Paul Lambert bats away Celtic in Seville comparison to Rangers Europa League fatigue as he admits 'we just fell short'

Paul Lambert insists that Celtic’ s class of 2003 were silverware addicts who came up just short.

The former Hoops skipper doesn’t buy into a school of thought that a combination of domestic and European exertions played a factor in losing their league crown to Rangers and falling at the last hurdle on their Road to Seville.

That extra-time defeat to Porto in the UEFA Cup Final still hurts Lambert but he’s adamant it was bad luck rather than fatigue which cost them in a campaign where they were also pipped to the title on the final day.

The 52-year-old took Record Sport on a stroll down memory lane and insisted the injection of European football creates a natural high for big-time footballers and not the distraction where one trophy takes on more importance than another.

He said: “I’ve never bought into the idea that too many games cost us in that 2003 season, where we lost the UEFA Cup Final and failed to win the league on that dramatic final day.

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“I never felt the need to prioritise one trophy over another.

“Success in football is a drug, when you get some success you just want more and more of it.

“We knew we were in big games and it honestly never dawned on any of us that there was an