Celtic treble won't be easy warns Alan Stubbs

Alan Stubbs won the treble with Celtic in the 2000-01 season

The last time Celtic won the treble Alan Stubbs played his part. That experience tells him it is no easy feat and the former Hibernian manager has warned that, while the current Celtic squad have already won the League Cup and are 19 points clear at the top of the Premiership, it should not be considered a foregone conclusion.

“It’s a huge ask but when you look at how dominant they are right now it’s possible,” Stubbs said. “They’ve just got past halfway and have already won one, well they’ve won two realistically, and they’ve only got the Scottish Cup to go. So they’re not a million miles away from it.

“Even though they are considerably the dominant force right now it’s still not a walk in the park for them, there’s a lot of things to contend with. They will have a dip. To constantly keep doing that, not just physically but mentally, is so difficult.”

Which is why the vaunted talk of them going through the entire season unbeaten will be tough to make a reality. “Arsenal did it [in 2003-04] but it’s so hard. Injuries, suspensions, illness will all kick in at some point but, what I will say, is they’ve got the biggest squad, not just the best players, but the biggest squad as well,” said the former Celtic defender.

Having already established such a big lead in the Premiership, the pressure to maintain standards week in week out is not as intense as it was back in 2000/01, when Stubbs and his Parkhead colleagues had to fend off rivals Rangers in the league, while also ensuring safe passage through every cup tie.

“It was much harder when I won the treble,” he added. “Rangers were in a better place as well and when you look at all the teams it was more competitive back then. But you can’t devalue anyone winning the treble and going unbeaten. It would be a fantastic achievement.”