Rab: It’s crazy Celtic have to play four ties to reach the Champions League
BY CRAIG SWAN RAB DOUGLAS has hit out at the “crazy” decision by UEFA to hand Celtic a gruelling eight-game Champions League qualification run.
The former Parkhead keeper was part of the first Hoops squad to make the group stages in 2001.
At that time Martin O’Neill’s men needed to negotiate just one twolegged tie against Ajax to book their spot among the elite.
Now though Brendan Rodgers’s side have to go through four rounds just to get into the sections for a third straight term.
Douglas can’t understand why European football chiefs have altered the system again to make it even tougher for Scotland’s champions to reach the group stages.
He said: “I’ve always said you shouldn’t have to qualify if you are champions of your own country.
“They need to play eight games to qualify which is crazy.
“There is a lot of pressure to do it every year. That’s what Celtic probably base their budget on. Reaching the Champions League to improve the squad.
“If you can reach the group stages and bring in a player better than Patrick Roberts it sets you up for the season.
“When you see what PSG and the likes of Zenit are spending on players it is frightening.
“And what will Celtic get for winning the league? £3million? It is a big ask.
“I think just reaching the group stages would be amazing. But they have an extra qualifier this year that won’t make it easy.”
The qualification system may be tough but Douglas feels Celtic will be in good hands when the gruelling run of games gets going.
As a former No.1, he believes Rodgers has real strength in depth in his goalkeeping department with experienced Craig Gordon and rising star Scott Bain who made his Scotland debut against Mexico at the weekend.
Douglas said: “Craig is still very slender and doesn’t seem to put weight on.
“He seems to be managing the injuries and there is nothing to stop him. He has another good few years left at the very least.
“He clearly looks after himself and he is now more comfortable with the ball at his feet.
“He has made a big effort to get into the style Rodgers wants to play.
“At the start he didn’t look comfortable with it but he is now.
“I saw a lot of Scott at Dundee and he was very comfortable with the ball at his feet.
“It is good for Craig to have someone of Scott’s calibre pushing him.”
Rab Douglas spoke as he played in a charity game at Airdrie in aid of St Andrew’s Hospice Capital Appeal.