‘Armageddon in Govan coming soon’ ‘Banter is next level Paddy’ ‘This! Is! Sensational!’ Paddy Power pounce on Celtic’s historic title

Paddy Power wasn’t going to pass up the open goal presented by Celtic clinching the SPFL Premiership title at Kilmarnock last night.

A 5-0 win caused delight far and near as Brendan Rodgers’ squad moved six points clear at the top of the SPFL Premiership table with one match left to play. St Mirren on Saturday will be presentation and party day.

Most Celtic fans have barely bothered to keep a running tally on their league championship successes but that changed recently with the Continuation Lie.

Administration and liquidation in 2012 provided us with The Banter Years, with no identity or history Charles Green decided to tell the Gullible & Deluded that he had bought the history of the club that never survived the end of the 2011/12 season.

Arriving in the top flight in season 2016/17 Mark Warburton and the PR department came up with the fantasy of 55.

Rather than celebrate the freaky nature of their first ever title in season 2020/21 the Tribute Act decided that it was title 55, an outrageous claim after nine years of struggling along while racking up serious debts.

Last night Celtic won their 54th title, none of them shared with Dumbarton, with that total not lost on the hoops support or the social media team at Paddy Power.

Celtic fans are living through incredible times, the trophies and records are piling up but never taken for granted. Many fans remember the desperate nineties which delivered just three trophies, equalled by Ange Postecoglou’s side between February and June last year.

After winning 12 of the last 13 SPFL Premiership titles Celtic will start next season as strong favourites to continue that run of success.

Before the defence of the title gets properly underway there is bound to be some heavy trading in the transfer market, with Rodgers calling the shots unlike last year.

A cull of 10 players or more could be on the way starting with removing all of the players that joined last summer.

Cases could possibly be made for retaining Maik Nawrocki, Yang Hyun-jun and Luis Palma but even those players don’t look like the first team starters that Rodgers will be looking for.

Joe Hart certainly needs replaced, Matt O’Riley is expected to attract bids of the scale that whisked Jota to the Saudi Pro League last summer, instantly creating two sizeable gaps in the side that won title 54.

All of that speculation can wait until after the Scottish Cup Final on May 25, when the new look squad assembles for the start of next season a certain number is in the mind of supporters, killing off another of the fantasies that surfaced in 2012. Paddy Power certainly won’t miss the irony of a Celtic title celebration next season.