CAN HISTORY repeat itself this weekend? Celtic will win the league if we beat Kilmarnock in tomorrow’s lunchtime kick-off at Celtic park and the Rangers fail to beat their bogey team Aberdeen at Ibrox on Sunday.
That would mean that Celtic would be declared Champions without kicking a ball. And that’s exactly what happened on the same weekend in 1968 after Rangers lost by 3-2 to Aberdeen at Ibrox!
The 1968 triumph was Celtic’s 3rd league title in a row, and if history does repeat itself this weekend it will be 8 in a row for Hoops. Technically, Celtic back in 1968 COULD still be caught as they still had a game in hand to play as the scheduled opponents were busy winning the Scottish Cup Final at Hampden as Rangers lost to Aberdeen.
At the end of the game at Ibrox, the two Glasgow teams were level on points at the top of the league but Rangers had now completed their fixture list while Celtic, with a goal difference of 15 better that the Ibrox side, simply had to avoid losing 16-0 at East End Park in the next midweek.
That would be a gala occasion with Dunfermline bringing the Scottish Cup out and Celtic making sure of the title in front of a packed stadium including many Celtic supporters on the roof (as had also happened at Fir Park in 1966!).
The Pars had beaten Hearts 3-1 in the Scottish Cup Final with the Celtic players watching on and no doubt paying particular attention to the events unfolding in Govan.
In some ways, this could be described as Celtic’s best League championship of Jock Stein era because they we were so far behind at New Year, but won through by playing good football and piling the psychological pressure on Rangers.
Celtic won 2-1 at East End Park, with both goals coming from Bobby Lennox. The Buzz Bomb had scored in each of the last 11 league games of the season to drive Celtic towards the title.
Yesterday Neil Lennon said he didn’t care if Celtic won the league on Sunday without playing. If history repeats itself and Aberdeen can repeat their 1968 success at Ibrox the Celtic manager will be over the moon and Celtic will be Champions once again!
