In all the years I have been covering the crazy, unpredictable world of Scottish football, there has never been a 12 months like 2020.
The year began with Rangers on a high, their deserved win at Celtic Park putting them in pole position to finally wrest the championship from their bitter rivals. But Steven Gerrard’s team crumbled in the title race and by the end of February the gap at the top was in double figures, and they had been knocked out of the Scottish Cup by struggling Hearts.
As Celtic racked up win after win to surge clear, Aberdeen were in a tight battle for third place, one they would eventually lose when the Covid-19 pandemic caused the season to be controversially called.
Football was halted on March 13, and for the next 20 weeks there was anger and bloodletting the like of which the game has rarely seen.
Throughout that time, there was a procession of administrators, directors and executives ready to press the case for their own clubs; self-interest was the name of the game, and when everything was finally settled, the losers did not take it with good grace.
Even after getting back playing again, the effect of the virus on our clubs continues to bite deep. We were warned all summer that some would go to the wall. None has, but a few are certainly teetering on the brink.
The James Anderson money was welcome, but by the time the SPFL doled it out, it was wrapped up in all sorts of conditions. There has been further cash from the Scottish Government, and the grants to the lower leagues will be vital, but the big thing for all our clubs is getting fans back inside the stadiums.
Unfortunately, most of the 42 are in local authority areas where the tier system simply won’t allow that to happen, and with even tighter restrictions in the wake of the adjusted easing-off over Christmas, the days of anything like decent numbers at matches are still way in the future. There is every chance it will be next season before we get close to that.
The 2020-21 Premiership campaign has so far been dominated by Rangers; there was even talk of them matching Brendan Rodgers’ invincibles, but their juggernaut came to a shuddering halt in Paisley in the Betfred Cup, and there must now be some concern within Ibrox that another collapse might befall them as it has in each of the past two years.
The Dons’ first half of the season has been a difficult one to call. They’re in a decent position in the table, and the league results have generally been pretty good, but the team has rarely hit top form, and only sporadically have the players sparkled.
Losing the Scottish Cup semi-final was clearly a disappointment, as was the League Cup exit at the hands of St Mirren, and that game in particular coloured the feelings of the support. Finishing 2020 strongly is now a must, and if they do, there will be a platform there for the next few months.
In a year full of rancour and controversy, the undoubted highlight was served up by the national team, and that dramatic night in Belgrade will live long in all our memories.
Whatever happens in the early part of 2021, we have the summer to look forward to, and by then it will hopefully be an entirely different landscape for all of us.
Celtic achievement shines amid gloom
The curtain was finally drawn on the 2019-20 season at Hampden Park last Sunday and, having attended every final since 1992, it was a strange feeling covering the game from the studio.
Along with 50,000 fans, Covid restrictions prevented me from attending, and that, added to the fact that the game was played just a few days before Christmas, made it something of a surreal experience.
Despite that, the teams served up the most dramatic and exciting Scottish Cup Final in three decades, and Celtic’s achievement in landing the quadruple treble should not be overlooked.