Celtic have recently claimed that they do not require the presence of their long standing rivals Rangers in order to be successful.

This comes as a retaliation to comment’s made my Scotland’s First Minister Alex Salmond, who claimed that the survival of Rangers was crucial for not only Celtic, but the whole of Scottish football to prosper.

Celtic’s rivals Rangers have been plunged into administration, with £8 million being unpaid in tax since Craig Whyte took over the club in May.

Celtic chief executive Peter Lawwell moved quickly to quash this sentiment, taking to the club’s Twitter account to release a statement that pointed out that his club had a well defined strategy and business plan that was completely uninfluenced by the actions and well-being of their rival clubs.

Although on a purely financial front, Lawwell will most likely be correct, but in terms of Scottish football as a whole, it is hard to envisage just what its landscape would be like without the presence of Rangers.

Domestic football in Scotland already appears to be on the decline, with incredibly disappointing performances in Europe this season by the Old Firm confirming the fact that Scottish football is not progressing at the same rate as clubs from other countries, or it is simply regressing. Celtic appear well set to claim the Scottish Premier League this season, especially now Rangers have been docked 10 points, but if next season Rangers have a squad incapable of challenging for the title and top honours with Celtic, then the attendances and media attention on the sport is likely to dwindle further.