For years, the Celtic support has been forced to endure a predictable, condescending ritual every time the Hoops face a European giant in the Champions League or Europa League.
English pundits continually peddle the ‘best league in the world’ trope as they label the SPFL a ‘pub league’, and it gets worse whenever Celtic face a defeat in Europe, because the predictable mocking from some in the media down south comes along just like clockwork.
However, after a week that has already seen two Premier League giants in Man City and Chelsea get dismantled in the Champions League, those very same pundits now owe Celtic an apology.
Should the Celtic board take responsibility for the SPFL losing a Champions League spot?
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Should Celtic fans mock Chelsea and Man City’s Champions League exit?
The numbers don’t lie, but they certainly embarrass. Manchester City, the multi-billionaire club of English football, didn’t just lose to Real Madrid, they were destroyed 5-1 on aggregate.
Celtic have lost to Real in similar fashion, but when you take into account the Parkhead club’s budget and quality of player available compared to City, then the EPL giants need to take a long, hard look at themselves.
Meanwhile, Chelsea’s billion-pound Champions League project collapsed as an 8-2 humping from PSG put the English giants in their place.
Celtic’s aggregate defeat to Bayern Munich was nowhere near as embarrassing as these two results as the Bhoys almost took the Bundesliga club to extra time in a 3-2 aggregate loss last season.
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That is thirteen goals conceded in 360 minutes of football. If Celtic shipped thirteen goals in a week, the usual talkSPORT motormouths like Jamie O’Hara and Jason Cundy as well as other pundits from down south would be calling for the abolition of the Scottish participation in the competition before the full-time whistle had even blown.
The hypocrisy of Celtic and the EPL teams in Europe
The hypocrisy is staggering. When Celtic lose to a European giant, it’s framed as a systemic failure of Scottish football.
When Chelsea concede eight, there is hardly an outrage, never mind a negative headline. When City crumble, it’s framed as ‘Well, it’s Real Madrid’.
The truth is now undeniable: the massive financial advantage of the EPL does not buy immunity from humiliation. It only makes the fall more pathetic.
Celtic competes on a fraction of the budget of these English giants, yet we are judged by a standard of perfection that even these billionaire clubs cannot meet.
If the most competitive league in the world produces results this shambolic, the pundits can no longer look down their noses at Celtic.
The ‘pub league’ jokes are officially dead and buried, under an eye-watering sight of thirteen English goals conceded.
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