The BBC Scotland website has published another article ridiculing Celtic with a reference to diddy teams.
Richard Winton is the author but within the editorial team at the state broadcaster it seems hip and trendy to use the sort of language of the commercial radio station phone-in or message board to have a pop at a club that is just off the back of winning 12 consecutive domestic trophies.
The article describes the routes into next season’s UEFA competitions which includes the new-look Conference which will share Thursday night matches with the Europa League.
This season Celtic lost out in the second Champions League qualifier to Ferencvaros who went on to beat Dinamo Zagreb and Molde to reach the group stage of the competition.
Anyone referencing Ferencvaros as a ‘diddy team’ clearly don’t know their football. Beating Celtic, Dinamo Zagreb and Molde is very decent form. Over the last decade no Scottish club has reached the Play-Off round for the secondary competition, the Europa League.
Discussing the qualification process for the Champions League the BBC Scotland website explains:
Rangers will be joined in the competition next term by Celtic. But maybe not for long.
Their Old Firm rivals face a fearsome task – and three rounds – to reach the group stage, given they will be in the non-champions section without a diddy team in sight and only two group places up for grabs.
Although a seeding in the second qualifying stage is almost certain, the likes of Rapid Vienna and Galatasaray would offer a stiff initial test.
Is it only in sports journalism that people are described as ‘good operators’? Or is it a label bestowed on Davie the mechanic, Carol the teacher, and Wullie the nurse?
— Richard Winton (@richardwinton) March 15, 2021
Celtic are used to stiff tests, they have the highest co-efficient of any Scottish team. Last season they beat Lazio home and away, in midweek the Roman side were playing Bayern Munich in the Champions League. Full time teams in UEFA competitions are all competent and professional, a couple of qualities that the author could perhaps work on.
Even this season, a horrendous one for the hoops they drew away to Lille and beat the French league leaders at home.
Celtic don’t play ‘diddy teams’ in Europe, that reference says more about Winton and his football knowledge than it does about the Scottish club with the best record in Europe stretching back as far as Winton wishes to go. Winton claims to be a Dundee United fan.