In the end, it bore the inevitability of a Mario Balotelli red mist moment, but Celtic’s confirmation as SPL champions at the weekend was raucously celebrated by fans who hadn’t savoured a championship triumph for four long years.
It wasn’t that long ago that Manchester City were seemingly cruising to their first ever Premier League trophy. Now, by the time they play away at Arsenal on Sunday they could potentially be 8 points behind leaders and bitter rivals Manchester United. What’s gone wrong with City? Can they still catch United? And is it a disaster if they don’t?
As a wise man once said, football is a funny old game. How true. There are certain scenarios within the realms of the beautiful game that are indeed funny, or at least they are when funny means incomprehensible, as opposed to comical.
Lionel Messi, the man knows no limits. He currently sits on 55 goals for the season in all competitions, including 12 Champions League goals in just 7 appearances. And the little Argentinian is now Barcelona’s all time record goal scorer at the grand old age of 24. And all this from someone who isn’t even an out and out striker, just an attacking midfielder. So, is Messi the greatest of all time? And if not, who is?
At first glance, last Sunday’s Old Firm clash was business as usual. Ibrox was packed to the gunnels, and a thunderous atmosphere pervaded the ninety minutes of unrelenting tribalism, mayhem and – naturally enough – enough controversy to provide the required antidote to the banality served up elsewhere in the SPL.
However, this particular match was anything but routine. In fact, it was an odd occasion, for a variety of reasons.