For a long time, the Rangers have had no answers for Celtic's continued success in Scottish football. We do not need to give out the stats again. Everybody knows what the trophy count looks like in recent times. It has not been close. In fact, if the Hoops win the Scottish Cup final, they will have won six trebles in the past nine seasons. That is a remarkable feat, no matter what you think about the opposition.
Many Rangers fans seem to be hoping that their impending takeover by an American consortium, which involves the San Francisco 49ers, will solve all of their issues and close down the gap with Celtic. The situation might not be so simple though.
In recent years, we have seen several clubs undergo takeovers, but it has not had a positive impact on a number of those teams. So, which bracket will the Rangers fall under if or when the takeover goes through?
At the same time, it is very possible that the Hoops might decide to turn things up a bit if the Rangers' takeover goes through. Many Rangers fans seem to believe that Celtic are afraid of the situation. That is probably not the case.
Celtic hero gives Rangers fans reality check about takeover
Neil Lennon is someone who knows this Celtic structure like the back of his hand. As reported by the Glasgow Times, he said:
"I would say Celtic will relish the challenge. I think it will make them better and even more motivated and determined to go again.
"I think it’s always important to freshen the squad up every year with new blood and freshness coming in. That’s exactly what I think Brendan will look to do, so I think there’s more exciting times ahead.
"They had a great European campaign this year as well at the highest level, that augurs well for going forward."
Even success can feel stagnant at times. So, a stronger Rangers could give Celtic extra motivation to do even better moving forward.
Let's see what the future holds but right now, the focus has to be on the present. For Celtic, that is the upcoming Glasgow Derby at Ibrox and the Scottish Cup final against Aberdeen on the horizon. For the Rangers, it is the reality that they are set to finish without a trophy again. Unfortunately for them, that has not been rare in recent times.