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It’s a debate that came out of nowhere thanks to a disposable comment on the radio that a chimney burned all week.
Bournemouth bigger than Rangers? If it’s okay.
Such outbreaks soon saw others involved in the debate, with Old Firm facing English Premier League clubs opposed to others in terms of qualifying in the overall overall game table.
Henrik Larsson has no doubts, The Daily Record.
It doesn’t matter about the EPL MEGA-cash, where clubs like Cherries can transfer from the relegation point minnows betting on less than 5000 players who pay 70,000 euros per week thanks to the TV cash. Celtic legend can’t compare the sides right now, but surely one thing is certain.
He insists that The Hoops team under Martin O’Neill would have simply stayed in the English game, they would have competed at the top.
Larsson’s a judge. He earned his hero’s prestige at Celtic Park and then headed to the Champions League with Barcelona.
He had another season in a wonderful World Cup when he made his sensational appearance at Old Trafford for Manchester United to win the title.
The super-Swedish man met a player when he came through his and meets a team when he sees it.
He is convinced of Celtic’s position in the hierarchy when he is at its peak.
Speaking to Callum McFadden on the CFB Football podcast, which comes out on Monday, Larsson has a frank message to those who suggest that his Celts could be evoked at the same time as some of the so-called biggest clubs in the South.
He said, “Where would this have ended in England? The first four. No doubt.”
Larsson has never been a guy who bites his words, yet he doesn’t draw this opinion from the wonderful outdoors. The Parkhead icon recalls the outstanding UEFA Cup race in 2003, when Celtic faced some of those England had to offer and let them eat their words.
Men opposed to boys, this is how Graeme Souness described the first leg of his Blackburn team in Glasgow. He was very calm after O’Neill’s team filled them south of the border.
Liverpool intended to rule out the Celts.
A Reds team that included Steven Gerrard, Jamie Carragher and Michael Owen leaned over to beat the Scottish champions, but instead controlled to make their own patch.
Larsson was very excited to give it to the English groups of his time, although his center still has a pains out of the fact that the Hoops did not get the entire trophy.
He said: “We beat Liverpool, Blackburn, we beat a lot of groups in that round.
“We played as well, or even better, as a Porto team that won the Champions League, which showed how we were.
“There were about 15 internationals on this team, vital players for their country. I think a lot of other people tend to have a really strong team. Unfortunately, we failed to win the grand final.
“That would have been the icing on the cake for this team.”
Larsson wants an extension to space out all his medals and the spoils of a sensational race.
League championships, cups, Champions League, Swedish teams, the quiet guy from Helsingborg has it all.
But this UEFA Cup final will corrode it, even today.
Larsson got two exquisite headers in the clash with Porto, but suffered a delay when Jose Mourinho’s cynical Portuguese appearance beat them in the extra time after Bobo Balde saw the red one.
The Swede can sleep peacefully at night after 20 years at the top, but still has the nightmare of the past.
Larsson said: “Obviously, I’ve been doing it for many years.
“At the same time, we have to move on, but winning this medal and being able to share it with the enthusiasts and my teammates would have been a dream come true.
“Fate was looking for anything else. It just shows the equipment we had and how smart we were.
Larsson says representing Celtic at a high level in Europe is what makes him one step ahead of clubs in the top leagues. These are the matches that have spilled their juice and the reputation on a larger scale is the mark of a big club, not cash at the bank.
Larsson said: “Representing Celtic is just fantastic. These are the games you need to play and play well.
“You’re up against the most productive players. It’s just fantastic.
“Unfortunately, we didn’t manage to do so well in the Champions League.
“We made it bigger in the UEFA Cup, which, to this day, I can’t feel how we lost that match against Porto. We won, really.