Scottish football’s old guard in flux as league title race tightens

The fear factor has faded and the playing field has appeared to level, marking what many observers describe as one of the most open periods in Scottish football in years. If early signs hold, this season could be the first since 1955 in which the two Old Firm clubs do not collect a trophy between them, a prospect that has fans and pundits rethinking the balance of power in Glasgow and beyond. That 1955 moment is remembered in part because Clyde icon Tommy Ring bundled the ball past Celtic goalkeeper John Bonnar at Hampden Park to seal the Scottish Cup for Clyde. It came in a year when Aberdeen had just won the league for the first time, and Hearts already held the League Cup, underscoring a more diverse landscape than exists today. Since then, domestic success has often flowed through Celtic and Rangers, but the current season has cast doubt on that longstanding pattern.

St Mirren have contributed to the sense that the balance is shifting. The Buddies lifted the Premier Sports Cup last weekend in a performance that many observers labelled as superior to Celtic on the day. Stephen Robinson’s side were the better team from start to finish, and the victory was achieved with a clear tactical plan and implementation. Robinson has spoken in terms of faith over fear for his modestly resourced squad, a motto that his players seemingly embraced on a stage that underscored how far the club had come in a short period. The triumph is a reminder that silverware in Scottish football can arrive from outside the traditional powerhouses, particularly when a manager’s approach aligns with squad limitations and the collective will of the players.

Celtic, meanwhile, have endured a rough start to Wilfried Nancy’s tenure. After a jittery opening to his reign, Nancy has overseen four consecutive defeats across league and cup competitions, leaving Celtic in a precarious position as the calendar turns to January. The club’s supporters have watched a once-dominant side struggle to find rhythm, and the challenge facing Nancy has only grown as a run of fixtures against contenders piles up. The broader issues appear deeper than a single manager, with some pointing to structural and performance concerns that extend beyond one coach’s impact. Celtic’s schedule now includes trips to Livingston and Motherwell before a home clash with Rangers on January 3, a sequence that could further test the squad’s resolve.

Rangers have shown a different trajectory under Danny Rohl, with results improving even if the on-field performances have not always matched the scoreboard. Since taking over, Rohl has delivered six wins and a couple of draws in eight league games, a respectable return given the club’s recent volatility. He inherited a team that had hovered around eighth at the time of his arrival, and the early signs of stabilization have been encouraging for supporters seeking a return to consistency. Still, the improvement has not erased memories of a rough spell at Ibrox, where performances in big matches under prior regimes left fans hoping for a more sustained standard. The current mood around Rangers is cautiously optimistic, centered on the perception that the club is moving in the right direction even as questions about style and efficiency persist.

Heart of Midlothian, meanwhile, sit atop the table with Derek McInnes guiding the team through a period of resilience. The league leaders endured a mini-wobble last month but have rebounded with back-to-back wins that extended their cushion to six points over Celtic at the top. Hearts have shown an ability to win against strong opponents, including a September victory at Ibrox that marked the club’s first win there since they left the Championship, a result that reinforced the perception of Tynecastle as a tougher proposition in practice than on paper. McInnes has downplayed expectations publicly, yet the results have shifted the conversation around who can challenge the Old Firm this season.

The current mood around Scottish football is one of cautious optimism about the league’s competitiveness and the quality of football on show. Hearts’ position at the summit underscores that the title race is not a foregone conclusion, while Celtic and Rangers face a mounting test of credibility as they navigate a season where losses can no longer be absorbed without consequence. The combination of a St Mirren breakthrough and the Old Firm’s stumbles has injected a level of unpredictability into the domestic calendar that fans longed for and pundits long anticipated. Investment is expected to rise in January as clubs look to capitalize on a more open market and strengthen squads to chase trophies later in the campaign.

The Scottish Cup still looms as a potential equalizer, with many predicting a one-off encounter can produce a surprise winner even if Celtic or Rangers reach the final. St Mirren and Aberdeen—two club sides that have already demonstrated their capability to disrupt the traditional order—will be keeping a close eye on developments as the domestic season moves through the midseason stretch. In a landscape where the Old Firm’s dominance has long seemed inexorable, any deviation from the script is now treated as both plausible and historically significant. Fans of St Mirren, Aberdeen, and Dundee United alike will tell you that in one-off games, history can bend in unexpected directions, and this season’s narrative appears to be trending toward more drama and less certainty than at any point in recent memory.

As clubs navigate a congested schedule with January transfers on the horizon, the broader implication is clear: the era of unquestioned supremacy by Celtic and Rangers may have a shelf-life that is shorter than expected. With Hearts pushing hard from the top, St Mirren’s cup win, and Celtic and Rangers weighing up how to reestablish authority, Scottish football stands at a crossroads. The next few months will test whether the current balance is a brief anomaly or the start of a longer-term shift that reshapes the domestic trophy landscape for years to come.