TITLES come in all shapes and sizes.
Some are secured in the breathless throes of the final match of the season, while others simply coalesce into reality on the ticker tape on the bottom of the Sky Soccer Saturday screen.
As it turned out, confirmation of Celtic's fourth successive top-flight title arrived in the latter low-key, matter-of-fact manner. It was won when Aberdeen slipped up against Dundee United yesterday, saving the Parkhead side from having to sort things out mano-a-mano when they travel to Pittodrie next Sunday.
It also marked a double celebration for Ronny Deila, who was back in his hometown of Drammen to witness a confirmation of another sort, that of his daughters Live and Thule.
Such an anti-climactic conclusion, however, will do little to dilute the satisfaction felt by the Celtic squad when they have time to reflect on the 2014-15 season. The Parkhead side have used 31 players in their league matches and few have more reason to cherish the achievement than Craig Gordon. It was not so long ago that the goalkeeper felt he would never play football again due to a series of knee injuries, but the 32-year-old has been a dependable last line of defence for a side which has conceded just 17 goals all season long. Friday night's 5-0 victory against Dundee was his 50th appearance of the season, the most he has managed for a decade. He certainly doesn't feel bad about sitting on his sofa when he finally completed the clean sweep of Scottish domestic medals.
"It doesn't matter how you win it," said Gordon. "It's a winners' medal and it's about the team getting there by whatever means necessary. We've worked really hard all season to get to this point so whether it's on the pitch or sitting watching a game - I don't care. I will treasure this one and that is me won every competition in Scottish football in my career.
"Fifty is a lot of games. I don't think there's too many seasons I've done it throughout my whole career. To come back after a couple of years out and play that many games wasn't something I expected."
Kris Commons went on the record recently to dismiss Aberdeen's title challenge, but Gordon is more diplomatic. He reflects back on the last-minute Virgil van Dijk winner which gave 10-man Celtic victory at Pittodrie in November and a 4-0 win against the Dons at Parkhead in March as the two games which could have turned this title race on its head.
"There have been a few times where it's got a bit close and you think if that had gone the other way ... but we've kept developing throughout the season. We look as strong as ever now, stronger than we did at the start."
Not that Gordon leaves the season entirely without regrets. Celtic's early- season double failure to reach the Champions League group stage still eats away at him and the rest of the squad, while he is still rationalising his mis-step against Inverness Caledonian Thistle's Marley Watkins which saw him dismissed in the Scottish Cup semi-final.
"These things happen in football," he said. "But I've seen in the last couple of days goalkeepers taking guys out and not getting sent off. [David] Ospina for Arsenal didn't get sent off [against Chelsea] so maybe I could have stayed on the park if the referee had viewed he'd taken his shot and missed. But I'm certainly not going to complain about that decision. There are other talking points in the game that we won't go into. But I ended up getting suspended for next year which is hard to take.
"We want to have another crack at Europe. We probably should have won the game against Maribor over the two legs. I remember our Player of the Year [Stefan Johansen] heading one off the line for them to make it 2-0 over there which would've been two away goals. I think we'll have a better idea of knowing what we're going into this time."
It was fitting that Deila should be back in Norway as he accomplished the next achievement in his promising career. He may be one of the most successful Norwegian exports to this country since Jo Nesbo and a-Ha but in football terms few managerial products of this Scandinavian nation have fared well away from their shores. Stale Solbakken didn't last long at Wolves, and Egil Olsen became more renowned for wellies and the long ball game at Wimbledon.
"I don't know them that well, but I think what makes me different is the way I lead," said Deila, whose managerial mentor is former Rosenborg boss Nils-Arne Eggen. "I think it's about the personality I am. I'm not saying I'm better but I'm different. What I also did well was choose the right club."
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