Darren Jackson was part of a Celtic side that was hastily assembled over a summer, who bonded quickly and overcame Rangers to win the league and deny the Ibrox side a historic tenth title in a row.

But he isn’t putting any money on Pedro Caixinha’s Rangers revolution having the same success as Wim Jansen’s did at Celtic.

The summer of 1997 was a pivotal one in Scottish football, with Walter Smith’s all-conquering Rangers side seemingly steamrollering their way towards history after securing their ninth successive title.

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Across the city, Celtic owner Fergus McCann was faced with a huge decision. Who would he choose as the man to fill Tommy Burns’ shoes to lead Celtic to not only their first league triumph for a decade, but prevent the unthinkable.

He turned to Dutchman Wim Jansen, who arrived to little fanfare despite his considerable reputation as a player with Feyenoord, where he was part of the side that defeated Celtic in the 1970 European Cup Winners’ Cup final, and his title win with the same club as manager.

A little under a year on, and he could have been lifted down the London Road to Glasgow Airport on the shoulders of his adoring public, as he departed the scene a Celtic hero.

How did he do it? In part, by signing players. Lots of them.

Marc Rieper, Craig Burley, Harald Brattbakk, Stephane Mahe, Jonathan Gould and Paul Lambert all arrived to compensate for the loss of Paolo Di Canio, Pierre Van Hooijdonk and Jorge Cadete. Oh, and a little-known Swede by the name of Henrik Larsson.

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The first man to arrive though was Darren Jackson from Hibs. And although he missed a section of the season after receiving treatment for the brain condition hydrocephalus, he recovered to play an integral part in Celtic’s success both on the field, and off it.

“There were a lot of signings,” Jackson said. "We didn't start the season well, losing to Hibs and Dunfermline. That was a reality check, because we soon realised how tough the season would be.

“The players got together and, yes, we probably did what you can't really do now - we had a few nights out. Now, it would be all over social media. We were dinosaurs, we didn't have that - which was a good thing. It brought the foreigners into realising what this meant.

“I don’t think Rangers will be thinking about 10-in-a-row just now, they just have to get back to where they should be.

“They can worry about 10-in-a-row later. They just have to get back to the Rangers that we know.”

Getting back to something resembling the Rangers teams of old means not only improving the standard of player they have from the foreign market, according to Jackson, but by ensuring that they have a strong Scottish presence too.

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He believes it is vital to have people who know what the club are all about to hammer home the message to those coming in from outside just what it means to be part of the Glasgow rivalry.

“Can a team gel that quick?” said Jackson.

“The year we stopped 10-in-a-row there were a few Scottish boys in there, and I think you need a good core of Scottish boys who know what it’s about and can speak to the other players to let them know.

“I'm not comparing but, when you see Celtic with Tierney, Brown, Griffiths, Armstrong, McGregor, Forrest and Gordon, there is a core there who are very, very good.

“Rangers fans and Celtic fans will never accept second-best, but if Rangers fans can see improvement this season and see that the club is going forward, then I think they’d be happy with that.”

Jackson was speaking at the launch of 'Football Unites', and he will soon join former teammates in walking the West Highland Way and climbing Ben Nevis to honour the memory of Phil O'Donnell, and to raise money for Teenage Cancer Trust and CRY (Cardiac Risk in the Young).

"It's 10 years coming up [since O'Donnell's death], it’s incredible. I still find it very hard to believe. In that team he was such a big part of stopping 10 in a row but in a very quiet way. But he was a top boy and he’s always in our thoughts."