Lee Johnson admits Celtic control can only be broken by Middle East millions as Hibs boss stunned by gulf to them and Rangers

Lee Johnson fears it will take Middle East millions for the Premiership’s lesser lights to wrestle power away from Scotland’s west coast.

The Hibs gaffer admits he’s been left stunned by the gulf that’s grown between the Old Firm and the rest of the game north of the border. And he reckons the imbalance has only increased since his playing days with Hearts and Kilmarnock just over a decade ago. Johnson’s Easter Road side are right in the hunt for third place as they look to rein in Robbie Neilson’s Jambos and their four-point lead.

But the Leith gaffer has been taken aback by the 28-point gap that lies beyond the their Tynecastle rivals to the top two. Asked if he was shocked by that gulf, he said: “Yeah, I’ll be honest with you. I suppose that is probably due to my experience as a player where I didn’t feel the gap was that big. Shocks can happen. Look at Leicester for example when they won the Premier League. We have to strive for better and challenge. If some sheikh comes in and takes over one of the clubs, there is always that potential isn’t there?”

It’s almost 28 years since Aberdeen became the last time outside of the Glasgow giants to win a league title. But there appears to be no end in sight to that Old Firm hegemony, with the top two on course to smash the record lead over the team in third of 34 points set in 2003.

Hibs can hardly complain given they’ve taken just one point from six clashes against Celtic and Rangers this season. And Johnson admits it’s unlikely to get easier anytime soon.

He said: “Historically the Old Firm have always whipped away the best players from the rest, which is always a clever tactic because not only are you enhancing yourself you're decreasing the quality of the opponents. I