I have no doubt in my mind that should Celtic prevail tonight then they will not be given the credit for winning the SPL, and the sad fact of this potential occurrence is that many Celtic fans will probably agree as there are still members of our support unwilling to give the team credit for winning the last two Championships!
The fact of the matter remains that we are in the position we deserve to be. Both of the teams challenging for the Scottish Title have had to endure their rocky patches, and arguably fixtures have contributed to this drop in results. Celtic had a month to forget in December and Rangers have had a month to forget in late April/early May that has seen them drop out of the top spot.
However when you consider the fact that both teams have dropped exactly the same amount of points, both in 5 defeats and 5 draws you see a truer picture of a league that Rangers supposedly could only throw away. Quite simply Rangers have suffered a similar fate to the one that Celtic faced late last year; the raft of away games has caught up on them.
So it is onto tonight's game at Tannadice we go, knowing that three points should be more than enough to secure victory. Tonight we must be focused beyond belief, we must treat every 50/50 as "our ball" we must win every challenge and we must create chances and more importantly put them away. We have to send out a clear message that this is our title.
Gordon Strachan agrees that we are in the position we deserve to be in. "The atmosphere about the place is good and I'm starting to feel a lot better. I wouldn't have believed we could have been in this position six or seven weeks ago. When we lost at home to Motherwell the percentages so far as retaining the championship was concerned suddenly shortened.
"People were starting to ask me questions in press conferences about whether I was able to sleep properly and I got the impression others thought I was suicidal.
"I think that defeat brought about the second crisis of the season for me but then a crisis at Celtic is something that can come if you get a corner kick against you"
Strachan also pointed to one player as inspiration for the teams reversal of fortune that has seen our midfield performing with more fluency and purpose. "Barry Robson has come into the side and recharged us. He's given us his sheer raw will and determination. And I know I've enjoyed the challenge of playing catch-up in a championship context. It's happened to me down south at the other end of the table but I've never known it in a title race. But now we're playing a United side that can be justifiably proud of themselves. They've got a higher league place to play for and the money that goes with it, which is a job they'll set about by being as well organised as they usually are. Craig Levein has them playing with a narrow midfield and you have to work really hard to win the ball in that area when you're playing them.
"United also have a solid back four, so it all adds up to an exciting Thursday night."
It certainly will, stocks of valium and pampers are running out already. Make sure you get in their before David Weir!
Yours in Celtic
Clydebuilt