A remarkable 27-year European record, liquidation and the 'new Celtic'

It wasn’t a surprise that a truly significant moment for Celtic last month passed without any acknowledgement.

The points total accrued by Ange Postecoglou’s side by the middle of March ensured that they could not be pushed out of the top two slots in the cinch Premiership by third-placed Hearts. Big wows, it might be said, with there never any prospect that the now champions-elect would slip so – relatively – low. Yet that Celtic never do, and now have extended their sequence of occupying first or second in the Scottish top flight to 27 seasons, really is a major deal.

Since a league set-up was introduced in this country in 1980-91, no club has enjoyed such consistency across 27 straight championships. Moreover, right across UEFA’s 55 nations, no team can currently boast such a claim. Not a single one. The closest any side comes is Shakhtar Donetsk, who were pitching to make it 26 seasons finishing in the top two positions of the Ukrainian top flight before Russia’s war on them led to football, as with all normal life there, being suspended.

Of course, it will be pointed out that Celtic’s status on this front is owed entirely to the huge financial differentials that exist between them and all but Rangers in Scottish football. Yet, that the Ibrox men enjoyed similar fiscal advantages – and often more profound ones – prior to their 2012 liquidation did not injure them from dropping out of the leading two slots in the upper tier. That befell them when Hearts finished runners-up to Celtic in the 2005-06 championship. And even since Ibrox has been hosting top flight football again over the past six seasons, across which Rangers have operated with a wage bill dwarfing all but that of their bitter rivals, top two finishes