It’s been the craziest season in living memory. Maybe ever. What stirs the blood now we’ve reached the halfway stage is that it still retains the potential to be the most exciting, disruptive and refreshing campaign we’ve witnessed in years as well.
As a cloudburst of lunacy, it has been unprecedented. There was Russell Martin destroying Rangers’ American Revolution from ‘a place of love’ before being followed out the door by sporting director Kevin Thelwell – only after he’d seen his son land a plum job and promised he’d work ‘25/8’, proving just how contagious verbal diarrhoea can be.
And how about Brendan Rodgers branding his Celtic team a Honda Civic – before being sent to the scrappy himself via a statement from Dermot Desmond that was the written equivalent of a napalm strike?
There’s just too much to get through. The Parkhead AGM divebombing into chaos as Desmond’s son Ross slaughtered punters and pretty much gave up the ghost on Europe. Wilfried Nancy assuring fans worried about him being the worst Celtic boss ever that he knows everything there is to know about Scottish football – because he nearly signed for Carlisle.
Hearts have been the surprise package but they CAN go on and win the league this season
St Mirren hold the League Cup. Aberdeen hold the Scottish Cup. And Hearts are top of the Premiership with their followers daring to dream they might still be there come May.
That’s before we’ve even got to Scott McTominay’s acrobatics and Kenny McLean firing one in from the halfway line to send Scotland back to the World Cup.
Here, in joyous anticipation of the swings and roundabouts to come, we take a look at the four big questions that will shape Scottish football in the unknown wonderland of 2026.
1. Do Hearts have it in them to tweak their squad and storm to their a first title since 1960?
Of course. They’re already on the case with new arrivals and everything from their summer recruitment suggests the tie-up with Tony Bloom’s Jamestown Analytics is working well.
They will need more quality to strengthen the pool for the second part of the campaign, but Kazakh winger Islam Chesnokov is on his way with manager Derek McInnes having previously stated that he expects the 26-year-old to hit the ground running thanks to the levels to his game. Jordi Altena is also close to signing from RKC Waalwiijk and solving the ongoing issue of who is best fielded at right-back.
Manager Derek McInnes and captain Shankland have steered Hearts to the top of the league
More goals from midfield would be useful, but hopes remain high in record signing Eduardo Ageu. The Brazilian has been hampered by hamstring issues, but could be back some time in January and anyone present when McInnes almost drooled over his signing – branding him a ‘Rolls Royce’ of a player – can’t help but be excited by what he might bring to the mix.
Hearts don’t need massive surgery. Their team spirit and mentality looks good. They may have lost the Edinburgh Derby but their next three games serve up Livingston at home, Dundee away and St Mirren at home. Nine points out of nine and they’ll be in great shape for the visit of Celtic on January 25.
They’ve won four out of four against the Old Firm so far this season and, if you believe in form, that means you should expect them to win the title – even if it still feels scary and counterintuitive to say it out loud.
Yes, Celtic will strengthen. They have more cash. But given their recent business in the market, can you really trust them to spend it well?
2. What are the chances of harmony breaking out both on and off the park at Celtic as their defence of the Premiership crown falters?
Things have to change at Celtic. They have to extend an olive branch to their supporters some time. Season tickets for 2026-27 won’t sell themselves.
However, there is zero sign of that happening soon and it can’t be denied the civil war engulfing Parkhead is not going to help new manager Nancy as he endeavours to get his green gutties under the desk.
Right now, Celtic is spinning off its axis. Results are not good enough thanks to terrible use of recent transfer windows, but it’s off the field where even greater concerns lie.
Why Dermot Desmond enticed Rodgers back as manager remains a mystery. The club were never likely to match his ambitions and it came as no surprise when friction over signings turned into a binfire that saw him leave out the back door. Again.
Major shareholder Dermot Desmond has to broker peace with the disaffected Celtic support
Wilfried Nancy has had a terrible start to his Celtic reign, losing his first four games
What did come as a surprise was the character assassination of Rodgers put out on the club website by Desmond. On top of a ridiculous statement fired out late on a Saturday night in September – which argued the board are doing everything right and nothing is changing – it gave the distinct impression those at the top of the powerbase were losing the plot.
Desmond’s son Ross getting the AGM brought to a chaotic and embarrassing halt just added to that while Peter Lawwell’s resignation as chairman only poured petrol on the flames thanks to the ludicrously confrontational tone of the statement that announced it.
People inside Celtic must understand the need to take a different approach, but Desmond evidently calls the shots – and he’s not a guy for backing down in a fight.
In the meantime, CEO Michael Nicholson and head of football operations Paul Tisdale hide in the shadows. Nicholson does at least appear occasionally on the in-house telly station, looking thoroughly unconvincing, while Tisdale doesn’t speak publicly at all.
Hands up, Celtic fans, if you expect these guys to nail the January window after the absolute catastrophe of the summer.
The Parkhead outfit should be skating Scottish football. Instead, they are in a mess of their own making. They don’t deserve to win the league. And it might take the unthinkable failure of giving up the title to deliver the clearout desperately required.
3. Are Rangers and their head coach Danny Rohl out of the title running?
Yes. Rohl has made an OK start as Rangers manager and understands work needs done early in the January market, but too much surgery is needed on that squad of players.
Rangers have improved under Danny Rohl but his squad lacks quality and leadership
There is not enough quality and an ongoing mentality problem. Big characters such as James Tavernier and Jack Butland need replaced while it looks like the club will have to cash in on their one sellable asset Nico Raskin, poor this term anyway, and reinvest that fee to begin again.
Surgery has to be conducted behind-doors as well. All those characters Thelwell brought in are going to have to go, whatever the cost.
What is encouraging is that chairman Andrew Cavenagh recognises his US consortium has made a proper Horlicks of it since taking control. Turning things round before summer, though, is too much to ask.
4. Can Steve Clarke make history by taking Scotland to the knockout stages of the World Cup and seal his legacy?
THE worry is that the national side used up all their luck in the qualifiers. From Clarke’s perspective, the draw worked out well too.
We must beat Haiti in the opener. We’ll be meeting Brazil in our third and final game, when their last-32 slot may already be secured.
McTominay’s heroics helped take Scotland to the World Cup but they must get to the knockout stages
With eight out of the 12 third-placed sides in the groups making it through, four points is all you need. If Clarke can find a way to get a point from a capable Morocco side in the middle fixture, what happens against Brazil shouldn’t matter.
He should get us through. If he doesn’t, he goes down as the bloke who got us back to major finals only to fall flat on his face over and over again.
Let’s have faith he can get out of this with his place in history secure. Even if he’s not being forgiven for the horrors of Euro 2024.
