Celtic have pushed Rangers to an embarrassing new reality after Andy Halliday’s ‘trophy’ claim

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Celtic are the undisputed kings of Scottish football, a belief firmly backed up by their status as the nation’s most successful club.

The absolute, unwavering dominance of Celtic has forced Rangers into an embarrassingly subservient role, a bitter truth recently spelled out for them by boyhood fan turned pundit and current Motherwell midfielder, Andy Halliday.

The former Rangers man summed up this humiliating modern reality perfectly ahead of the upcoming Glasgow derby on Sunday at Celtic Park.

Acknowledging that the battle for Scotland’s main crown is now a two-horse shootout between Celtic and Hearts, Halliday made a damning admission about his old club’s severely diminished ambitions.

“The fact is, Rangers’ trophy now is to make sure Celtic don’t win the league,” Halliday told BBC Sport Scotland.

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Rangers’ ‘trophy’ is now to stop Celtic from winning the title

On Saturday evening, Hearts take on Motherwell at Fir Park, as a win for the current Premiership leaders will all but end the Gers’ hopes of becoming champions of Scotland.

But even before that, Halliday is already summing up what Rangers have become, from that ruthless side that Martin O’Neill had to take down when he first joined the club in 2000.

Before a ball is kicked, the Ibrox side expects and hopes for silverware, but Celtic’s unrelenting domestic dominance, highlighted by winning a staggering 13 of the last 14 league titles, has systematically stripped away any realistic aspirations from the blue half of Glasgow.

The Hoops haven’t just beaten their rivals on the pitch; they have entirely broken their competitive spirit, engineering a sad scenario where the ultimate success for Rangers is simply playing the role of spoiler.

“For the longest time, it felt like it was a three-horse title race,” said Halliday. “We now think it’s two. The fact of the matter is, Rangers have an opportunity to make it down to one.

“I think if Rangers win this game against Celtic, then the trophy could be heading to Tynecastle, depending on how the result goes at Fir Park.

“But one thing is for sure, I think there is going to be plenty of drama. The fact is, Rangers’ trophy now is to make sure Celtic don’t win the league, so that’s exactly what they are going to do on Sunday.”