The Fascinating Story Scottish Football’s Nearly Teams – Including Celtic

Today I’m going to look at the biggest nearly teams of Scottish football history, focussing on the teams who just missed out on Scottish league titles by a small margin, and did not win any other top tier trophies that season.

As we know history is written by the winners. The football honours list rewards the teams who won trophies. And with the winners medals, those teams are rewarded with football immortality, and a place in history as a team to remember. But there were some great teams who just missed out on trophies. Some of whom were probably better than some of the teams who lifted the trophies.

I will also look at the teams with hoodoo factors across certain trophies. Teams who missed out on trophies or triumphs over numerous years including the Scottish National team, and many Scottish club sides.

The biggest Nearly Teams in Scottish Football history

Here are the biggest nearly teams in the league, with extra nearly factor points on teams who miss out on other cups in the same season.

Here is the list of the biggest nearly teams by season. I list all the teams who missed out on the Scottish League as runner-up by small margins but won no other major trophy, involving tier one sides that season. And I include two legendary third placed teams who were runner-up in the league, and a cup that season. I add the other trophies they were runners-up in. I include Dundee United for season 1986-87, even though they ended the season in third. And I include Dunfermline Athletic for season 1964-65 when they were third by one point and lost a cup final.

Here is the list of the Scottish teams, who missed out on the Scottish League by a small margin, while not winning a European trophy, Scottish Cup, or Scottish League Cup. Plus the national teams that missed out on qualifying for a major tournament knockout stages by a small margin.

1892-93 Rangers – Scottish League runner-up by one point.
1901-02 Celtic – Scottish League runner-up by two points.
1904-05 Rangers – Scottish League runner-up by a 2-1 defeat to Glasgow Celtic in a Championship Play-off.
1908-09 Dundee – Scottish League runner-up by one point.
1909-10 Falkirk – Scottish League runner-up by two points.
1917-18 Celtic – Scottish League runner-up by one point.
1918-19 Rangers – Scottish League runner-up by one point.
1921-22 Rangers – Scottish League runner-up by one point and Scottish Cup runner-up.
1946-47 Hibernian – Scottish League runner-up by two points, and Scottish Cup runner-up.
1948-49 Dundee – Scottish League runner-up by one point.
1949-50 Hibernian – Scottish League runner-up by one point.
1952-53 Hibernian – Scottish League runner-up by goal average.
1960-61 Kilmarnock – Scottish League runner-up by one point
1964-65 Heart of Midlothian – Scottish League runner-up by goal average.
1964-65 Dunfermline Athletic – Scottish League (third place) 1 point behind both the Champions, and league runner-up. And Athletic losing finalists in the Scottish Cup.
1965-66 Rangers – Scottish League runner-up by two points.
1966-67 Rangers – Scottish League runner-up by three points, European Cup Winners Cup runner-up, and Scottish League Cup runner-up.
1967-68 Rangers – Scottish League runner-up by two points.
1974 Scotland World Cup team –The best Scottish World Cup performance. Scotland finished third in their group and missed out on the knockout stages by goal difference.
1977-78 Aberdeen – Scottish League runner-up by two points and Scottish Cup runner-up.
1983-84 Celtic – Scottish Domestic Treble Runner-up. Runner-up in the league and both cups.
1985-86 Heart of Midlothian – Scottish League runner-up by goal difference, and Scottish Cup runner-up.
1986-87 Dundee United – Scottish League (third place), Scottish Cup runner-up, UEFA Cup runner-up.
1990-91 Aberdeen – Scottish League runner-up by goal difference.
1992-93 Aberdeen – Scottish Domestic Treble runner-up. Runner-up in the league and both cups.
1996 Scotland European Championship team – Missed out on knockout stages on goal difference.
2002-03 Celtic – Scottish League runner-up by goal difference. Also placed runner-up in the Scottish League Cup, and UEFA Cup.
2016-17 Aberdeen – Scottish Domestic Treble Runner-up. Runner-up in the league and both cups.

