Murdo MacLeod: This is a monumental season in the history of our game so Rangers and Celtic bosses must stay calm

The new Premiership season will bring all the usual ingredients to the table.

Great goals, gaffes, gripping games and the traditional array of refereeing controversies will all be in the mix.

But as the top 12 prepare to kick-off their campaigns next weekend, one issue is sure to dominate the next 10 months.

Can Celtic get to nine-in-a-row, or will Rangers stop them in their tracks?

Will Steven Gerrard succeed? Or will Neil Lennon continue the Hoops’ supremacy and take another step closer to the coveted 10 titles on the spin?

The scenario has more than a few echoes of season 1997-98.

Wim Jansen and Murdo MacLeod were thrown in at the deep end at Celtic Park, and ordered to win the 36th league title in Celtic’s history – but also the most important.

Against the odds, the pair of them got a squad together that stopped Walter Smith’s Rangers from doing 10-in-a-row.

We are in a similar situation now, with the Parkhead club pushing for nine-in-a-row and the Ibrox outfit tasked with stopping it all costs.

MacLeod knows it all makes for a mouthwatering campaign. But he also knows that there will be times when the tension will spill over the edge.

The Celtic legend – who won five titles during his time with Celtic – told The Sunday Post: “The season has all the makings of a classic, and football supporters from all sides will not be able to take their eyes off of it.

“We have now reached a situation that the Celtic fans have been wanting for the past four or five years.

“In contrast, it’s a scenario the Rangers fans have been dreading.

“I was going to say that there is absolutely no room for error on the part of Steven Gerrard and his players. But that is not strictly true.

“They still have another year beyond this one to get it right, as 10-in-a-row has never been achieved by either club.

“That is when you’ll really know what it’s all about.

“Wim Jansen and I faced that exact scenario in the summer of 1997. We just had to win the League.

“It wasn’t complicated. It was a straightforward ask from club owner, Fergus McCann, and the Celtic supporters – or should that be demand!

“History tells you that we got there and did it. But, my goodness, what a season it was.

“There was hardly a moment to draw breath, and not a day went by when it didn’t dominate our thoughts.

“Wim, as we all know, was Dutch and had never worked in Scotland. But he quickly understood what it was all about.

“Wim may well have been a quiet and considered man, but he got it.

“He was as determined as anyone to stop Rangers. He wanted to end their dominance.

“We’d sit in his office together every day, and his focus was always on the next game. He would genuinely never look beyond that.

“His strategy worked. Looking back on it now, it’s the way it had to be because we were nip and tuck with Rangers all season.

“If there is any advice I can offer Neil Lennon and Steven Gerrard, then it has to be, first and foremost, win games.

“But to give yourself the best chance of doing so, only look at the next game. That is always the most important one.

“Do not be distracted about an Old Firm game being two or three weeks away. That kind of attitude will only lead to problems.

“The here and now is the most important thing. And in this day and age – particularly with what is at stake this season – you may only be two or three defeats away from losing your job at any given time.

“Fans are allowed to look ahead and that’s what they do. They will be hyper this season. They will be on edge.

“The managers, however, must stay focused. They need to show all their enthusiasm and passion in a controlled way. There is so much at stake.

“This is monumental. The next year or two may well dominate the history of Scottish football.

“At the moment, I fancy Celtic to win the league. But I think it will be tight.

“The Celtic players, led by Scott Brown, have been over the course and distance. They have the medals to show for their efforts.

“Rangers do not. So they must demonstrate a greater degree of consistency, and show they can win 30 league games. That’s what might be required.

“The Celtic fans will want it all again this season and there will talk of winning another Treble to make it four Trebles on the trot. But the league has to be the focus.

“Anything beyond that would be a massive bonus.

“Rangers have two bites at stopping Celtic from creating history, but they will want to do it this season.

“It’s not overly advisable to wait until it is ‘all or nothing’ in season 2020-21. That would be too close for comfort for them.”

Twenty-two years ago under Jansen, Celtic lost their opening two league games to Hibs and Dunfermline, and at that stage didn’t look like serious title contenders.

But, gradually, new signings Craig Burley, Marc Rieper, Stephane Mahe, Paul Lambert and Henrik Larsson found their feet and helped the club to win games.

MacLeod said: “Our start was far from ideal, but Wim didn’t panic. He kept it calm and maintained the focus.

“The players got into the way he wanted them to play, and the new signings were terrific. We also had others there such as Tom Boyd, Jackie McNamara, Simon Donnelly and Alan Stubbs and they were also all brilliant.

“It all eventually clicked and gelled.

“We played well against Liverpool in the UEFA Cup, even though they knocked us out. We then won the League Cup in November by beating Dundee United and that gave us all extra confidence.

“A massive turning point was defeating Rangers at Parkhead in the New Year fixture, thanks to fantastic goals from Burley and Lambert.

“That allowed us to heap pressure on them and we hung in there.

“We took it to the last game and beat St Johnstone at home, winning 2-0 to lift the title.

“It was special and memorable. The fact people still talk about it to this day tells you all you need to know.”

But, behind the scenes, all was not well. Jansen’s relationship with the Parkhead hierarchy had deteriorated and a parting of the ways was inevitable.

In the final weeks of the season, the Dutchman decided he was leaving, but only told a handful of those closest to him.

He made a public announcement in the days after the league title was won.

MacLeod recalled: “We were presented with the League trophy after beating St Johnstone, and it was great to celebrate with the players, supporters, family and friends. We all deserved that moment.

“The atmosphere was absolutely electric.

“I will never forget when Wim and I walked around the pitch on a lap of honour. He stopped at one point and put his hand on my arm and said: ‘Wow, Murdo, what a way to go’.

“A few days later, I had gone from having one of the best days of my life to having one of the worst. Wim resigned and I lost my job. It was a rollercoaster of emotions.

“But I was very proud of being a part of the staff that stopped Rangers doing 10-in-a-row.

“It was stressful and draining but it was all worth it in the end.

“It was a season like no other.”

The benchmark for this campaign has been set.