It’s very rare for a Celtic fan to look up and see another club above them in the Scottish Premier League, so  Rangers fans, you better enjoy it while you can, because the Bhoys are out to complete a memorable season.

After a fantastic Champions League campaign that saw Gordon Strachan’s men qualify from one of the toughest groups in the competition, and with the news that the best keeper in Scotland has signed a long term contract,  and with a quality right back coming in to ease injury concerns, everything seems rosy at Parkhead. And there's no reason to believe that they can’t catch up with their arch rivals in the league and give Barcelona a real test in the mouth-watering knock-out match next month.

Admittedly Celtic’s form in December was by no means outstanding, especially with home draws against Hibs and St Mirren, and particularly away at Inverness Caley where disaster struck. But  even though the Gers lead the pack with a game in hand it would be dangerous to rule out a revival for the Hoops.

'It's been pleasing to see a real two-horse race after two fairly straight-forward title successes for Strachan, and this says a lot about how good a job Walter Smith has done at Ibrox'


It's been pleasing to see a real two-horse race after two fairly straight-forward title successes for Strachan, and this says a lot about how good a job Walter Smith has done at Ibrox. It is also very pleasing to see quality players linked with moves to the SPL and it is clear that the form in Europe, from not just Celtic but also Rangers and indeed Aberdeen, has helped make a move north of the border seem far more palatable.

Strachan himself will no doubt look to strengthen his squad this month and a number of promising players have been linked to join Andreas Hinkel at Celtic Park. The Japanese midfielder Koki Mizuno is said to be close to joining and another name, that of Kyle Lafferty, has also been linked with a move to Celtic Park. After seeing him perform pretty well against Arsenal, before his sending off, he would be a good asset to bring in.

But Celtic fans can’t wait for the two games against Barca, and what makes them even more exciting is the very real prospect that the games will not be as much of a foregone conclusion as many would assume. Frank Rijkaard has steadied the Nou Camp ship in recent weeks but there is constant speculation about fallings out between the boss and Ronaldinho, and Ronaldinho and the rest of the squad, and they find themselves a country mile behind Real Madrid in La Liga.

Last year Celtic gave the eventual champions, AC Milan, as good a run for their money. Even the Italians would have considered their win a narrow one, to say the least, so what's to stop Stephen McManus and the boys going  one better and edging into the final 16? Stranger things have happened. After all, who would have given Scotland a hope in hell of getting so close to making it to Euro 2008? Yet they were within a whisker.

Let’s face it, Scottish football is in as strong a position today as it has been for a generation, and let’s hope the game continues to grow in an upward direction. Then maybe those in England will finally give the SPL the respect it deserves!