History
The term originated in the 1980s, when both clubs challenged the Old Firm for domestic trophies. The term was used by Evening Times and The Glasgow Herald.
The Old Firm have more often than not been the dominant force in Scottish Football, however throughout the 1980s both Aberdeen and Dundee United were more than a match for them, regularly beating them home and away and winning most of the trophies on offer.
Aberdeen were to win the Scottish Premier Division three times, the Scottish Cup four times, the Scottish League Cup twice and the European Cup Winners Cup and the European Super Cup, all within the 1980s.
In this same period, Dundee United won the Scottish Premier Division once, and the Scottish League Cup twice, as well as reaching the Scottish Cup final four times, the UEFA Cup final, and the European Cup semi-final.
Not only were the Old Firm not dominating the title race, for three seasons in a row, 1983 through to 1985, the league title went to either Aberdeen or Dundee United, meaning for the first time two other teams were dominating Scottish Football.
Both sides' success was limited as they entered the 1990s. Aberdeen winning the Scottish Cup in 1990, and reaching cup finals in 1992 and 1993 as well as almost winning the league in 1991, while Dundee United were cup finalists in 1991 and Scottish Cup winners in 1994. However in the 1994/95 season both sides fought relegation, and although Aberdeen won the Scottish League Cup in 1995 and Dundee United the Scottish Cup in 2010, neither side has managed to be a consistent force for Rangers and Celtic to reckon with, and Aberdeen's league success in 1984/85 is the last time a team from outside the Old Firm has won the Scottish league title.
Read more about this topic: New Firm (Scotland)
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