A lot of focus has been on Celtic's 9IAR row - and rightly so. However for me this dominance started 20 years ago. 20 years ago today to be fair. We had stopped Rangers attempt at 10IAR 2 years earlier but other than that league title win we were still the second team in Glasgow.
Season 99/2000 ended with Rangers doing the double and our gamble on John Barnes as a rookie manager was a failure. Our board realised they needed proven managers with the ability to transform the team and get results.
Martin O'Neill followed by Gordon Strachan changed that rhetoric. Although at time snot pretty - especially under Strachan but we turned into winners and expected to win.
Since Rangers beat Aberdeen to end the 99/2000 season Celtic have won 32 out of 60 domestic trophies. 15 out of 20 leagues titles, 9 out of 20 Scottish Cups and 8 out of 20 League Cups.Rangers by comparison have won 5 leagues, 4 Scottish Cups and 6 League Cups.
The turnaround is exceptional. I went a walk with my eldest who as a young teenager knowing nothing but success just expects Celtic to be top dog forever. I was 19 approaching 20 when the Rangers dominance was ended.
By comparison to the previous 20 years Rangers had won 29 out of 60 trophies (12 leagues, 5 Scottish Cups, and 11 League Cups). Celtic had won 5 leagues, 4 Scottish Cups and 3 League Cups, Aberdeen had won 2 Leagues, 5 Scottish Cups and 3 League cups.
What did surprise me is prior to Rangers starting their own 9IAR they had won the league 2 years prior but then had a a 9 year gap to the mid 70's when they won it last. What changed in the mid 80's to make Rangers the dominant team for the next 15 years?
2 Different Double Decades of Dominance
posted on 27/5/20
Zooming out even further.
Year I was born Titles were 28- 20 in Rangers favour.
By the Millennium that 8 title gap had increased to 12.
It's now 3 of course.
Winston Churchill died in 1965.
He caught 34 - & only missed 20 Rangers title wins.
posted on 27/5/20
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gAy0lkB00JE
posted on 27/5/20
comment by The Mighty Quinn (U4099)
posted 48 minutes ago
Ochone ochone durch tecknik.
Sumbdy signed off a 'Wifies' Fitba' commitment probs.
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Yup, likely a PC box ticking exercise - we've got to show it somewhere, ah yes, BBC Alba, no cant watches that anyway.
posted on 28/5/20
One of Celtic’s consistent approaches in the current winning period has been to not spend obscene sums on individual players to the detriment of the squad and team. Most additions have been projects, Edourd being the exception to that rule. With a potential to create profits in sales. There has also been a consistent approach to fill the youth squads with talent from around the world which I’m sure would be Lawell initiatives too. This has uncovered a few gems for us. All credit to Lawell. Any investment has been the result of profits brought through player sales or the profiteering approach so successfully employed in finding and turning over talent.
Equally, when a project has worked, Celtic have not been shy about marketing them for sale and with domestic success, prices have gone up year on year. It’s fair to say the Gers support wouldn’t have the patience to wait on this approach returning for them, even back when it seemed the most obvious course of action. (In their post EBTs, Liquidation and demotion into the 3rd tier years). But they instead spent millions out with their own means and crippled themselves as a consequence. Is it any wonder they aren’t competing now?
I think it’s less a question of why Rangers have been so unsuccessful, and more why Celtic has been so successful. Celtic’s Managers and squads during what’s now being called a period of domination, although successful, have not always been what you would call stellar. But all were winners. From O’Neil’s squad of giants, to Strachan’s squad of SPL midfielders, to Ronnie’s team of athletes. Rodger’s team of Invincibles and now Lennon’s squad today is the first I would compare to the overall level of investment and quality of the O’Neil team which started it all. there’s certainly been some amount of dross in these squads but plenty of quality to watch too.
posted on 28/5/20
Comment Deleted by Site Moderator
posted on 28/5/20
comment by Zachsda(change our mindset, treat this seriously) (U1850)
posted 1 hour, 18 minutes ago
comment by Silver (U6112)
posted 8 hours, 7 minutes ago
comment by The Mighty Quinn (U4099)
posted 48 minutes ago
Ochone ochone durch tecknik.
Sumbdy signed off a 'Wifies' Fitba' commitment probs.
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Yup, likely a PC box ticking exercise - we've got to show it somewhere, ah yes, BBC Alba, no cant watches that anyway.
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wummins fitba
Ffs amateur football is a far higher level and that’s not on every week
Enjoy playing ladies, enjoy the competitiveness of your game, don’t tell me it’s entertaining for anyone other than a family member or a paid employee
It’s fookin $ hite beyond $ hite
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...and I can’t imagine many German families tuning into Alba?
posted on 28/5/20
Comment Deleted by Site Moderator
posted on 28/5/20
comment by The Mighty Quinn (U4099)
posted 11 hours, 36 minutes ago
Zooming out even further.
Year I was born Titles were 28- 20 in Rangers favour.
By the Millennium that 8 title gap had increased to 12.
It's now 3 of course.
Winston Churchill died in 1965.
He caught 34 - & only missed 20 Rangers title wins.
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Now that is interesting. I had never really looked much beyond my own lifetime.
Take Rangers 9IAR out of the 45 years since 1965 and it's 11 titles in 36 years.
From 86/87 when they went 4 league titles in front until 04/05 season when they went 12 titles in front after 14 titles in that time.
It just shows that as I grew up with Rangers being the stronger team I just imagined it always being the same but I suppose take out the 2 9IAR periods of the 60/70's then 80/90's and it has been fairly even through all time
posted on 28/5/20
Think Rangers were behind until 1930s too. Bill Struth as manager has about 1/3 of all Rangers titles
posted on 29/5/20
I think the big difference between then and now is that, while they had their financial woes, Celtic never had to rebuild to the extent that Rangers have, and you can certainly argue that Celtic have been more sensible and successful in consolidating their dominance than we were as well. Any notion that Rangers are "back" just because we've had a few seasons in the SPFL is naive because we still simply can't compete with Celtic when it comes to transfers, wages, squad depth etc. I didn't see us seriously challenging for the league this season, and I don't see it next season either.
It may be my blue tinted glasses, but I do think Scottish football suffers as a product (partly) because of Celtic's total dominance. We have a competition where the same teams can play each other four, five, even six times a season, and in the end the same one team wins everything anyway. Some teams attempt a bit of technical play, but mostly it's just hatchet men and hoofball. We revel in the brutality of our game as a throwback to bygone days when in reality modern football is leaving us behind. We act like having daily rags writing wind up articles and headcases on the phone-ins somehow means our game has "character", but in reality we're the sad drunk guy arguing with the bouncer about why he can't get back into the pub. I wouldn't necessarily argue that Celtic's dominance is the cause of that, it's just another thing that doesn't help.
I used to really dislike English football as I felt it had lost its soul, but it's actually got to the point now where the financial doping is so extreme that even the diddy teams there can afford a world class player or two, and now any team can beat any other on their day, and well run diddy teams can find themselves challenging around the top of the league while poorly run big teams can easily slip mid table. It's got to the point now where I'd rather watch an EPL game than something from Scottish football which hasn't done anything to improve its product in 30 years plus.