After four years of research, Celtic's long wait for the title is living it's final day today. A whole team has passed through Parkhead's gates to finally achieve the SPL for the first time since the 22nd of May of 2008. The death of Tommy Burns spurred Celtic's passion to cut back the gap with Rangers and crown them for the 42nd time in their history. It all looked rosey, very few people would have thought that a three-year-title drought was coming. Credit to Walter Smith and their players, but Celtic only have themselves to blame to allow their Old Firm rivals achieve three titles in a row while they were financially on their knees. It was a prelude of what they are living now: Rangers must fight until the end of the season just to survive, the tax man has finally came to Ibrox and won't wait anymore, his wait has been too long. What looked like a 50 million pounds debt appears to be now about 134 000 000 pounds, hardly an inspiring number to have in your own bill, except you are a crazy billionaire football owner. It's just sad that Rangers one, Craig Whyte, did seem that (at least for some of the faithful Scottish press) last year, but has turned out to be a liar. He just didn't have the money available despite promising a 25 million pounds warchest that would bring exciting players again to Ibrox.
Rangers used money they didn't have during years, Whyte's time in front of Rangers hasn't ruined the club itself, it already was. David Murray used jets, had tons of money to sign talented players like Gascoigne, Albertz, Laudrup or the De Boer twins, but he used a trick most of mortals don't tend to have in our actions' list. He spent more while he received less money. Red numbers were just a matter of time. The ball has exploded in 2012, giving Rangers a 10 point deficit in the league due to their entering into administration and some headaches to thing about to make up the numbers before the season in Scotland reaches its end. Some unbiased pundits say that it's a tainted title for Celtic. But, my point of view is that they won it on the park, they spent four months without losing a single point and were simply better than their Glasgow rivals. Also, they didn't force their rivals to overspend years ago, they weren't neither guilty of the Rangers board believing Whyte's farce, they were simply working on their own while Rangers were building their own multipound grave. This paragraph wouldn't be needed, as people can easily understand that if you spend tons of money you don't have, you'll simply end up in trouble, and that won't be your neighbours, your bank's, your taxman's nor your beloved Queen's fault. It's just yours. But some "journalists" in Scotland look like failing in understanding the easiest Economics' lesson. Maybe they should come back to University.
Let's turn again to the pitch. Rugby Park will host the 33rd match of this season's SPL between Kilmarnock and Celtic. The visitors need just a point to be crowned champions. They lead Rangers by 18 points now, with 6 games to be played. Lennon will finally reach his first SPL title, a trophy that looked well assured one year ago, only to end in the Rangers trophy room again, thanks to a disastrous afternoon against Inverness CT. They could have wrapped it up several weeks ago, an Ibrox title clinching win looked like an ideal scenario for the Bhoys' fans, but the players lack of ideas during the whole game (helped by some atrocious refereeing by Callum Murray) destroyed the hopes of winning the league title on their rivals' own turf for the first time since 1967. Rangers win last week at Fir Park made the Hoops' wait one week longer.
Celtic, despite what their players say to the press, will want some kind of revenge tomorrow. Their loss at Hampden Park against Kilmarnock on March prevented them of capturing the Treble, one of Martin O'Neill's most remembered achievements. It still pains many fans, as that was an unique chance that won't come in years. So Hooper, Stokes and company will look tomorrow to bury a rival that has posed a strong opposition anytime they've found Celtic on their road. Killie have left Celtic three stands of their stadium, a touch of class from the hosts, that will help many Bhoys to come to Kilmarnock and be able to celebrate their well deserved title. Will we see the last chapter of Celtic's long wait to the Promised Land? Or will Kilmarnock stun Celtic to repeal the Hoops' celebration one more week? Wait and see, we'll have the answer tomorrow at 12 am .