Hoodoo Teams

The teams who missed out on specific trophies, even if they did win other trophies in that era…

• From 2013 to 2019, Hibernian were placed runner-up in the Scottish Women’s Leagues six times in seven years.
• Caledonian 1990-94. Caledonian had Scottish Highland League consecutive runner-up placings from 1990 to 1994.
• The Dundee United Scottish Cup hoodoo. Losing finalists in 1973–74, 1980–81, 1984–85, 1986–87, 1987-88, and 1990–91. Dundee United finally won the Scottish Cup for the first time in 1994.
• Heart of Midlothian trophy hoodoo. From the 1962-63 Scottish League Cup, to the 1997-98 Scottish Cup, Hearts won no major top tier trophies.
• Hibernian 100-year cup hoodoo. Hibernian won a Scottish Cup in 2002, and did not win another Scottish Cup until 2016.
• Alloa Athletic have been Scottish third tier runner-up nine times. But have never won the 3rd tier. Oddly they have won the second and fourth tiers.
• Arbroath have been Scottish second tier runner-up five times, and have been third 6 times. But have never won the second tier.
• Inverurie Loco Works Football Club have been Scottish Highland League second placed 4 times, but never champions.
• Airdrieonians were placed runner-up in the Scottish League four seasons in a row, 1922–23, 1923–24, 1924–25, 1925–26. They did win a Scottish Cup in 1924.
• Aberdeen were placed runner-up in the Scottish League four seasons in a row from season 2014-15 to 2017-18.
• Aberdeen were placed runner-up in the Scottish League five times in six years, between 1988-89, and 1993-94.
• Rangers FC were placed runner-up in the Scottish League five seasons in a row from 1965-66, to 1969-70.
• Non-Old Firm clubs since 1985 in Champions. Since 1985, no team outside of the Glasgow giants have won the Scottish league.
• Celtic 1971-74 Scottish League Cup Finals. Celtic reached four finals in a row and lost them all.
• The Scotland men’s side not getting past a group stage at a major tournament. It is a matter of frustration that Scotland has never got past the group stages of a major tournament. But Scotland did dominate international football in the 19th century. And Scotland have had good victories in their history against England, France, Germany, Argentina, Italy, Croatia, Portugal, Sweden, Belgium, Spain, and the Netherlands.
• Queen’s Park reached and lost two English FA Cups finals in 1884, and 1885.
• The Scotland women’s team have had good results in recent years. But like the men’s side they have not qualified for the knockout stages of the major tournaments. They have qualified for the 2017 Women’s European Championship. Plus the 2019 Women’s World Cup.

Finally my top 10 biggest nearly teams of Scottish football 

1. Heart of Midlothian 1985-86. Hearts missed out on the Scottish Premier by goal difference to Glasgow Celtic. They then lost the Scottish Cup final 3-0 to Aberdeen.

2. Scotland not getting past group stages of a major trophy. Scotland have reached 8 World Cups, and four European Championships at men’s football. But Scotland have not qualified for the knockout stages of any major tournament.

3. Hibernian 1946-47. Hibernian had a golden era in the forties, and fifties. But it started after World War Two, with a runner-up double, in the Scottish League, and Scottish Cup.

4. Rangers FC 1966-67. Glasgow Rangers had a runner-up treble in the Scottish League, Scottish League Cup, and a European Cup Winners Cup. In the same season, their rivals Glasgow Celtic won all 3 major Scottish trophies, and the European Cup.

5. Celtic 2002-03. Celtic were runners-up in the Scottish League, Scottish League Cup, and the UEFA Cup. A very good Celtic team got close to many trophies in the same season.

6. Dundee United 1986-87. Another runner-up double (UEFA Cup and Scottish Cup) and a third place in the league. Dundee United had a long season, including a famous UEFA Cup aggregate win against Barcelona. Before succumbing to IFK of Sweden, in the UEFA Cup Final.

7. The Dundee United Scottish Cup Hoodoo. The famous Dundee United hoodoo saw Dundee United reach and lose six Scottish Cup finals.

8. Aberdeen 1977-78. A  Scottish League and Scottish Cup runner-up double.

9. No Scottish team winning league since 1985, outside the Glasgow giants. Due to only Celtic and Rangers* winning the Scottish top tier since Aberdeen won it in 1984-85.

10. Glasgow Rangers 1921-22. Rangers won the first Scottish runner-up double with second place in the Scottish League and Scottish Cup.

Joey Vimsante

*Includes combined efforts of both Ibrox clubs.

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