Former Celtic star Alan Stubbs has accused his old club of resting on their laurels’ and never building on a position of strength. It comes amidst much wailing and mashing of the teeth as Celtic dropped six points in December to Kilmarnock at Rugby Park and Heart of Midlothian at Celtic Park. This, in turn, has allowed our main rival for the league step back into the picture with just two points in it and Celtic having played an extra game.
Stubbs was part of the famous Celtic team under Dutchman, Wim Jansen, who stopped the now defunct Rangers from winning ten consecutive Scottish League titles in a row back in the 1997/98 season. The ex-Everton man was a key cog in the machine and helped the Hoops back to glory after almost a decade in the footballing wilderness with only one Scottish Cup to show for our troubles over those dark years.
When that was going on, Rangers put their foot to the floor every year and tried to leave us in the dust. Using insalubrious means, they borrowed money which wasn’t theirs and proceeded to bankroll the David Murray-era at Ibrox. It would ultimately be the undoing of that club and regime in 2012, when they entered administration and then liquidation, however, they still aimed to be so far ahead of us that we would be unable to catch them for dust.
Since 2012, Celtic have had ample opportunity now to make that a reality, yet we have continually allowed the tribute act to catch up to the labouring pace we set at times.
Stubbs has acknowledged what most Celtic supporters know to be factual and the fanbase understand that feeling all too well. Speaking to Scottish Sun, he said: “TheRangers have enjoyed a new manager bounce with Philippe Clement and they’re the ones who’ll go into the derby game next weekend with all the momentum. theRangers aren’t any great shakes, but Celtic have been struggling. It reminds me of the season we stopped Rangers doing the ten under Wim Jansen.
“They had the better individuals that season, but we had the better team spirit and that pulled us through. Winning the title – and that £40million, which is astronomical money for Scottish clubs – would be a gamechanger for theRangers. Celtic can’t allow that to happen. If they do, then the fans won’t forget or forgive the people responsible for it. Celtic should have made some marquee signings last summer but the club never seems to build from a position of strength. They now have a big squad, but it’s full of mediocre players who simply aren’t up to it.”
Paul Gillespie
