The history makers

In the final weeks of the 2025/26 season, there was fevered anticipation that Sevco’s low-calorie cousins could take the league title back to the John Wilson Arena.

One word that seemed seriously out of place was “duopoly”.

The narrative was along the lines of “Can Hearts finally break the Old Firm duopoly?”

Really?

What duopoly?

At this point, words lose their dictionary meaning.

As well as being a liquidation denial, the mainstream media proffers the falsehood that in Glasgow, there are two equally matched titans slugging it out for top spot.

If I may descend to the demotic that is clearly pish.

The inconvenient fact for many in Fair Caledonia is that since Rangers died in 2012, Celtic have dominated Scottish football.

That isn’t arrogance, it’s just arithmetic.

Try this for size.

As I have stated here repeatedly,  only Celtic can stop Celtic in the domestic sphere.

Last season was a case in point.

The self-inflicted bin fire gave others hope.

Bless….

That’s why Callum Osmond running the ball into the net at the Brattbakk end on May 16^th was so consequential.

A disunited, chaotic Celtic still won the title.

If the Parkhead club displays even moderate competence over the 38-game campaign, then the title isn’t going away.

However, one thing that Celtic is consistently bad at is communication.

It is an analogue operation in the podcast era.

That doesn’t work.

For example, someone at Celtic could quietly point out that Shaun Maloney has a contract of employment with the club.

Consequently, the breathless commentary about “nickel and diming” could be answered one way or another.

Failure to respond to that speculation in particular is amateurish.

Then there are more serious lapses.

For example, failure to address allegations that Hearts players were “assaulted” on the pitch on May 16^th is something that could have had Fergus McCann going to law.

There is a huge appetite for bad news stories regarding Celtic.

Firstly, the club’s own support has a suspicion of authority that leads them to want to know what the suits in the boardroom are up to.

This is healthy and rooted in the community that gave birth to Celtic.

The difference with the differential Ibrox klanbase is sociologically significant.

Of course, they also want a steady supply of Celtic stories as part of Operation Soothe.

The local media know this and churn it out.

Some of them are currently Stateside.

In time, they will be sent homewards to think again.

When they arrive back in Fair Caledonia, Celtic are still champions.

As an ex-Hearts manager once remarked, there is a “natural order of things”.

That the dominant club in Scotland was formed by immigrants in a hostile cultural environment might not be unique, but it is atypical.

Remember that fact, and the meltdown after May 16th becomes more explicable.

And, indeed, more enjoyable.