As Celtic tumble out of Champions League qualification for the third season in a row, there are more than a few Rangers fans indulging in the pain of our rivals.
But Celtic’s failure to qualify for European football’s premier competition isn’t just hilarious – it’s a considerable boost the Ibrox club’s chances this season and beyond.
Not only does it mean that Celtic will be playing on Thursday nights alongside us in the Europa League – if we both get there – but they miss out on the millions which the Champions League brings.
The secondary European competition will bring a healthy amount into both sides but it pales in comparison with the Champions League.
Celtic’s failure to make it into this year’s competition will cost them close to £30m – a hugely significant amount of money for a number of reasons.
Such is Celtic’s exorbitant wage budget there may to need to be a substantial restructuring in order to supplement this loss.
In the last two seasons Celtic have had to sell their leading stars Moussa Dembele and Kieran Tierney after failing to qualify.
There’s every chance that they’ll have to do the same with talismanic forward Odsonne Edouard this season.
Ambitious transfer targets who appeared legitimate options will now have to reconsidered with even Neil Lennon admitting the club’s squad needs a serious overhaul.
In short, this weakens their financial position, adds pressure onto their management and promises the sale of big-game players.
There’s still a long way to go this season but as Rangers finally look to bridge that gap and take back control of Scottish football, Celtic’s Champions League failure is everything but a blow for us.
