Curse Josh Magennis!
I'm sure I'm not the only neutral who thought that on Sunday.
Not that I have anything against Aberdeen - my time as a student in the city means I have a soft spot for the club - but the striker's last-gasp equalizer prevented Motherwell from going three points clear at the top of the SPL, and four clear of Celtic. The Bhoys still have a game in hand, but had Stuart McCall's side held on at Pittodrie for three points, they could have lost their Fir Park clash with Neil Lennon and co next weekend and still been ahead of them in the league.
Still, those out there who thought this season's title race would be over by Christmas might be reassessing their viewpoints. The 'tic still loom ominously in the rear-view mirrors of Motherwell and second-placed Hibernian, after a regulation win over Dundee, but that was only their third win in their first six league matches. Points have been dropped in draws away to Ross County (where they were lucky not to be beaten) and at home to Hibs, and then last week in Perth. After the Hibs match, Paul 'Steakheed' Fisher, a Celtic fan, agreed with me on The SPL Podcast that his club didn't seem to have their eye on the ball domestically, with their focus firmly on the Champions League. The assumption was that, later in the campaign, they were bound to assert their dominance and walk over everyone else when it mattered.
That said, it should be pointed out that, in previous seasons, having such a mediocre start to the campaign would put a Celtic manager under pressure. Neil Lennon must be grateful for the fact he's not staring up the table at a Rangers side with a 100% record after their six or so games, or he would be taking plenty of flak. The overwhelming opinion is still that Celtic will retain their title, and comfortably.
But is it possible that someone could challenge them?
The only way, realistically, that Celtic can be stopped is if one other team in the SPL manages to prove itself superior to the other ten sides - so superior that it wins the vast majority of its matches and can keep up with the Hoops. In theory, the same pitfall might await Rangers - even if they continue to rack up big home wins, it is conceivable that one other team (most likely, at this moment, to be Queen's Park) could match their results and make the third division title race less of a formality - though I wouldn't bet against Ally McCoist's side!
The potential 'dark-horse' candidates in the SPL are, presumably the ones at the top of the table just now - Motherwell. At the start of the season, most considered Dundee United and Hearts the Best of the Rest. But the latter have been incredibly inconsistent, and their young players, though talented, still have a lot to learn. The loss of David Templeton was a setback too. United, meanwhile, may be the first to demonstrate why it is unlikely a challenge to Celtic is sustainable over the course of a whole season - injuries. The loss of flying winger Gary Mackay-Steven and talismanic captain Jon Daly has coincided with a dramatic dip in form after a bright start. One could easily see the same happening to 'Well if they were denied the services of free-scoring centre forward Michael Higdon or their outstanding goalkeeper Darren Randolph for a spell.
Celtic, in contrast, have already used 28 different players in all competitions this season; their bench - and even beyond that - is so vastly superior to that of their domestic opponents. Maybe, just maybe, if they continued to stutter, and if they had to sell Wanyama, Kayal, Hooper et al, and if Motherwell (or someone else, I suppose - though I can't see Hibs making such strides) kept everyone fit, and at top form, there might be just a semblance of a challenge to the Celtic Park monopoly. But it seems extraordinarily unlikely - the bookies' odds on Celtic winning the title are 1-41.
But, from this neutral's point of view, it would be nice if Neil Lennon's applecart could be upset once again this Sunday, keeping my hopes of an open title race alive for just a wee bit longer.
L.
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