OPINION
While the fans at both clubs would never admit it, there are some similarities that Glasgow rivals Celtic and Rangers share.
Aside from the obvious geographical comparison, the fact of the matter is that the Hoops and the Bears are two giant forces of nature in Scotland, making headlines on a daily basis and battling it out at the top of the table.
They both have incredible histories of success but also of loss on and off the football pitch.
More recently it has been Celtic winning all the titles but losing their top players to clubs from across Europe, with the likes of Stuart Armstrong and Moussa Dembele departing Parkhead for new challenges in much more competitive divisions.
It is not just the players leaving, with Brendan Rodgers’ move to Leicester City a bitter pill for the Celtic Park faithful to swallow – and likely something to celebrate for those at Ibrox.
However, should the Northern Irishman’s departure cause fear among the Gers? If Gordon Strachan’s verdict is anything to go by, absolutely.
Speaking of Rodgers, he told the Daily Record: “Leicester are a top club playing in the top league in the world. That is the decision.
“It is not a slight against Celtic, it is reality, which is not really accepted in Scotland. There is a reality that our league is not that great. Brendan was probably thinking how long he could go on playing teams on plastic pitches and against sides who couldn’t test him or his players. He had to look at that.”
Now Rangers boss Steven Gerrard has already bemoaned the presence of plastic pitches, going as far as urging the SFA to get rid of them for the top flight, and as an ambitious fledgling manager with a huge pull thanks to his name, he will no doubt already have suitors from elsewhere.
The fear among Rangers fans must surely be that Gerrard knows what he is capable of and that Scottish football cannot give him that – and if Rodgers can leave the double treble winning champions after two and a half years, how long does their man have in him before he seeks a new challenge?
Strachan’s verdict seems spot on – and for that reason it should strike fear into the hearts of the Gers faithful.