The way Celtic performed in the second half of the 2023/24 season has undoubtedly spooked rivals Rangers.
The Bhoys lost just once in their final 25 matches, surging towards a league and cup double at the expense of the Ibrox side.
Now one of their former captains has signalled his concerns that Celtic could significantly extend their era of dominance if his old side don’t turn up this summer.
The finances involved in Celtic automatically entering next season’s expanded UEFA Champions League mean that Philippe Clement is under serious pressure to come through a difficult qualifying process.
Barry Ferguson reckons there’s a clear fear for Rangers supporters if they don’t.
Barry Ferguson worried about Celtic ‘disappearing’ beyond Rangers
The former midfielder said [Daily Record]: “With so many huge games to come in August the Belgian needs all the help he can get to hit the ground running. And with Celtic qualifying automatically into the rejigged Champions League, the importance of that will be lost on no one.
“Having been around the club a lot over the last 12 months, I could sense the level of disappointment all around when the title slipped away over the final few weeks of last season. But I also felt a real determination to do something serious about it.
“We all know that Celtic are going to hit the jackpot in European football’s richest competition next season but Rangers also have a chance of joining them there through the qualifiers. The obvious fear is that Celtic could disappear over the horizon now that they’re about to pile another fortune into the bank.”
Celtic do have a chance to push on to new heights and leave Rangers behind. But that won’t happen by default. Smart recruitment and use of resources is needed. The manager needs to continue to develop this group. A lot of hard work is ahead.
A lot can happen this summer too, of course. But if the usual bravado starts up from pundits and supporters, remember this is how they felt after a bruising season for them.
Celtic will be focused on strengthening themselves and, if that is achieved, it might not matter what they’re up to across the city. Irrelevance is a possibility.