Aberdeen defender Shay Logan has mocked both Glasgow giants, Celtic and Rangers, regarding their place among Europe’s elite sides after their inability to make it into the Champions League over the past few seasons.
The 2019/2020 Scottish Premiership season has started in expected fashion with Celtic and Rangers fighting it out at the top of the table. This has been the trend over the past several decades with the rest of Scottish football failing to keep up with the two Glasgow sides.
In fact, the last time someone other than the two won the Scottish League was in 1985 when an Aberdeen side managed by a certain Sir Alex Ferguson, beat out both the Hoops and the Teddy Bears to the nation’s premier football title. That level of dominance by two clubs over a league is astounding and it is hard to find any such examples in world football at the moment.
Unfortunately, the two sides have not managed to show similar form in Europe in recent years and neither have even made the UEFA Champions League in the past few seasons. Once two regular fixtures in Europe’s premier competition, the two have found it increasingly hard to qualify for the competition as it has become harder over the years owing to Scotland’s falling status in European football.
Celtic have gone out of the third round of qualification in consecutive seasons, at the hands of AEK Athens and CFR Cluj respectively, two clubs much lesser in both fame and financial stature. Rangers on the other hand have not made the main stage of the Champions League since 2010-11.
This has resulted in some mocking from Aberdeen star, Shay Logan. Speaking to The Scottish Sun, the defender said:
"“Rangers and Celtic have the means and the funds. I support Manchester City and they can do it, as can Manchester United and Liverpool.“I just think it’s funny they can go and play the likes of Porto or Valencia in the Europa League and use it as, ‘Oh but’. It works both ways.“Their funds are their funds and they have good money behind them, but we have no debt.”"
Logan’s claims are absurd considering the gap in wealth that exists between even relegation-fighting English clubs and Scottish sides like Celtic and Rangers. Add to that the fact that even sides like Manchester United and Arsenal have struggled to qualify for the Champions League in the last few seasons and it is clear how hard it is to do so on a consistent basis.
Maybe it is just a case of sour grapes for Logan whose side got thrashed by both Glasgow sides in recent weeks!