Comparing The Incomparable

WHERE do Brendan Rodgers and his 2017 'Invincibles' rank in the pecking order of the 11 Scottish squads which have achieved the Scottish domestic treble of League, Scottish Cup and League Cup won in a single season?

That is a question which has been exercising Scotland's football intelligensia since the final whistle blew on Saturday's Scottish Cup Final, and the Treble was achieved. It is also a question which is guaranteed to start a row in any empty house, as the supporters of each of the squads push their case for them.

The Lisbon Lions must top the list

Shall we perhaps agree, as we begin to look at the 11 Trebles – purely because they won EVERY competition they entered that season, and, they became the first non-Latin team to win the European Cup, the 1966-67 Celtic squad, the 'Lisbon Lions' has to be top of the pile – even though, statistically, they rank only third of the four Celtic Treble winners.

Some might quibble about the standard of the competition they faced domestically, and their failure to reach the knock-out stages of the Champions League, but, surely, having gone through the domestic season unbeaten, the 2016-17 'Celtic Invincibles' deserve to be ranked second.

But, the 2017 Bhoys take second spot

Third spot goes on goal difference to the 2000-01 Celtic squad. Their record was almost exactly matched by the first Rangers squad to feature, that : of 2002-03. Fifth place goes to the 1992-93 Rangers squad of Goran, Gough, Durrant and McCoist– whose final figures were ever so slightly but measurably better than those posted by the 1963-64 Rangers squad of Greig, McKinnon and Baxter and Willie Henderson.

Th 1963-64 Rangers squad

Next comes the 1968-69 Celtic squad, almost if you like, the last hurrah of the 'Lisbon Lions'. They are followed by the first-ever Treble-winners, the 1948-49 Rangers team with the iconic Brown; Young and Shaw; McColl, Woodburn and Cox “Iron Curtain Defence”.

The 1949 "Iron Curtain" Rangers team

Ninth place in our Treble table goes to Jock Wallace's 1977-78 Rangers squad, followed by the 1998-99 Rangers squad, with last place going to the 1975-76 Rangers squad, which won the first Premier Division title that season.

Set out in league table format (cup ties which went to a replay counting as one game, with three points for a win, and one for a draw in league games) the table reads:

                                     P.    W.     D.  L.   for   agn    pts   wins %  pts %

Celtic 1966-67            48    40      6    2  166    43    126      83%    87.5%

Celtic 2016-17            47    43      4    0  134    27    133      91%    94%

Celtic 2000-01            47    40      4    3  132    37    124      85%    88%

Rangers 2002-03         47    40      4   3  121    35    124       85%    88%

Rangers 1992-93         54    43      6   4  127    41    136       80%    84%

Rangers 1963-64         49    39      6   4  141    42    123       80%    84%

Celtic 1968-69            48    37      8   3  155    45    119       77%    83%

Rangers 1948-49         44    34      6   4  111    36   108        77%    82%

Rangers 1977-78         47    35      7   5  111    50   112        74%    79%

Rangers 1998-99         45    32      8   5  106    33   104        71%    77%

Rangers 1975-76         50    35    10   5  105    36   115        70%    77%

Let the arguments begin.