Celtic, Rangers and Aberdeen have got Scotland buzzing again

Scottish football can once again stand proud as we say goodbye to 2007, and look forward to the trials and tribulations of 2008 and beyond.

This exciting year ends with Scotland slightly unlucky in the Euro 2008 qualifying campaign, but in a healthy position after being seeded for the World Cup qualifiers.

One amazing fact is that we still have three clubs in Europe after Christmas. Not only is it the first time that this has happened for 21 years, but all three clubs, namely Celtic, Rangers and Aberdeen, can for once avoid any similarities to Butlin’s, whose season ends in October.

Celtic put in great Champions League shifts, and although they went through due to results elsewhere, the game against Shakhtar Donetsk was pulsating from start to finish. I never really thought they wouldn’t progress, but I’m pretty sure they‘ll give Barcelona a good game. Barca are definitely beatable, but dangerous if they hit that bye-line and whip in crosses.

Rangers were equally entertaining, but with a more dogged and regimented approach. I enjoyed watching the away games, and that win over Lyon shocked even me. I had watched Rangers romp to a conclusive 3-0 win, and work tirelessly against Barcelona for a draw. Only to lose to both those teams later in the campaign. A 3-0 loss at home against Lyon in a game that needed only to draw, saw them tossed into the UEFA Cup, against Panathinaikos. With a good performance I expect to see them progress further.

Aberdeen were given a reprieve when results elsewhere went amazingly in their favour. Not only bottom of the league, but they went into the last game needing a very achievable win. For 45 minutes you’d have thought they were fighting for a 0-0 draw. Someone must have told the team at half time because they were like a team possessed in the second 45. And in 47 minutes Jamie Smith scored a goal of supreme quality and set the Dons up for a next round tie against the mighty Bayern Munich.

Combined with the achievements of our national team, who managed to beat France home and away, the future is bright. Scotland have moved from 60th to 14th in the FIFA rankings, within two years. Our domestic clubs are getting back to basics by nurturing talent, building state of the art training facilities, and more importantly we have leagues providing the stage for teams brimming full of talent.

Of course, it may take a few years for all this hard work to pay off, but clubs like Kilmarnock, Falkirk, Motherwell and Dundee United are making bigger strides in youth development and wed have Hibs a few years ahead of their time at present. All in all, 2007 has been a good football year North of the border, not quite a vintage year but a taster, hopefully, for better years to come.