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The National (Scotland)
The National (Scotland)
Sport
Alan Campbell

Celtic & Rangers dominance in women's game looks to become established pattern

Having landed just one women's trophy between them before December last year, Celtic and Rangers have now won the last four.

Given the resources of the two clubs, that looks likely to become an established pattern.

Celtic set the ball rolling with their League Cup final win over Glasgow City twelve months ago, and then followed it up with the Scottish Cup in May. By that time Rangers had won a first-ever league title and trophy, and to the surprise of nobody added the rebranded Sky Sports (League) Cup last Sunday.

Rangers missed a chance to go top of the league today when their match against Aberdeen at Broadwood was postponed a couple of hours after City's game at Spartans met the same fate. But inevitably there is already talk of Rangers winning the treble.

City achieved that feat five times between 2009-15, and for the two decades on both sides of these dates they and Hibernian monopolised the silverware. Hibs' hopes of a record eighth League Cup win didn't materialise in a one-sided final against Rangers at Tynecastle which will be largely remembered for notable strikes by Lizzie Arnot and substitute Kirsty Howat.

Hibs head coach Dean Gibson has stated this Rangers side are the best the SWPL has seen. They are unbeaten in the league since a 2-1 defeat to City in the final game of the 2020-21 season, and have won 35 of these subsequent 39 games.

Are Rangers better than last season? Probably. They let Kirsten Reilly, Demi Vance, Chantelle Swaby and captain Brianna Westrup go in the summer, and presumably believe their new signings have strengthened a formidable squad.

When you can afford to start a cup final – as Rangers did last Sunday – with Sam Kerr on the bench, it underlines the fierce competition for places. But to describe the side as the SWPL's best ever is premature.

I was, for example, at both legs when Glasgow City played Arsenal in the last 16 of the Champions League in 2013. At the time City were about to land a second successive treble.

An arguably over-cautious approach by Eddie Wolecki-Black in the away leg contributed to a 3-0 defeat, but at Petersill Park it was 2-2 in time added on before Alex Scott notched an Arsenal winner. Whatever happened to her?

Steph Houghton, Jordan Nobbs, Ellen White and Kim Little were other notable members of that outstanding Arsenal side. City started 15 different players in the two games, including Lee Gibson, Leanne Ross, Rachel Corsie, Emma Black, Julie Nelson, Nic Docherty, Jo Love, Jess Fishlock, Denise O'Sullivan, Leanne Crichton, Christie Murray and Ruesha Littlejohn.

It's early days for Rangers on their professional journey, but they don't, as yet, have a side to match that one. All the above were already - or went on to become – vastly experienced international players, while another, Suzanne Lappin, scored well over 200 goals for the club.

ANOTHER THING

The coming months could be busy ones for employment lawyers. This follows Friday's revelations of continuing strife between the Scotland players and Scottish FA.

Unlike the “Ticket Tweets” episode in April, when squad members sent out identical messages criticising the arrangements for the World Cup qualifier against Spain at Hampden, the latest confrontation might not be so easy for the SFA to swipe aside.

The players, with full funding from their representatives PFA Scotland, are taking the SFA to an employment tribunal (which apparently they can do, despite not being employees of the governing body). My understanding is that an ET1 form has already been submitted, and that the SFA will have 28 days to respond.

Both sides' arguments were fully vented on Friday. Scotland captain Rachel Corsie, who will be the lead claimant on behalf of the players if the case goes ahead, says there should be parity between the Scotland women's team and the men's team in all respects. In other words, equality.

The SFA response is that there already is equality in terms of daily allowances when on Scotland duty (Scottish players are not paid match fees) and other matters. I understand PFA Scotland want sight of the men's agreement to confirm this is the case, and that it will be one of the issues brought up at the tribunal if it goes ahead.

None of the above, unfortunately, creates a positive image for the sport, especially coming so soon after a second successive failure to qualify for a major tournament. Events in the team's Paris hotel on the evening following the 2019 World Cup exit continue to cast a long, and destructive, shadow.

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