THERE might have been moments along the way when they looked like the best of a pretty average bunch.
So it was quite fitting then that Celtic should cross the finishing line last night having rediscovered all their old swagger and style at a place where they had stumbled back when they weren't quite feeling like themselves.
They didn't just wrap up a third successive top-flight title in Kilmarnock - they looked and played like true champions sweeping their hoodoo team aside and romping to the victory which finally puts this roller coaster of a campaign to bed.
Goals from Adam Idah, Daizen Maeda and James Forrest had Celtic 3-0 up by half time and even though the opener was hotly disputed by the home side, the overall contest was not.
No, this was a good old fashioned steam rollering and, if anything, the beating could have been a great deal more savage.
It began with an emotional tribute to Tommy Burns, 16 years to the day of his death, but that was as warm and fuzzy as relations were to get on a night when the Hoops turned in the kind of rampant performance which would have so pleased the great man.
They were stone cold killers out there, as they took Kilmarnock apart.
Piece by piece. Goal after goal.
None more so than the outstanding Matt O'Riley who provided the fireworks in the second half with two further goals - the first one of which had to be seen in the flesh to understand its full, breathtaking beauty.
And it all crowned a glorious night for boss Brendan Rodgers who was serenaded from the doting fans in the away end as if this relationship had never broken down in the first place.
Rodgers, not unexpectedly, took the if-it-ain't-brokedon't-fix-it-approach.
Bu hikaye Daily Record dergisinin May 16, 2024 sayısından alınmıştır.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber ? Giriş Yap
Bu hikaye Daily Record dergisinin May 16, 2024 sayısından alınmıştır.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber? Giriş Yap
Critchley gets a sore bottom
Honeymoon Over for boss as Killie claim comeback win
NO WIN BUT THERE'S STILL AN UP SIDE
Leith strugglers off foot of table as they grind out draw in Dingwall
RUUD HEALTH
RVN delivers dose of entertainment...even if short-lived
TEAM GLASGLOW
Club's confidence can rub off on the entire Scotland squad
MORELOS IS LYING.. HE'S GIVEN US NO HELP
Biker injured in smash with footballer says he may not walk normally again
Man jumped to his death to escape torture ordeal
A MAN jumped to his death from a 12th-storey flat to escape a thug who had spent two days torturing him.
A slice of history
Piece of wedding cake from Elizabeth and Prince Philip's big day in 1947 up for sale for £500
SOUTHPORT ACCUSED STAYS SILENT IN COURT
Teenager faces ricin and terror text charges via videolink appearance
BRAVE NEW FAWN
Z00 welcomes newborn of endangered deer
GET ON YOUR BIKE FOR CHRIS
Cycling legend hitting the road with his 'Tour de 4'