One month for Celtic to turn turbulent season into more glory

[BBC]

Two permanent managers, two underwhelming transfer windows, intense fan unrest, and the return, exit and return again of Martin O'Neill.

Yet, in a month's time, Celtic could be celebrating a league and cup double after one of the most turbulent seasons in their recent history.

The Parkhead side's sprint to the finish begins with the visit of Falkirk on Saturday, kicking off their post-split Premiership schedule, before concluding with a Scottish Cup final against Neil Lennon's Dunfermline next month.

O'Neill's men go into their final five league fixtures in third place, just three points behind leaders Hearts. However, their below-par performances have led pundits such as Chris Sutton to believe they have no chance of retaining their crown.

That view was likely shared by the entire fanbase when St Mirren fought back from two down at Hampden to take Sunday's Scottish Cup semi-final to extra time.

But a four-goal blitz in the space of just six minutes sealed a 6-2 victory for Celtic, and suddenly a campaign that has felt cursed is refuelled with hope.

Since O'Neill's return following the dismal reign of Wilfried Nancy, the team have simply been getting by, relying on multiple late winners.

Luck ran dry on the sandy Tannadice pitch a month ago when Celtic slumped to an abject 2-0 defeat against Dundee United - a result that felt like the end their title challenge. However, back-to-back wins since then have kept them in touch.

Sutton says his former side will have to be perfect to win the title. To achieve that, their unconvincing displays will surely have to improve against a high-standard top six, with crucial home clashes against Rangers and Hearts to come, as well as trips to Hibernian and Motherwell.

Although league titles have often been all but wrapped up by this stage in recent campaigns, the fact only one Celtic side have managed to win all their post-split fixtures in the past five years highlights the size of the challenge.

And when you factor in that the overall calibre of the top half is at its highest level in a number of seasons, while the reigning champions' level has dropped, the task only becomes more difficult.