Chris Sutton has looked back on Celtic’s run to the 2003 UEFA Cup Final and could not resist a dig at Graeme Souness over comments that quickly came back to haunt him.
The journey to Seville still stirs mixed emotions among supporters. The pain of the final defeat to Porto has never really gone away, and plenty of Celtic fans still admit they have never watched the match back.
That disappointment should never overshadow what Martin O’Neill’s side achieved.
With Henrik Larsson and Chris Sutton leading the line, Celtic had a strike partnership capable of troubling anyone. Across the pitch, there was quality, experience and belief, and that squad travelled through Europe without carrying any sense of inferiority.
Speaking on The Warm-Up, Sutton reflected on what made that campaign so memorable.
“I think if you ask Celtic fans, in a strange way they enjoyed that whole season, and the journey and the competing in Europe.
“I think we all loved pumping the Premier League teams. Even the pre-season friendlies.
“The perception of Scottish football, it was that dismissing it back then.”
Those victories over English opposition carried extra satisfaction because of the attitude Celtic often came up against.
One of the biggest flashpoints came in the second round against Blackburn Rovers. Managed by former Rangers boss Graeme Souness, the Premier League side arrived at Celtic Park on Halloween expecting to take control of the tie. Instead, Celtic gave them a scare.
Henrik Larsson’s late goal earned Celtic a 1-0 first-leg win and laid the foundations for what followed.
After the match, Souness claimed it had been “men against boys out there” on the pitch.
Whether it was intended as mind games or genuine belief, it handed O’Neill’s side extra motivation before the return leg at Ewood Park.
Celtic finished the job in style, winning in England to complete a convincing 3-0 aggregate victory and send Blackburn crashing out.
More than two decades on, Sutton still enjoys recalling how badly those comments aged.
“It was really good when we beat Blackburn, the ‘men against boys’.
“Not a clever thing to say from Souness. I know why we did it, because it was Celtic.
“I do feel mightily proud to have played through that period.”
Sutton has every reason to be proud. Celtic also knocked Liverpool out in the quarter-finals, including that famous night at Anfield, before reaching the final in Seville.
It remains one of the greatest European campaigns in the club’s modern history because of the calibre of opponents Celtic overcame along the way, and the memories supporters made.
Souness’ remarks have long since become part of the story. They were meant to diminish Celtic, but instead they added another layer of motivation to a side that needed very little encouragement to prove a point.