Former Rangers chairman Dave King says Celtic only have themselves to blame for losing supremacy in Scotland as the Ibrox side close in on their first title in 10 years.
The South Africa-based businessman reckons Celtic got sloppy and complacent when Rangers were in the depths of despair, having ended up in the bottom tier of the game after liquidation in 2012.
King feels the Parkhead club should have made it almost impossible for his club to catch them, even if they have won the last nine titles in succession.
And it was that inability to stand on the throat of Rangers that led him to deliver his comment three years ago that Celtic would 'fold like a pack of cards' once the Ibrox men won their 55th title.
King's comments were questioned at the time, but the most remarkable collapse by Celtic - punctuated by dressing-room difficulties, a controversial trip to Dubai, the impending departure of chief executive Peter Lawwell and discontent among fans in the failed quest for 10 in a row - suggests they now ring true. King, speaking to the Rangers Connection podcast, said: 'I spent a lot of time thinking about Celtic. That was the benchmark.
'Looking at the performance of Celtic in their build-up to nine in a row, I don't think they were taking full advantage of the extra resources they had at that time. They had no real competition.
'Aberdeen ran them close a couple of seasons but with Celtic's resources, even that shouldn't have happened.
'I just felt if we could have a real go at them and get in their faces, then they would fold like a pack of cards.
'We just had to get in there and start competing with them.
'They'd had it too easy. They were in a league of their own effectively for nearly six seasons because of the absence of Rangers. I Iooked at their European performances and foreign teams weren't giving them the respect they got in Scotland, so I felt if we could get in their faces they would struggle.'
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Like a pack of cards indeed Dave. Watp