BEFORE seething Celtic supporters start firing off irate emails about their beloved team’s latest William Hill Premiership triumph being described as “a snorefest” to this organ’s already woebegone sports editor at matthew.johnston@heraldandtimes.co.uk (there you go folks, saved you the bother of looking up the address), it is worth making a few points.
Firstly, Brendan Rodgers’ men have been brilliant, absolutely bloody brilliant, this season and thoroughly deserve to be crowned Scottish champions for a fourth consecutive year.
Yes, their performances in their last two league meetings with Rangers at Parkhead last month and in Govan back in January may have fallen some way short of the high standards expected and might have resulted in them suffering defeats which, while meaningless in the grander scheme of things, irked their fans no end.
However, they have comfortably been the best side in the country since last August and will have every right to celebrate long into the night wherever and whenever, against Dundee United at Tannadice a week today, at Ibrox eight days later or at some other locale on some other afternoon, they finally get it over the line.
Their players have been a joy to watch at times during the 2024/25 campaign. Kasper Schmeichel has been nothing short of a revelation since replacing Joe Hart in goals, right-back Alastair Johnston has once again impressed greatly at home and abroad, Callum McGregor and Reo Hatate have been frighteningly consistent in midfield and Nicolas Kuhn, Jota and Yang Hyeon-jun have all enjoyed fine spells out wide.
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Daizen Maeda, who has been deployed both on the wing and at striker, has been the stand-out performer in the land by some distance and will, having taken his club tally for the 2024/25 campaign to 31 in a 5-1 rout of Kilmarnock last weekend, be a worthy recipient of all of the Player of the Year awards which will soon be doled out.
So spare me the outrage, invective and indignation Hoops diehards and just savour the moment to the full when it comes.
No, my issue is not with Celtic, it is with the fact the Premiership has once again been, not to put too fine a point on it, a complete and utter non-event this term.
The holders were two points clear of Rangers following their opening game in August, forged five in front after romping to a 3-0 triumph in a home derby in September, edged six points ahead when their ancient adversaries crashed to a 1-0 loss to Kilmarnock away in October and had a cushion of nine going into November after their city rivals lost 2-1 to Aberdeen at Pittodrie. It was all over long, long before Christmas.
There was a lot of chat about whether Jimmy Thelin’s charges could sustain their scintillating start, do a Leicester City or a Bayer Leverkusen and break the 40 year Old Firm duopoly after they had won 10 and drawn one of their opening 11 Premiership matches. They promptly went on a 12 match winless run in the top flight.
Dundee United and St Mirren can be proud of their efforts and they will both be seeking to cap their campaigns by clinching Conference League qualification spots in the days ahead. Seeing if Hearts, Motherwell, Kilmarnock, Ross County, Dundee and St Johnstone can avoid relegation in the coming weeks will make for compelling viewing.
But there has been a distinct and somewhat depressing lack, a complete absence in fact, of drama and excitement at the top end of the table once again. Not for the first time in recent years either. Not since way back in 2011 has the destination of the trophy been decided on the final day. There has been over a decade of dreary one horse races which have always been won by flat track bullies.
This is by no means a phenomenon that is unique to Scotland. Liverpool in England, Paris Saint-Germain in France, Ajax in the Netherlands, Slavia Prague in the Czech Republic and, to a lesser extent, Basel in Switzerland and Bayern Munich in Germany have all looked destined to come out on top in their domestic leagues for some time now. Money talks in the modern game and the financial behemoths in most nations invariably prove untouchable.
Is the Premiership, though, not in danger of becoming regarded as a Mickey Mouse league as a result of its one-sidedness? Is it even a bit of a joke already? Would it not be beneficial for the reputation of the game in this country if there were two evenly-matched challengers vying for the title until May instead of an annual procession?
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Celtic fans will enjoy every minute of their 55th title victory regardless of how easily it was achieved. And they will love it, love it, if their men can beat St Johnstone in the Scottish Gas Scottish Cup semi-final at Hampden tomorrow and either Aberdeen or Hearts in the final next month and complete a world record ninth domestic treble.
But there is a bigger picture to consider too. Anyone who cares about the health of the sport in Scotland would welcome Rangers, or Hibs, or Hearts, or Aberdeen or another team, getting their act together and launching a credible tilt at the trophy next term. Celtic would be the beneficiaries.
“There has been no pressure over Celtic throughout the season,” said their former player Stiliyan Petrov this week. “They didn’t need to look over their shoulders. Players need an edge. Helicopter Sunday was exciting. The world was watching. Scottish fans have missed that.”
