Michael Gannon

Aberdeen team? Mark Reynolds, Ryan Jack, Niall McGinn, Jonny Hayes, Adam Rooney.

The Dons have got a side that would hold its own in any league of the last 20 years. They pushed Celtic all the way to May and Derek McInnes has shaken a proud old club out of a coma. But the Jambos had it tougher back then. Celtic

and Rangers had genuinely top-class stars. Shunsuke Nakamura, John Hartson and Roy Keane were at Parkhead while Stefan Klos, Fernando Rickson and Dado Prso were across the city.

Aberdeen were strong under Jimmy Calderwood and Hibs had their best squad for a generation, with the likes of Scott Brown, Derek Riordan, Steven Whittaker and Kevin Thomson.

Killie were decent with Steven Naismith and Kris Boyd kicking about up front.

Looking back it was like a different world, never mind a different time. Half of the top flight now are operating on £1m-a-year budgets and are playing players 500 quid a week.

Hearts’ wage bill back then was a staggering £16m a year.

That’s not a kick on the backside off what Celtic are coughing up these days – and it’s about eight times what the Dons have spent to be best of the rest this season.

The Jambos were paying three times that of their nearest non-Old Firm rivals. The same can’t be said of Aberdeen. They have a bit more dosh than most but not much and it’s about £14m less than the outlay at Tynecastle back in those days.

That’s what makes it a bit unfair to compare the two. There’s a decent claim that Hearts team of 2006 could maybe even win the league nowadays.

Heck, you could even stretch it and suggest the Hibs team back then would give the current Hoops side a run for their money.

So while Aberdeen will go down in the history books as the most prolific non-Old Firm side in the modern era in terms of points – the Jambos of 2006 can probably still claim to be the best.