Mark Warburton’s Ibrox side Glasgow Rangers are back in business, and ex-Celtic boss Martin O’Neill feels it will benefit his former side.
Martin O’Neill has claimed via The Glasgow Evening Times that Celtic have missed Rangers in recent years.
Rangers won the Scottish Championship last season to seal their return to the top flight following the financial irregularities which rocked them four years ago.
In that time, Celtic have won the Premiership every single season, winning a total of 75 points more than the second-placed side in those four campaigns combined.
On the other hand, the Hoops also missed out on the Champions League group stages in two of those four years, and O’Neill, who spent five years as Bhoys boss, says that Rangers’ absence has undoubtedly contributed to a drop in standard.
“I honestly think that Celtic and the league itself missed Rangers,” said O’Neill via The GET. “That might not be a universally popular theory but I would have to say from a distance that I think it is better for Celtic to be competing with Rangers for titles and Cups than not.
“I don’t care what anyone says; if you want to be a good team, a team capable of competing in European football then you need to play at a certain level.
“To play at a certain level you need to be pushed and kept on your toes. That means having real competition and tension within the league.”
O’Neill’s sentiments make sense. Dominating a division year after year does not breed improvement and Rangers’ return will certainly force Celtic – now back in the Champions League group stages under Brendan Rodgers – to up their game.
We will see how big or small the gap is between both Glasgow rivals on Saturday when Rangers visit Parkhead for the first Old Firm derby in a league setting since 2012.
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