Former Hearts manager Jim Jefferies has claimed that Celtic and Rangers are not the teams that they used to be.
He thinks that this season has demonstrated that there has not been a better time for his old club, Aberdeen and Hibernian to challenge the duo that once dominated Scottish football.
Jefferies adds that Rangers have shown a sign of improvement recently – but he also said that neither side have players of the same quality that assured them their success previously.
“Celtic and Rangers aren’t anywhere near as good as they were,” he told the Herald. “They don’t have the same quality of player. There has never been a better chance for Hearts, or even Hibs or Aberdeen, to challenge them.
“Rangers are on the way back and there has been great improvement there, but they don’t have the Gascoignes and the Laudrups that Walter [Smith] had and just aren’t at the same level. We had those players to contend with.”
OPINION
This verdict is certainly not the one that fans of both clubs will be wanting to hear. As far as they are concerned, they support two of the strongest clubs in Scottish football – even if they do sit behind the likes of Hearts in the league this season. It is not hard to forget how they used to dominate the league year after year, particularly the Hoops, who had a field time when the Gers had to fight their way back up after their financial problems. However, Jefferies may be right when he says that neither team are as good as they used to be. So far, they have not demonstrated that they are forces to be reckoned with, and no side in the league seems to fear them anymore. This is rather concerning, as it has now blown the competition in Scotland wide open. Like Jefferies pointed out, they do not have the same quality of player any more – and it looks like both teams will have to do lot to prove him wrong.