/ Michael / 01 June 2011 / Leave a Comment 
Celtic manager Neil Lennon salutes his captain Scott Brown after a goal against Rangers
"That Rangers were able to top the table with the largest points haul in six years at a time when they were bankrupt suggests that the gap won’t be closing any time soon."
Celtic haven't won the SPL in any of the last three seasons yet they are the early favourites to be crowned champions of Scotland in 2011-12 at [1.85], with Rangers [2.16] to sustain their dominance in the absence of Walter Smith, who is being replaced by rookie manager Ally McCoist.
But the loss to the league of a ten-time title winner is far from the main problem in Scottish football, as the owners of every SPL club strive to find a format that makes the division more interesting. It's a tricky task given that regardless of whether there are ten, 12 or 14 teams involved, there will still be two significantly stronger than all the others.
The idea of downsizing from 12 to ten is unworkable, according to promoted Dunfermline's chairman John Yorkston, who is unsurprisingly keen on a setup that boosts his side's chances of a sustained spell in the top-flight. His preferred plan is for there to be a pool of 14, though it remains to be seen whether having a dozen lambs to the slaughter will be more entertaining than ten.
So what can be done? One utterly outrageous concept that would understandably be laughed out of Glasgow by the Old Firm but would, in this writer's opinion, succeed in livening things up would be to make double points available against the Big Two, so that a draw against Celtic would gain Kilmarnock two points and a victory over Rangers would earn St Mirren four.
Of course, there's almost no incentive for either of the country's two giants to accept the proposal, however it would have the bonus benefit of preventing Neil Lennon from moaning about the rest of the league not performing to their potential against Rangers, as they'd never be short of motivation.
The other more plausible prospect that gets pundits talking is to march the Gers and Bhoys off into the English football pyramid, yet while that would undoubtedly make for a more competitive SPL, it would see both interest levels in the division and an already unflattering UEFA coefficient plummet.
That Rangers were able to top the table with the largest points haul in six years at a time when they were bankrupt suggests that the gap won't be closing any time soon. Further evidence that the Old Firm's pulling power is still relatively intact is provided by the fact that Reading star Shane Long is rumoured to be on the verge of snubbing Premier League suitors to join Celtic.
Neil Lennon's agent Martin Reilly is adamant that the Celtic boss won't be forced out of the club by those making his life hell, ahead of what promises to be a thrilling finale to a gripping SPL title race.
Something has to give at Parkhead this Sunday as both Celtic and Rangers put their 100% records on the line in a bid to top the SPL.......
Tobias Gourlay imagines that Neil Lennon's first-ever European tie as a manager will end in defeat....
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