THE GOOD HOLL DAYS
Dutch icon Neeskens longs for the golden era when Ajax were Euro giants along with the Old Firm – and fears Scotland’s big two will never reach those heights again
JOHAN NEESKENS reckons the Old Firm were great in Europe when he was in his pomp.
Sadly for Celtic and Rangers at that time, the Dutch legend’s Ajax side were even greater.
Neeskens was a key man for the Amsterdam giants when they defeated Jock Stein’s Hoops in the 1971 European Cup quarter-finals on the way to picking up the first of an incredible three successive triumphs in football’s biggest club tournament.
It was after the second of those successes that he encountered the other half of Glasgow in the first-ever European Super Cup, with a 3-2 second leg victory completing a 6-3 aggregate win for Ajax over Rangers.
And his last encounters with the Old Firm came in the dugout during his stint as assistant to Frank Rijkaard at Barcelona, where he spent four years as a player alongside a fellow legend, the late great Johan Cruyff.
It was during his time at the Nou Camp that Neeskens came up against Rangers and Celtic in the same season 12 years ago. That was when Scotland last had more than one club – three on that occasion with Aberdeen joining the Old Firm – in Europe beyond Christmas.
But the Old Firm were in the hat for the Europa League last-32 draw on Monday, with Neil Lennon’s men paired against Copenhagen and Steven Gerrard looking forward to a trip to Braga.
Record Sport caught up with Neeskens in Qatar as the names were being picked out of the hat in Nyon, including Ajax who were paired with Getafe. The 68-yearold sees the Old Firm as two of the main dangers to his old club’s chances in a competition where they lost to Manchester United in the final three years ago.
But Neeskens spoke of his sadness that all three are battling it out in Europe’s second-tier competition as the elite clubs continue to look at ways of reshaping the competition to safeguard their place at the top table.
Neeskens said: “It is great for Scottish football that they have two teams in Europe after Christmas for the first time in over 10 years.
“It is great for the future of football in Scotland and if Celtic and Rangers qualify for the next stage then they will be a dangerous opponent.
“I remember what it was like playing both of them in my day. It was great to play at Hampden against Celtic in 1971. They had a great team.
“I remember wee Jinky and of course Celtic had a very good coach in Jock Stein. We also won the Super Cup against Rangers and it was very competitive.
“You had to work hard and be at your best to beat them. You can’t win against Rangers or Celtic with 80 per cent or 90 per cent. You have to give 100 per cent.
“I’m happy to see them both going deep into European competition again but it’s hard for teams like Celtic, Rangers and my old club Ajax.
“If teams are not doing well in the competition, the country does not get so many coefficient points and you don’t qualify automatically.
“But I don’t see any changes coming because of the money. The big clubs can spend all they like.
“Then there is the qualification games that teams from smaller countries have to play. That is not fair.
“A lot of countries have champions who are out after one qualification round so they don’t get co-efficient points too. It’s not fair.
“Football is dominated by money and the teams with money have much more opportunity to succeed.
“You hardly see Scottish teams at this level of competition any more so it is good that Rangers and Celtic have progressed to the knockout stages.”
It is great for Scotland to have two teams still in Europe