For supporters who remember Scottish football in the 1980s, nostalgia often centres on packed terraces and fierce rivalries. But author John Wight believes there is a more compelling reason why the era still stands apart.
According to the "Jungle Days" author, the standard of competition across Scotland meant clubs were constantly tested in a way that Celtic and Rangers simply are not today.
"The problem with Celtic is they play in a very poor domestic league," Wight told Football Presse.
"But in the '80s it was not that. That was the most competitive era in the modern game in Scottish football."
Wight argues Scottish football's strength went far beyond the Old Firm. Aberdeen under Sir Alex Ferguson and Dundee United under Jim McLean transformed the landscape, while David Murray's arrival at Rangers and the appointment of Graeme Souness ushered in another period of change.
"You had Alex Ferguson at Aberdeen, you had Jim McLean at Dundee United. They both had success in Europe. They both were winning league titles, winning cups.
"To the point, I remember when I was going to see Celtic in the '80s, if you played Aberdeen either home or away and you got a draw, that was considered a good result. That's how good that Aberdeen team were."
For Wight, those weekly battles forced every leading club to improve.
"When a league's competitive, it raises the level of every player. It raises the football IQ, it raises your development.
"Games against Aberdeen were almost as fervent as games against Rangers in my time."
He recalls just how unpopular Gordon Strachan became among Celtic supporters while starring for Ferguson's Aberdeen.
"Gordon Strachan... was so hated by Celtic fans that if anybody had mentioned in the Jungle when he played, when he came onto the pitch in that red Aberdeen jersey at Celtic Park, that he would be a future Celtic manager, you would have been chased out the ground.
"I remember being at a game against Aberdeen... when a fan from the Jungle ran onto the pitch and attacked him. He was hated because he was very good."
Ferguson's mentality, Wight believes, helped elevate Scottish football.
"Ferguson was such a winning mentality... Aberdeen, under his stewardship, relished playing against Celtic or Rangers.
"Rather than being intimidated, as most teams were, they relished putting themselves up against Celtic and Rangers."
He believes the contrast with today's Scottish Premiership is stark.
"Today, like you say, it's a cakewalk. It really is."
That domestic imbalance, Wight argues, also explains why Celtic and Rangers struggle to compete consistently in European competition despite dominating at home.
"Celtic and Rangers, their fans have expectations of doing quite well in Europe, but I think in many respects that's unrealistic given the paucity of competition at home.
"If you're winning 5-0 on a Saturday and then you're meant to play a Barcelona or a Bayern Munich, it's very hard for players to change their level of quality.
"The game's faster against these players. They can't afford to make mistakes. They have to be much more positionally aware.
"That's difficult if you're not replicating that level of football IQ and football acuity on a regular basis."
Wight also believes the quality of individual footballers in Scotland's top flight has declined despite advances in sports science.
"I think the game today is very fast. Of course the players are much fitter. Sport science has evolved since the '80s.
"But in terms of individual skill and ball control, I don't think they're the same as the players in the '80s throughout Europe."
He points to the difficult playing conditions of the era as evidence of the technical ability required.
"Look at the pitches they played on. This time of year it was like playing on a farmer's field.
"They had to take that into consideration when they passed the ball and when they received the ball."
The physical nature of football also demanded different qualities.
"You were still allowed to tackle in the '80s.
"The thing that I really deplore in the game today... is the way that players so easily go down. Simulation has become normalised.
"In the '80s you would never get away with that. If a player dived in the box and got a penalty, his reputation would be absolutely tarnished forevermore."
Although Wight accepts modern football has become a global entertainment industry, he believes constant exposure has removed some of the anticipation that once surrounded the game.
"In the '80s you got two games a week, maybe a Wednesday night and a Saturday afternoon.
"There was no social media. The anticipation of a game was much greater because by the time you entered the ground, you'd been starved of football.
"Now you watch football every single night."
For Wight, the greatest loss is not simply nostalgia, but competitiveness. Scottish football in the 1980s forced its biggest clubs to earn every success, producing a level of domestic competition that he believes has never truly been replaced.
John Wight is the author of "Jungle Days: Supporting Celtic in the 1980s" from Pitch Publishing - which is available here.
