Six days that won the league.
Sunday’s Old Firm victory should finally wrap up the championship for Rangers, in what has been a fairly dominant season for the Ibrox club.
League number 53, and a world record at that, is a remarkable achievement considering the last time Walter Smith was able to pay a transfer fee for a player, who ironically, was Sunday’s match winner Maurice Edu.
Nobody expected the Gers to win the league with such a lightweight squad, let alone run away with it. They have suffered only one defeat all campaign, which has propelled them into a healthy ten point advantage over Celtic with a game in hand.
Spirit, courage, resolve and fight are looked upon as factors why Rangers are on the cusp of winning back to back titles for the first time in a decade.
Here, I take a look back at six days or nights the fans could proudly sing, ‘that’s why we’re champions.’
Hearts 1 Rangers 2 (23-08-09).
It was only the second week of the season, but the clash in Edinburgh proved crucial in the long run. A man down after twelve minutes when Kevin Thomson was harshly sent off, Rangers then fell behind just before half time. With the game seemingly lost, a battling performance allowed Lee McCulloch to equalise, before a Kris Boyd penalty in injury time was enough to complete a remarkable comeback.
Steven Davis and McCulloch were immense that day, and have carried on their good form since. Rangers put down a marker that day, telling Celtic they would fight for their title.
St Johnstone 1 Rangers 2 (17-10-09).
In similar circumstances to Tynecastle two months earlier, Rangers looked shaky at the back, and Colin Samuel put the Saints ahead early on. Despite being on the back foot for the majority of the game, Kris Boyd, predictably, equalised before half time, and then Sasa Papac struck from twenty yards with seven minutes remaining.
In what was a poor display, Rangers were able to go home with all three points. Again, the fighting spirit was on show, and having drawn the last two matches away from home, it was imperative Rangers got their campaign on full flow.
Hibernian 1 Rangers 4 (27-12-09).
Miller scores his second and Rangers fourth against Hibs.
At this point Hibs were seen as genuine title challengers, but Rangers were in the midst of their best form for years. December was a productive and exciting month that put them well clear at the top before the New Year.
Hibs took the lead after only twelve seconds, an SPL record, but, thanks to a calamity goalkeeping performance from Yves MaKalambay, goals from Boyd, Miller (2) and Novo helped complete the rout.
The result was important as it showed Rangers had the ability and bottle to see of the most challenging of matches, and with it, killed of any realistic championship hopes the men from Leith had.
Celtic 1 Rangers 1 (03-01-10).
Despite the derby resulting in only a draw, it was evident to everyone who the happier team was. Injuries and suspensions robbed the Gers of their best players, and were forced to camp inside their own half for the majority of the game.
Celtic were wasteful in front of goal, but were finally rewarded when substitute Scott McDonald headed home with ten minutes to go. Game over it would seem. However, straight up the park Rangers went, and Lee McCulloch’s bullet, Lyonesque header gave Rangers an underserved, but priceless point. Cue bedlam from the away support as they realised the significance of the outcome. This, for many, was Celtic’s final chance to claw the gap back, However, it remained seven points, and, in truth, they have never fully recovered from that demoralising blow.
Tony Mowbray took it on the chin and moved on, or so he said.
St Mirren 0 Rangers 2 & Celtic 1 Hibernian 2 (27-01-10).
This was a fairly comfortable game for Rangers, with goals from Steven Davis and Nacho Novo securing the points in Paisley, but it was at Celtic Park where the drama fully unfolded. Despite taking the lead, Anthony Stokes equalised for Hibs. Then in injury time, Danny Galbraith fired past Artur Boruc to steal the points. In Paisley, the Rangers support went wild, the Hibs support went loopy and there was despondency among the Parkhead faithful.
Another lead was flittered away, while Rangers were dogged enough to win their game. This was seen as a significant moment in the title chase, as Rangers moved ten clear.
Tony Mowbray took it on the chin and moved on.
Kilmarnock 1 Celtic 0 (02-02-10).
Robbie Keane tries his best, but Celtic lost to Kilmarnock.
Although Rangers were not directly involved, the media and fans alike realised the SPL trophy would be staying at Ibrox for another year.
The previous day’s headlines were dominated by the capture of Robbie Keane. It was, as some Celtic fans boasted, the signing that would win them the league. Their optimism dramatically fell when Chris Maguire took advantage of some shoddy marking to give Killie a famous win. Keane had his chances, but missed. Celtic failed to take advantage of their game in hand, and they remained ten points behind.
Tony Mowbray, yes, you guessed it, took it on the chin and moved on. Where exactly he moves on to is the next big question for the Celtic boardroom.
