If you had asked me a week ago who I thought was going to finish second, I’d have said Hibernian.
They have been the form team in the league since January and, after beating Celtic in the first game post-split, looked destined to pip Aberdeen and Rangers to second.
I’ve said it all season, they have played some brilliant football and treated the fans to entertainment.
Read more: Neil Lennon will quit Hibernian unless his demands are met
But, football is a funny old game, and one point from two matches suddenly sees Neil Lennon’s side needing a six-goal miracle to finish third ahead of Rangers, which won’t happen.
It has been a brilliant season for Hibs, but they seem to have run out of steam at just the wrong time. I think that is what caused such frustration for Neil on Wednesday night when he said he would be considering his position.
But he’s got to remember they’ve only just come up. He’s a born winner and I know he will be disappointed because they were so close and, in his mind, he will have had them winning the derby then beating Rangers on Sunday for a big celebration.
Ultimately, it’s a wee bit of end of season disappointment but they’ve got to balance that with their achievements.
Some of his comments after the Hearts match were a bit over the top but that’s him, he’s an emotional guy.
But, I think in the cold light of day, when he looks back, there’s a lot to look back on at a season to be proud of.
Read more: Scott Mullen: The precarious business of introducing your son to Motherwell
Looking to their rivals, Rangers started well against Aberdeen but then fell away. However, there was a great reaction in the second half and I thought Ross McCrorie was excellent.
Aberdeen traditionally have second place wrapped up by now and usually make a mess of their post-spit fixtures. This year, there’s been that focus because it’s been so tight and their post-split results have been really good.
They obviously didn’t beat Rangers the other night, but they were much more competitive than in the other three games this season.
Derek McInnes will believe his side are now in the driving seat for second and will hope to finally break their Celtic duck having lost the last 10 games against the Champions.
That shows the enormity of the task in going to Parkhead and trying to beat Celtic.
Read more: Celtic captain Scott Brown: losing semi-final to Rangers was best thing to happen to me
They seem to be a team that can switch between putting in mundane, average performances where they aren’t at the levels you would expect and then sweeping teams off the park. It’s all very well saying Kilmarnock sat in and put 10 men behind the ball on Wednesday, but the Celtic team of last year would have found a way.
Yes, they didn’t have any strikers available and that’s obviously going to detract from your attacking prowess but 73 per cent possession and one shot on target in 90 mins for Celtic? It’s as if they do have this switch where in the big games they can flick it on and are up for it. That’s a dangerous game to play, as it can backfire.
So, for Aberdeen, Sunday represents a big opportunity to finally win as it has no significance for Celtic. The danger is that because it’s Celtic’s last home game of the season that Brendan Rodgers will want to put a show on for the fans and win it comfortably. It all depends on whether Celtic flick the switch.
Looking down the table, there are some big games at the bottom with Ross County and Partick Thistle fighting it out. Having said that, I think the bottom will stay the same and it would not surprise me to see both teams lose.
Ross County have not won a post-split fixture and haven’t scored in three of those games. So, you’re saying to yourself, is it the fear of losing that’s meaning you are not scoring goals?
If you are playing for your livelihood, there’s something that says to me just to go for it. But, County seem to have accepted their fate.
Read more: Neil Lennon will quit Hibernian unless his demands are met
We went through a similar thing at St Mirren and ended up losing four or five in a row that relegated us. I completely understand what is going on at County. You overthink things and become worried about making mistakes so end up making them.
Two home games against teams in the bottom six and one point is not good enough.
While Thistle create lots of chances and play nice football, they have scored the fewest goals in the league. Combined with the amount of goals they have conceded and that’s a toxic combination.
With St Johnstone winning two games in a row for the first time since August and Tommy Wright wanting to finish seventh to get an extra £60,000 – and Dundee relentless under Neil McCann – I just can’t see either Thistle or County getting a win.
You would then begin to worry for either side in the play-off with the form Livingston and Dundee United have been showing.
It’s all shaping up to be just another quiet weekend...
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