Gabs in the Scottish Cup final against Hibernian at the end of May.Bonner, with more than 600 appearances for Celtic and 80 caps for his country, believes that shorn of their Old Firm rivals, Celtic have endured stress of a different nature this season.Celtic's long-standing Old Firm rivals Rangers, of course, played in Division Three this season after reforming as a new company following financial problems.Next season will be a huge challenge because they've got three qualifying rounds for the Champions League.There's an argument that, because Rangers aren't there, it's a lot easier, former Celtic and Republic of Ireland goalkeeper Pat Bonner told BBC Scotland.With Rangers gone and a transfer budget that dwarves their current SPL rivals, attacking midfielder Kris Commons added some much-needed flair to a Celtic side which has lost six league games, one more than last term.That's a valid argument in one way, because competition makes it all the more interesting for the fans and the media.The 29-year-old former Stoke, Nottingham Forest and Derby forward has proved a valuable attacking force with 10 goals and nine assists in the league.But there's a different pressure on Celtic this year because all the attention has been on them.Speculation over his future appears to have affected the forward's game and, given his high standards, he will be disappointed with his contribution since then.Nobody can take away what Celtic achieved this year as far as the Champions League is concerned and they had to mix the league in among that.
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