Celtic rejoice as Rangers despair

Three-point lead
A 1-0 win at Dundee United FC meant Celtic secured the crown by a three-point margin on Thursday with Rangers, who had started the evening level with their arch-rivals, losing 2-0 at Aberdeen FC. "This has been one of the most fantastic occasions of my life," said Strachan. "We had a challenge and accepted it and I want to celebrate it with guys who believed in me and who I believed in."

'A legend'
Strachan has now joined Celtic managerial legends Jock Stein and Willie Maley in winning three successive titles and the Bhoys' chief executive Peter Lawwell said: "He goes down in Celtic's history as a legend. We've been written off and come back. It's a wonderful night for this club. It's been a week for this club that we should all be proud of."

'God bless'
Joy is tinged with immense sorrow, with Celtic's first team coach, former player and manager Tommy Burns, dying at the age of 51 last week. Striker Scott McDonald, whose goals for Motherwell FC denied Celtic the title three years ago, said: "We loved him. He was just a gentleman at heart. God rest his soul. We did this for you Tommy – God bless."

Quadruple chance
Rangers, meanwhile, have been left devastated. Once in line for an improbable quadruple of the Scottish Premier League, League Cup, Scottish Cup and UEFA Cup, Walter Smith's men have seen their season unravel over the last few days. Fixture congestion has made life hard for Walter Smith's men – Thursday's game was their third since the UEFA Cup final defeat against FC Zenit St. Petersburg nine days ago.

Red card
"I am disappointed with the way the season has finished," Smith said. Lee Miller and Darren Mackie scored for Aberdeen on Thursday, with the late dismissal of Nacho Novo ruling the Spaniard out for Saturday's Scottish Cup final against minnows Queen of the South FC. "We could have done without that," admitted the 60-year-old manager.

Final challenge
"It's devastating for us really – we've worked so hard," added Christian Dailly. "There have been many highs for us this season, but now there have been a couple of real lows, which was always a danger the way the fixtures were structured. We don't have time to feel sorry for ourselves though – it's the cup final and we'll have to be really focused for Saturday."