The first half of the Premiership has predictably been dominated by Celtic, and it seems certain Brendan Rodgers’ side will go on to win the title with ease.
They are by a considerable distance the best team in the country, and even at this stage must be coveting another invincible season, emulating what Rodgers achieved at the start of his first spell at the club.
Since the formation of the SPFL in 2013 there have been 34 domestic trophies up for grabs, and Celtic have claimed 24 of them.
There is now every chance they will eclipse their remarkable stats from 2016-17 when they scored 106 goals, matched that in points, and finished 30 clear of Aberdeen.
All of which emphasises just how much credit the Dons deserve for sticking with them during the first few months of the campaign.
Jimmy Thelin deserves credit for Aberdeen start, but is now facing big challenge
It was not until November 23 they blinked, and while they were never going to sustain that phenomenal run, and results have been nosedived since, overall, it has still been a praiseworthy start for Jimmy Thelin and his team.
It had appeared Aberdeen were going to be the success story to date, but the manager now faces a serious challenge getting his side back on track, and the manner of their defeat at Rugby Park was demoralising.
Outwith Celtic, much credit also has to go to Jim Goodwin and Dundee United, who have comfortably adapted to life back among the big boys, and can confidently target a top-half finish in the new year. They have been a good watch this season and Jim made some excellent additions last summer who have caught the eye.
If they beat the Dons tomorrow, they will close the gap to just three points!
Rangers had looked as if they were finally starting to produce something domestically alongside their impressive form in Europe, but defeat in Paisley halted that, and the pressure continues to mount on Philippe Clement.
St Mirren have put together an excellent run, and three straight wins have seen them surge up into fifth place, with Motherwell also up there right now, battling for a top-six spot – they have gone on losing spells, but have crucially bounced back and put together winning sequences, too, and having drawn only twice, those three-pointers have kept Stuart Kettlewell’s side above the cut line.
Both should have enough to steer clear of danger.
Hibernian are another side to have found form at a crucial stage of the campaign, maximum points from their last three matches giving them breathing space, and four games without defeat, culminating in their demolition of the Dons, have seen Kilmarnock move up the table.
Derek McInnes was always likely to guide Killie to safety after their troubled start, while if Hibs can maintain their recent improvement, they, too, will have little to worry about.
Ross County will hope ride wave of long-awaited away victory
Below those two, the bottom four are separated by five points, and any of them could find themselves in the relegation or play-off places come May. They might well need a successful January transfer window to alleviate fears of the drop.
I always felt Dundee would be fine, but they are going to have to arrest their current slide for that to be the case.
St Johnstone are rock-bottom at the moment, and struggling, while Ross County will be hoping that long-awaited away win at Dens – their first since September 2023 – will give them a lift.
Hearts are just two points off the foot of the table, and the Tynecastle side recorded the worst sequence of successive defeats of any team, losing five on the spin, in the autumn. Their form has barely improved since.
Steven Naismith was sacked, and although Neil Critchley initially sparked a mini-revival, he has not been able to sustain that. For a club of their size, with the resources they have, and the money spent, that is quite frankly embarrassing.
Twice in the past decade Hearts have been relegated – albeit not helped by financial irregularities and the Covid pandemic – so they will be well aware of the consequences of finishing 12th.
They will need a huge improvement in 2025 if they are to ensure survival.
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