Celtic winger Mikey Johnston took the opportunity to have a sharp dig at Rangers ahead of this weekend’s Scottish Cup final.
Celtic aren’t just going for a treble treble on Saturday – they’re going for their third consecutive Scottish Cup and ninth consecutive domestic trophy. When you strip it back, the numbers are incredible in this glorious era of Celtic dominance.
Meanwhile, across the city, the Rangers players will be watching from home if at all. They’ve failed to reach any of the last six domestic cup finals. Added to that, they’ve once again lost the Premiership to Celtic by a healthy nine-point margin.
Granted, signs of improvement have come out of the other side of Glasgow this season. Johnston, however, couldn’t help but have a dig at their trophy-starved years. Speaking in the Scotsman, this is what Mikey had to say.
“I was only about 11 or 12 when Rangers last won a trophy so it’s a fair comment to say that I’ve grown up knowing only success. My pals are the same. Celtic are used to winning. That’s certainly true for now.”
Johnston isn’t wrong
This is more than a goad – it’s the truth. The last major cup competition our rivals managed to win was the 2011 League Cup final. Joe Ledley scored on the day for Celtic, but goals from Steven Davis and Nikica Jelavic won the Ibrox men the trophy. At that stage, Johnston was only 11 at the time.
Such is this era of dominance that it’s easy to forget when Rangers were last winning regularly. These are glorious times for the Celtic faithful, and they can’t be taken for granted.
Neil Lennon did state last week that success has to be enjoyed (FourFourTwo). It’s been one of his trademark comments since arriving back in Glasgow in truth. Regardless of whether you believe he should stay on, Lennon is spot on here. The last eight years or so have been uniquely beautiful for the Celtic support.
Nobody knows how long this incredible wave of dominance from Celtic will go on. 10-in-a-row is a huge target for everyone at the club. At the moment, it’s effectively a holy grail. So Celtic will be taking all the action necessary to stay on top in Scotland.
All the while, Rangers are getting giddy at the prospect of winning a game or two against us. Talk about levels.
Who would’ve thought when Rangers won that League Cup all those years ago that 11-year-old Johnston would be winning major cup competitions before their next one? We’re truly blessed to be living in these times, and Johnston’s comments just sum that up.
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