"A wee bit special"

That's how Walter Smith described retaining the SPL title, after a 1-0 win at Hibs.

To make it all the more satisfying for the old man, the goal came from Kyle Lafferty, Smith's most criticised signing, who has rarely looked worth the £3.5m the club paid for him.

So credit where it's due - Rangers might have flopped badly in the Champions League group stage (again, though Walter Smith is used to that), they might have surrended the Scottish Cup too easily, and Celtic might have shot themselves in both feet this season, but they kept their eyes on the prize in the league, and came through with three games to spare.

Despite his achievements, there's no guarantee Smith or his management team will stay on next season. Off the field, Rangers are in a real mess - in debt by at least £30m, with a tough austerity plan imposed by their bank to try and reduce the debt.

The Glasgow Herald laid out the problems in excrutiating detail - suffice to say, unless a new buyer can be found soon (and that looks very unlikely), there will be no spending spree on the squad this summer.

Any potential buyers have been put off by a tax claim from Her Majesty's Revenue and Customs, which seems to believe that Rangers have been avoiding paying tax on payments to players by shuffling money through off-shore accounts. Despite Rangers being Her Maj's most loyal club, the Revenue seem unwilling to overlook this small matter.

So, despite their triumph, the future isn't looking all that rosy for Rangers. Their predicament does, however, might make the club more willing to listen to ideas to change Scottish football. And this can only be a good thing.

Good bye Neil Lennon

Well, the man who wants the Celtic job has ensured that the club won't win a trophy this season, after being beaten 2-0 by Ross County in the Scottish Cup semi final.

Apart from saying how much he wanted to stay in post, Neil Lennon also found time in the build-up to the game to say that he was asking Robbie Keane to consider extending his stay past the end of the season. Which perhaps gives an explanation as to why Celtic weren't firing on all cylinders at Hampden - insufficient focus on the game in hand.

Still, Hibs' John Hughes must feel vindicated, as Ross County have proved that they aren't a bad side at all. Well, he would do, if Hibs hadn't been gubbed 4-1 by Hamilton at the weekend, which makes you wonder - can anyone get the Hibees to turn into a consistent team?

Incidentally, Celtic's last league match was at Easter Road, and though records show that Robbie Keane won the game with the only goal, he was in fact pretty useless all match (the goal was a penalty, by the way).

Just a thought, but perhaps Celtic would be better off ignoring the "box office", and employing a squad of lower-profile grafters who are committed to the club?

Little more than a year ago, Celtic looked unassailable, with Rangers in meltdown and a decent if unspectacular team. Two managers on, they are a mess - and management failings at the very top should take the blame.

Walter Smith, cruising to his second SPL title in a row and now not having to worry about the neighbours having a grand day out at Hampden in May, must be chuckling into his boots.