League table doesn’t lie now or five years ago

The Celtic Star

·5 March 2025

League table doesn’t lie now or five years ago

Five years ago this month our game ground to a temporary halt due to the emergence of the global pandemic Covid19…

Leigh Griffiths celebrates scoring his third goal during the Scottish Premiership match between Celtic and St. Mirren at Celtic Park on March 07, 2020. (Photo by Ian MacNicol/Getty Images)

It left a huge amount of uncertainty hanging over clubs in terms of prizes being handed out, European places, relegation, promotion and so on.

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Celtic had a 13 points lead in March 2020

In our own case it was even more frustrating as we were left in limbo holding a 13 point lead, with only eight left to play albeit with having played a game extra, as we closed in on nine consecutive league titles for the second time in our history, and the possibility of a fourth successive treble still very much achievable.

Leigh Griffiths of Celtic celebrates with James Forrest after scoring his team’s second goal during the Scottish Premiership match between Celtic and St. Mirren at Celtic Park on March 07, 2020. (Photo by Ian MacNicol/Getty Images)

We played our last game in ’normal’ circumstances in a 5-0 rout over St Mirren at Celtic Park on 7 March 2020. We left Paradise that day full of confidence and excitement after a blistering and commanding performance by the players, unaware of what was about to unfold, looking forward to our next fixture which was the following week at Ibrox.

And with very good reason. that win over the Buddies was our fifth win in the six games, our only misstep being a 2-2 draw at Livingston a few days before but with theRangers losing at Ibrox to Hamilton on the same evening, we actually increased our lead at the top as things got rather ugly at Ibrox for their under-pressure boss Steven Gerrard.

LEST WE FORGET – No.1

In those six games we had scored 18 goals and conceded only 4. A 1-0 win in Perth over St Johnstone had seen us reach the semi-finals of the Scottish Cup.

Confidence was at an all time high, and I firmly believe we would have gone to Ibrox and won convincingly given the chance, a win that would have pretty much guaranteed us the title. There was only one club relived that we had been denied the right to continue the game we all love, and it wasn’t Celtic.

LEST WE FORGET – No.2

Yes it was indeed the latest Ibrox club. They were in disarray, their last six fixtures had seen them win only two games, both by a single goal. They had lost two of those fixtures away to Kilmarnock and at home to Hamilton Accies, the later which had the supporters calling for the dismissal of the Scouse messiah.

They had recently crashed out of the Scottish cup at Tynecastle at the hands of Hearts, and three days before facing Celtic they crashed 1-3 at home to Bayern Leverkusen in the Europa League. They were broken, both physically and emotionally not to mention financially. They were devoid of confidence going into a pressure fuelled Glasgow Derby.

LEST WE FORGET – No.3

In the end we were rightfully awarded the Title after a vote by clubs [including the Ibrox side]overwhelmingly decided not to continue with the conclusion of the campaign due to the threat of the pandemic. In line with the rules of the game we were declared champions due to the semantics of the situation, and righty so. We were on course for the title regardless. We were much like the present side, a side full of winners who had been over the course before, and it wasn’t a question of if we got over the line, but more rather when.

A mirror image of the present day

It’s a mirror image of the present day, both results and success wise. But there’s still a huge element of The Rangers supporters who will tell you that we were ‘handed’ a league title. Can they explain then, why did they concede this year’s title as far back as December as Celtic were streets ahead, but refuse to accept that we deserved the title back in 2020?

I wouldn’t wait for an answer. The league table didn’t lie then, just as it doesn’t lie now.

Odsonne Edouard celebrates with Callum McGregor and Scott Brown after scoring Celtic’s third goal during the Scottish Premiership match between Celtic and St. Mirren at Celtic Park on March 07, 2020. (Photo by Ian MacNicol/Getty Images)

New favourite to replace Philippe Clement

PS Steven Gerrard is now the bookies favourite to be the next manager of theRangers, with Oh Barry, Barry Barry Ferguson drifting out to 10/1 after losing 2-1 to Motherwell at Ibrox on Saturday afternoon.

Just an Ordinary Bhoy