Almost at the end

You know what's really swell?

Not being involved in a final day shootout this year.

From the moment the fixture lists for this season were announced, I had earmarked Caley v Dundee on May 1st as a title decider. By xmas this looked fanciful because Dundee were miles ahead. By April it looked fanciful because the boot was on the other foot. So Caley are heading back to the SPL, and to my pleasant surprise and delight, have managed to convince everyone that matters in the first team squad (that is, our "Shamrock" front line of Foran, Rooney and Hayes - you see, "shamrock" because there are three of them, and they're Irish, and because a Shamrock is an Irish three leafed clover? Get it? Eh? Oh, never mind...) to stay. So hopefully we can try to emulate St. Johnstone next season.

Whoever we replace in the SPL is going to have a heck of a time next season. Both Falkirk and Kilmarnock have considerable financial problems, and expect cost-cutting to rival Tesco for the side which fails to come out of Saturday's crunch game on top. Surely Falkirk can't escape with an away win for the second year running? It should make for interesting viewing.

The people's final?

I have my ticket for the Scottish Cup final. Apparently so do 40,000 others. So far. Who would have thought that Ross County v Dundee United could get close to a sellout? Let's just hope it doesn't turn into a cagey encounter - not least because, for a 300 mile round trip, I damn well want to see a few goals. But a classic match would bring some welcome kudos to the Scottish game, not leadst because it would occur in the absence of Old Firm sectarianism. If County win the cup, does that make it a Highland league double?

Lennon hard to turn down

I still maintain that Neil Lennon is not the man to turn things around at Celtic, even despite his Old Firm victory...against a Rangers side who really didn't look up for it. But after a succession of league wins, it becomes difficult to say no to him. 'Tic fans need to remember the Cup Semi debacle, though; the one game that was important, and the players were even less up for it than an impotent pensioner's, um, you-know-what. Of course, it's easy for me to say it shouldn't be Lennon, but I'm buggered if I know who should get the job instead. Names like Alan Pardew hardly get the tongue wagging.

Coming up

This year will be the third in which a Narey's Toepoker Team of The Year is due. I will do my utmost to keep this tradition going next week. I'll give you a little sneak preview - there are no St. Mirren players in it. Bet that came a surprise...

L.