Rangers Are Favourites. By Default.

Kirk Broadfoot and Daniel Majstorivic both made Celtic favourites for the title last week. The Diary decides to take a big stick and poke that view……

Everybody seems to love favourites. It’s gotten worse since gambling has been decriminalised. Ok, I know the gambling has been allowed since 1960 but only recently it has seemed to be nationally accepted that it’s ok.

Mrs LoTW tells the story that she thought that women weren’t allowed in bookies as In Law LoTW told her that as she sat outside eating salt and shake.

Myself? I remember the bookies getting opened where I live. It was a place of mystic and sin. The blacked out windows, the shifty looking punters going in and out refusing to make eye contact with you in case you told someone they were in there.

When I first entered a bookies I was so disappointed that through the frosted doors it wasn’t Las Vegas. Instead it was full of old men, sitting on horrible plastic seats, putting on 10p bet’s and trying to look at the form through fog like cigarette smoke.  My disappointment still rankles.

Gambling terminology has reached everyday life. Everybody has a favourite this and that. Radio Talkies spent half their hot air time telling us whose their favourite to win any game. They are then usually backed up by their shows bookmaker sponsor, which then cuts to an advert for debt management company. Consolidate your loan, just after you put this months mortgage money on the colour of Arsene Wengers shoes or what shade of orange Alan McGregors girlfriend is.

Kirk Broadfoot said last week that Celtic were favourites for the SPL as due to the players they’ve brought in. You have to take what Badgerfoot say’s with all the seriousness of a sermon on suicide bombers being delivered by Keith Lemon. This is a man can’t cook an egg or work a microwave despite his Mother leaving instructions, pinned to his fridge, underneath the Minnie Mouse fridge magnet. His socks are marked left and right. He also has a tattoo on his neck. It’s Chinese for this way up.

Over on the good side Big Daniel Majstorivic say’s because people can see we have a quality squad that he agrees with Badgerfoot. I’m not one for arguing with a Swede who seems to have a family tree, the bible and War and Peace tattooed on his person but this time I will.

Why are both saying this? Ones was an attempt at irony – not something his Mother does – the other just hasn’t been around long enough to see what damage a Samaras Moment can do.

Celtic are club that is only one notch above turmoil. We have had a car-crash driven by Strachan, then a shunt rubber-necking with Mowbray. Our recovery at the moment seems fan assisted, thankfully.

6 wins out of 6 is better than anyone would have expected with a team that still is checking each others name tags on their shorts. The inconsistent performances are to be expected at this stage but highlighting these is not a sign that I’m not on board with Team Lenny it’s just that I won’t be blinded by players poor performances or ability failings. I’m willing to embrace that they have failings. It is Scotland after all and I won’t get all precious over calling them out.

It doesn’t mean that I don’t love them. It will be unrequited love, bound and gagged by the ludicrous nature of supporting a team, or entity, that you can’t control. The next time you see a misplaced pass, shanked shot or annoying idiosyncrasy of players embrace that your allowed to be irritated by them.

I’ve seen much more in this team so far than I have seen in 3 seasons. Heroes could be born this season. With this hope coming in the sunroof, the fact that it’s slightly ajar let’s in the fear of failure. The last two seasons has seen this fear manifest itself in the Celtic-minded concious that we don’t do the steel needed after failure.

See, that’s why them across the river are favourites. We know how they will react to failure. Like rabid dogs. The mongs will dive, cheat, kick, mane, rape, call in favours and generally be as attractive as sticking your head in a Tesco bag full of $hit.

How will we react to failure? Will this 6 out of 6 be as good as it gets? There is an excitement not knowing what is going to happen with this team. Saturday sees us face Hamilton who should be as dangerous as a burst space hopper. But what Celtic will turn up? Being underdogs is where this team sits at the moment.

Make no mistake, winning this league will be as romantic and unlikely as any in our history.

R*ngers are Champions and favourites due to the default settings. Let’s have them.

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