Suddenly...

Firstly, many congratulations to St Mirren on winning the League Cup. A few weeks ago the match seemed to be something of a formality as Celtic strolled to the first step in yet another treble (at least potentially), and then suddenly it didn't.

In fact, it turns out that their winning the match was very much not a shock. They played extremely well, but the usual rule that "you need to play extremely well and need them to have an off day and need a lot of luck to boot" didn't apply - Celtic just haven't been their usual selves all season, and so a really good performance by St Mirren was enough.

Which leads me to the surprising realization that, suddenly, it looks like we might be looking at the first season since the 50's when neither Celtic nor Rangers pick up any silverware.

The thing is, this year we're at a point where they are no shock results: anyone can beat anyone else (well, apart from poor Livingston...).

In terms of the league, that means there are no false positions: Hearts are deservedly in the lead, Celtic are deservedly behind them - not far, but a little, and then Motherwell, Rangers, and Hibs are deservedly a bit further back. By the end of the season, the best team overall will be in the lead... and at the moment, that's Hearts.

For the cups, it's a matter of putting together a run of a few games, but crucially the right few games. There are a whole load of teams that you could see doing that: Hearts, Celtic, Motherwell, Rangers, or Hibs easily. Aberdeen could come good and retain their Scottish Cup, or St Mirren could readily do the double.

In a world where anyone can beat anyone, though, Celtic are probably the favourites... but it's also the case that it's more likely to be someone other than Celtic than it is to be them. (And the same for Rangers, and I suspect more likely even for them together.)

But while I said that this is a year that there are no shock results, I suspect there is one: specifically, if neither Rangers nor Celtic win something, that I'm sure would be a shock.

(Of course, there's a transfer window coming up fast, and the smart money is on both Celtic and Rangers strengthening. But it is worth noting that Celtic have come out of all of the last three transfer windows than they went in, and they're going into this one with their best player wanting away. Meanwhile, Rangers have managed to spend a huge amount of money on a team of duds. So while I expect both clubs to recruit, I'm by no means convinced they'll strengthen.)

It's going to be fun!