Celtic’s chances of retaining the Scottish Premiership took a turn in December, when two losses to Hearts and Kilmarnock allowed Rangers to re-enter the picture.
Since then, the media has focused on Philippe Clement’s success and the Celtics’ failure.
Both assertions were correct, but many believed the title fight was already gone after Brendan Rodgers’ squad toiled for a few weeks, and the media’s adoration of Rangers was embarrassing to say the least.
Fast forward to April, and following Rangers’ slips against Ross County and Dundee, and Rodgers having most of his injured players back, Celtic sit pretty at the top of the table with a three-point lead with just five games to go.
With league play set to resume on Sunday, former Rangers striker and now Sky Sports pundit Kris Boyd has admitted that he knew exactly when his old club blew the league title and effectively handed it to Celtic.
Boyd stated [Daily Record print edition, page 50]. “Some clubs get bogged down by winning cups but Rangers are going to be judged by winning titles.
“The fans have got themselves into a position where they could have won the league but, with the last three games, Rangers could potentially have thrown a golden opportunity away.
“It’s not over but it’s going to be very difficult. The last couple of weeks, you’re going to look back on that period and say it’s been the defining moment.
“Forget the start, the manager lost his job, Clement came in and transformed the club. But you can’t just look at it and say, ‘We’ve got ourselves into a title race’ – you’ve got to go and win it.”
Now, let us get one thing straight. Celtic’s injuries resulted in a decrease in form, allowing Rangers to re-enter the title race.
Hard effort and dedication have maintained Celtic close to the top of the league, and while nothing has been settled, the momentum is with Rodgers and his team now that he nearly has a full quota of players to pick from.
With Dundee going to Celtic and Rangers at an in-form St Mirren, this Sunday may be full of twists and turns as the title race comes to a conclusion.
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