LEE JOHNSON REVEALS CELTIC AND RANGERS DOMINANCE NEARS END WITH SHEIKH TAKEOVER IN 'REALIST' CLAIM

Lee Johnson says he would like to believe a club like Hibs can end Celtic and Rangers dominance, but that a sheikh takeover of an SPFL club could disrupt the natural order.

Much has been made of the gap between Ange Postecoglou's men alongside Michael Beale's side and the rest, with some pundits believing the difference has never been bigger. It led to former Hearts boss Craig Levein even calling on the Old Firm to pack their bags and join the English Premier League in a bid to make Scottish football more competitive. There are nearly thirty points between Rangers and the Jambos currently.

Johnson insists the takeover of Manchester City, and latterly clubs like Newcastle United, shows that dominance of the classic top teams can be broken in financial terms. He says he 'dreams' that Hibs could end the reign of terror of the Old Firm but that he has to be realistic.

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He said: "Shocks can happen. Look at Leicester for example when they won the Premier League. We have to strive for better and challenge.

"If some sheikh comes in and takes over one of the clubs, there is always that potential isn’t there?

"Historically the Old Firm have always whipped away the best players from the rest, which is always a clever tactic because not only are you enhancing yourself you're decreasing the quality of the opponents.

"I suppose the dreamer in me says we can (end their dominance) but the realist in me knows how difficult it will be to infiltrate that. Certainly cups and individual games, the starting point is to make sure you are more competitive in those individual game and I do think we are showing signs of that.

"Who knows, this is football, it’s crazy and there are a lot of billionaires in the world that could throw money at things if they wanted to, Man City is an example."

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2023-03-31T07:52:02Z dg43tfdfdgfd