My Brendan Rodgers phrase infuriated Rangers fans but it's now Celtic who could end up in the shadows – Hugh Keevins

During Brendan Rodgers’ first time around as Celtic manager there was a phrase I would use frequently on the radio that infuriated some Rangers supporters.

I didn’t utter the statement to deliberately annoy anyone but, in my experience, people gleefully take offence wherever they can find it where those two clubs are concerned. What I said was statistically accurate and therefore unarguable for that reason. I stated that: “For as long as Rodgers is here, Rangers will live in Celtic’s shadow.” Back-to-back Trebles. The Invincibles season.

Rangers’ inability to come up with a manager or a squad of players who could remotely trouble the truth of what I was saying made the matter of his superiority self-evident. Rodgers won seven trophies on the bounce as Celtic overshadowed their rivals. Events of recent days, and the prospect of what might happen in the immediate future, threaten a return of the phrase that so grated on the ears. But with role reversal thrown in to acknowledge a shift in dynamics.

I think Philippe Clement could have the league title within his grasp – and Rangers’ manager hasn’t even had his first derby match against Celtic yet. And if he does turn out to be the championship winner, it could be that Celtic will live in his shadow until he is lured away, Ange Postecoglou style, to a bigger league.

It is hard to escape the notion that Rangers are on the rise. Clement is a serious manager whose team are progressing at roughly the same rate as Celtic are regressing. To lose the league title from a position of financial strength unprecedented in the history of Scottish football would inevitably lead to accusations of mismanagement at Celtic.

Attempts have been made to draw a comparison with the last time the