. In tempest at Ibrox, and with Davie Cooper dropped to the bench by Jock Wallace in favour of Ally McCoist, the two rivals served up a classic. Mo Johnston turned in the opener for Celtic. Brian McClair quickly prodded home a second. Celtic's Willie McStay was then sent off after half an hour for two bookings, having managed to clatter Ted McMinn four times in the opening changes. With 10 minutes of the half remaining, Ian Durrant and Ally McCoist set up Cammy Fraser to head Rangers back into the game.

After the restart, Johnston burst through to make it 3-1, but Rangers kept up their momentum. McCoist sashayed in from the left to smash a shot into the bottom-left corner, and Robert Fleck flashed home an equaliser just before the hour. Fraser then helped home a Dave McKinnon looping header to give Rangers the lead. But the 10 men were not to be denied, Murdo MacLeod curling one into the top-right corner from distance. It would prove a priceless point for Celtic, who were in seemingly hopeless pursuit of Hearts at the top of the Premier Division table. And we all know how that one panned out.

But it proved a handy result for Rangers in the longer term, too. In the boardroom after the game, Wallace had entertained his directors with a lusty version of The Sash My Father Wore. Given that Rangers had failed to beat a team playing with 10 men for an hour, despite scoring four times, and would end the season in fifth place, 15 points behind eventual champs Celtic and unlucky losers Hearts, the celebrations seemed disproportionate. Wallace was shown the door and replaced by Graeme Souness, who had revolution in mind. His marquee signing that summer: Terry Butcher.

The Great Storm of 1987 – the Michael Fish Storm – caused untold damage across England during the night of Thursday/Friday 15/16 October. On the whole, Scotland got away with it. But with delicious timing, another one was brewing anyway, and it would tear through Ibrox just over 24 hours later.

Rangers had won their first title in nine seasons the previous season, but their defence of the championship hadn't started well. After 12 matches, Graeme Souness's side were trailing in fourth place, six points behind Heart of Midlothian and – let's face it, more pertinently – four behind Celtic. It would be imperative that, when Celtic came swaggering down Edmiston Drive, they were sent packing back up it pointless.

This state of affairs was betrayed by a particularly high-octane opening, even by the standards of Old Firm brouhahas. After 16 minutes, the Celtic striker Frank McAvennie clattered into the Rangers keeper, Chris Woods. The two men went nose to nose, engaging in a full and frank Hegelian dialectic. Light slaps were administered. Woods took McAvennie by the throat with his big paw. It was on.

The keeper's teammates Terry Butcher and Graham Roberts hoved into view. In the ensuing melee, Roberts crept behind Woods and lamped McAvennie upside his head, before scuttling off. Only Woods and McAvennie were sent packing.

The match was almost an afterthought, yet brilliant for all that. Roberts went in goal to replace Woods, and soon found himself picking the ball out twice, the first goal from Andy Walker, the second by his own man Butcher. Peter Grant – who had harried Butcher into the error – celebrated by tapping the thermostat up a couple of degrees, ostentatiously crossing himself with glee. Ally McCoist pulled a goal back. Butcher, who had been booked in the original fist-flecked fracas, picked up his second yellow of the match for a crude lunge on the Celtic keeper, Allen McKnight. In the last minute, Richard Gough scrambled an equaliser.

Before the final whistle, Roberts took over thermostat duties from Grant by conducting a sectarian sing-song. Well done, everyone! Except let's not be too pious: it was hilarious viewing, and a match staffed with players acting the giddy goat isn't a green light for fans to throw hands afterwards, bottom line.

"This will have to go to the top of the house!" said the STV pundit Jock Brown on Scotsport the following afternoon, displaying a clipped mastery of extreme understatement. And to the top of the house it went. A fortnight later, the Procurator Fiscal charged Woods, Roberts and McAvennie with "behaviour likely to cause a breach of the peace". Butcher's name was soon added to the list. One inquiry later – using up 218 hours of polis time and 74 hours at the Procurator Fiscal's – McAvennie was found not guilty and Roberts not proven, while Butcher and Woods were fined.

JOY OF SIX BONUS TRACK (to make up for the fact that Rangers have only one win up-page while Celtic have two): There follows a snippet from a Guardian report published in 1989, upon the former Rangers manager Mr John Wallace joining Colchester United: "Thoroughly liked by everyone who came his way, Wallace was an awesome sight when riled. The red mist would descend before the eyes and bystanders would disappear in the manner of extras in a western saloon bar shootout. One day at Firhill Stadium, for instance, a player substituted by Wallace angrily reacted by throwing his jersey into the dugout. After catching Jock's baleful eye, he bolted up the tunnel to the dressing room and straight into the team bath. But this proved to be no sanctuary: Wallace, spruced up in best suit, shoes, collar and tie, waded straight through the water to complete the laying on of hands. At Leicester, Wallace would inject greater pace into the lap times by chasing his players round the track with the groundsman's pitchfork."

RUN-OUT GROOVE: The stories, briefly told, of Rangers 8 – 1 Celtic, Celtic 7 – 1 Rangers, Rangers 5 – 1 Celtic and Celtic 6 – 2 Rangers.