The former Hoops hero looks ahead to the final week of the Premiership season in his latest Record Sport column
06:00, 09 May 2026
Heart of Midlothian’s Lawrence Shankland celebrates
Plenty of people would have expected the final Glasgow Derby of the season to be a title decider.
But no one predicted that both could end up watching another team lifting the Premiership trophy.
Yet, here we are. A must-win game for Celtic and Rangers – that might not even matter when it comes to the destination of the title.
It’s been an incredible campaign to this stage and I believe there are a few twists and turns to come.
And while some might be critical about the quality, there’s absolutely no doubting the excitement.
We didn’t see this scenario coming. Likewise, no one will have a clue how Sunday pans out.
Celtic and Rangers are similar in a lot of ways this season. Neither of them can produce 90 minute displays.
It could be another game of two halves this time – and it could go either way.
Rangers are needing snookers but they will believe they still have an outside chance. It’s only three games left and each set of could swing in their favour, at least in theory.
It’s doubtful at this stage, but you never know, and they will be going all out to win at Celtic Park. Don’t forget, there is also a Champions League place up for grabs for second too.
From Celtic’s point of view, it’s slightly ridiculous they are still in with a chance, yet they are in with a chance.
There’s no wriggle room left though. We know this Celtic side is a bit of a rabble and Martin O’Neill is having to mend and make do.
It’s going to come down to individuals again. I’ve seen plenty of people suggesting Kelechi Iheanacho has to start but there is absolutely no chance of that happening.
O’Neill can’t rely on him for 90 minutes and can’t risk needing a goal in the final 30 minutes and he’s out of the game.
Daizen Maeda has to start through the middle but that’s no bad thing for me. He’s found his mojo again and he has the ability to give Manny Fernandez and Nasser Djiga nightmares.
Nasser Djiga and Emmanuel Fernandez
The pair of them don’t like being turned and Maeda can pose that threat in behind.
It’s whether he can finish. That’s the irony. Iheanacho is the best finisher at Celtic by an hour.
But he also frustrates the life out of you. His goal at Easter Road was sheer quality, and he’s the only player at Celtic who is capable of scoring that kind of goal.
Yet there are times when he moves like Robocop. At one point Maeda got down the outside and squared but he was nowhere to be seen.
I then look over at Tynecastle at Lawrence Shankland and the brilliant way he took his goal against Rangers.
Everyone keeps saying he should have been at Ibrox last summer. Forget that – he should have been at Celtic Park.
Ignore all the rubbish about him being a Rangers fan. Celtic needed a reliable striker last summer and one of the best in the business was out of contract on their own doorstep.
They should have been dragging him back along the M8 because if Celtic had Shankland in their team, there wouldn’t even be a title race this season.
It’s too late now and it could be the difference in the next week or so. I still see Hearts as the favourites to get over the line, but I don’t think it will be straightforward.
Another individual who will have a huge say is Jens Berthel Askou at Motherwell.
And he is going to really come into focus as far as Celtic are concerned.
He can do my old club a massive favour by taking points of Hearts tonight for starters.
I wouldn’t be surprised. The games with Hearts have been tight this season. Motherwell should have buried them earlier in the campaign when 3-0 up only to get reeled back to a draw.
Even the 3-1 defeat at Tynecastle was a really close game up until the controversial late penalty for Stephen Welsh kicking Landry Kabore on the head – which I thought was the right decision, by the way.
It’s fascinating game – and then Celtic have to go to Fir Park.
They’ve caused Celtic a lot of problems this season. Askou wiped the floor with Wilfried Nancy over the festive period and even the game at Parkhead was right in the balance until the red card with 20 minutes to go.
Askou could do Celtic a favour this weekend – and then sink them a few days later.
Perhaps Dermot Desmond should offer the Dane the manager’s job on Tuesday…
I’m joking before anyone starts any lying down chat again, but I do believe Askou should be high up on the list for Celtic this summer.
Motherwell manager Jens Berthel Askou(Image: PA)
There’s plenty to come before then though, including Sunday’s do-or-die clash in Glasgow.
It will be interesting to see how both managers approach it. Danny Rohl is in a tough spot right now. He’s lost the faith of a lot of Rangers fans and a defeat to Celtic would leave him with a huge task winning them back.
Celtic can only really play one way right now, so they won’t change. O’Neill just has to hope they can click and maybe take some of their chances.
But does Rohl go with his 4-2-2-2 formation and risk losing the midfield? Does he add numbers in there and go long?
What will the Rangers players be feeling after their bottle crashed in recent weeks?
I don’t buy the suggestion the pressure is off them now because the title looks only a faint possibility.
They will still have some hopes but will know it’s all or nothing. It really could go either way, but even if Celtic win I’m not sure they will be able to win the next two to pip Hearts at the line.
It could even come down to goal difference and that’s where the lack of a proper striker like Shankland could really come back to haunt them.
