Over

And that was that. The much hyped Judgement Day endeth. Against large, if not quite all, the odds the SPL helicopter has landed on the streets of Dundee. The streets of Aberdeen run with the tears of a hastily reworked treble dream that has crumbled into dust like that quadruple dream of only eight days ago.

The final battles were the story of the season. Celtic somehow know how to win. Rangers just lack the quality to take the final step.

Gordon Strachan becomes the first Celtic manager since Jock Stein to win three titles in a row. Will that be enough to secure him a place in the hearts of the faithful? This might still be the valedictory moment of a Celtic career that could have delivered little more.

Where now for Rangers? A Novoless cup final where Queen of the South will surely fancy getting fired into a team that looks dead on its feet. A team that is struggling not just because of fixtures but because the sheer strength of will that carried a mediocre team this far was always going to exhaust them.

Did Celtic deserve it? Does the league table ever lie? Difficult to know. We can say that all Celtic could do was storm down the final straight. Each Celtic victory seemed to have the effect of Kryptonite on Rangers' group of Clark Kents. Every faltering step that Rangers took the stronger Celtic's claim seemed to look.

And now that's it. A season that has been tragic, farcical, controversial and exciting. A season that has been short on quality but strong on incident. A season that will no doubt be falsely remembered as a classic because of the way the title was decided.

What can we do but look forward and wait for more of the same next season?

The Fun Finally Ends

How many times have fans wished that both sides of the Old Firm would lose? Well tonight they can. And that would be the fitting finale to an SPL that might have been exciting but has been low on quality.

Despite Rangers' Euro escapade. Despite Celtic's late fightback. Despite another final day reckoning there has been a dearth of quality about both teams this year.

So maybe if they were both to lose it would sum up the season for two teams that are pale imitations of their former selves.

Certainly Aberdeen and Dundee United will be up for it. Watching another team lift the trophy in your own backyard is a fairly shit experience. At least if you beat the team you can knock some of the immediate sheen off their jubilation.

Tonight will be a test for both Rangers and Celtic in different ways. If Rangers miss out then it will be a test of their resolve that this has been a successful season whatever happens. Are the two cup competitions enough? Will defeat mean the pressure is cranked up on Smith to radically rebuild in the summer? How much goodwill has Smith got to use up?

At Celtic will the board have the guts to stand by their man in the face of a support that has been resolutely unconvinced by Strachan? Will Strachan feel that his luck has been spent to its very limits this year and walk away?

Big questions for another day. But, for tonight, lets hope we get our excitement from who can lose by fewest rather than who can win by most.