These are the three managers in Celtic's 120-year history to have won three titles in a row and our current manager is in esteemed company now after clinching his third successive title.
Many have written him off, and I must admit that I had lost faith in him after the home defeat to Motherwell but I always felt that Rangers were there for the taking and that if we could win our remaining games we would be in with a chance. We could at least make it difficult for them.
Fast forward to 9 wins on the trot including two victories over Rangers and a couple of hard fought away games to the likes of Hibernian and Motherwell and we put ourselves in pole position and held our nerve to become Champions!
This to me points massively to the fact that Gordon Strachan stuck to the task at hand with unwavering belief and dedication that is hard for me to comprehend. How do you continue to motivate yourself out of bed in the morning after so called fans shout for your head let alone go into work and motivate a group of players into winning their next game of football? How do you continue to fight to win titles when the very people you are doing it for turn their back on you?
It has been often said that our Manager is arrogant and stubborn, could these be the qualities that see us remaining at the pinnacle of Scottish Football? Could his stubbornness have been the attribute that allowed him to dogged fight for every point in those remaining nine games? Did his arrogance win us the league?
They may have helped him along the way, but Strachan won that league for one reason, each player in that squad wanted to go out and win that trophy for him. Did you see his team talk at the end of the game last night? Each and every player staring intently at their boss, savouring his every word and hanging on every syllable before letting out a shout and a scream at the end of the managers speech. The next time some uninformed clown states that WGS is not a man-manager because he heard Hugh Keevins say it I will gladly remind them of that moment.
Here is what the wee man had to say last night. "It has been an incredible night, an incredible season and I thank the players for their belief, they're character and all their ability," he said.
"It has been one of the most memorable seasons I have ever had in my life. As I have said to you before, I have thoroughly enjoyed the challenge. We have achieved what we set out this season to do.
"And now, it's only fair that I go and be with people who have supported and believed in us for the whole season,"
Well-said Gordon, now lets hope you decide to stick around for four-in-a-row. However given the lack of support you have had to enjoy during the last three years you would be forgiven for walking away with your middle finger held high! This could be a case of "don't know what you've got till its gone" for many Celtic fans.
Yours in the Champions
Clydebuilt