Celtic 2003-04: Out For Blood

As the current Celtic side continues to break records, we thought we'd take a look at some Celtic teams that have been similarly dominant domestically throughout the years, beginning with the team of 2003-04.

The Celtic team of 2003-04 were out to prove a point; that we were the best team in Scotland by a considerable distance, after the events of the of the previous season where the run to the UEFA Cup Final took it's toll on the squad and we ended up losing the title on goal difference to a vastly inferior Rangers side, who somehow won a domestic treble.

The first game of the season was away to our old pals Dunfermline, who of course played a memorable part in the events of the previous season - according to Chris Sutton. The game - a dreary encounter with few chances - ended 0-0. But that was the last league points dropped until February, as Celtic won 25 league games in a row, an incredible run of consistency. Highlights of this run included two wins over Rangers - 1-0 at Ibrox then an emphatic 3-0 win at Celtic Park - a 5-1 victory at Tannadice and a 6-0 drubbing of Hibs. The run eventually ended with a 1-1 draw against Motherwell. We really should have ended the league season undefeated but lost two games - at home - after the league was won, when the players had begun to take their foot off the gas.

Back to the games against Rangers, for the first and only time ever (so far) Celtic won all four league games against Rangers in a season. Henrik Larsson marked his last visit to Ibrox on Beachball Sunday 2 with a goal in a 2-1 win and Chris Sutton scored a memorable late minute winner in a 1-0 win at Celtic Park.

The treble was a formality you would think - alas no, as we lost in the league cup to Hibs - but we made up for it in the Scottish Cup - defeating Rangers along the way - as Henrik Larsson scored two goals in his last ever game for Celtic in a 3-1 win over Dunfermline, as the double was won once more.

This particularly Celtic side ranks slightly ahead of the current side in my opinion, as there was more competition in domestic football in that time, proven by both Celtic and Rangers reaching the Champions League group stages in this particular season.

The players were better back in 2003-04, only Moussa Dembele from the current side would be guaranteed a place in the Bhoys of 2004, and we haven't even talked about the European exploits in 2004, which is surely a story for another day.

We really have been lucky to enjoy such dominant Celtic teams in recent years, and the team of 2003-04 was certainly one of the best.