For all the wacky, zany, unexpected occurrences that have happened over the years in Scottish football (and there have been plenty), most of them have at least had a logical explanation.
The automated match camera that confused the referee's bald head for the ball? Completely improbable — but the deductive reasoning makes sense.
After 14 long years, Scottish football legend Scott brown is leaving Celtic. The 35-year-old midfielder announced Thursday that he is joining Aberdeen at the end of the season on a free transfer, where he will act as a player-coach.
Former Scotland captain Scott Brown signs pre-contract with Aberdeen in player-coach role.#StandFree
When we look back at football in 2020/21 over the years to come, there will be no classics, no games to remember — because without fans, matches just don't have the same impact.
Of course, these changes were necessary to prevent the spread of the deadly COVID-19 virus, and, if current trends hold, it seems that fans will soon be allowed back in stadiums again.
Rangers celebrated their first league triumph since 2011 after Celtic were frustrated by Dundee United in a 0-0 Premiership draw on Sunday to hand their bitter Glasgow rivals the title.
Rangers fans had flouted COVID-19 lockdown restrictions to gather outside Ibrox before and after Saturday's 3-0 win over St Mirren which moved the team to within a point of the title and Celtic needed a win to delay their celebrations. But despite dominating possession and having more than 25 shots during the game, visitors Celtic were unable to find a way past a determined United side.
Rangers fans flouted coronavirus lockdown restrictions to gather outside Ibrox before and after their team's 3-0 win over St. Mirren to move within a point of the Scottish Premiership title on Saturday.
Goals by Ryan Kent, Alfredo Morelos and Ianis Hagi continued Rangers' 100 percent home record with a 16th win and they will be champions if Celtic fail to beat Dundee United on Sunday.
Rangers have not won the title since 2011, since then they spiralled into financial turmoil and were demoted to Scotland's bottom tier in 2012 after entering administration.
For months now it has seemed as though it was only a matter of time. In what is perhaps the least surprising development in the soccer world, Celtic manager Neil Lennon has resigned with the club's bid for a 10th consecutive Scottish title in tatters.
Lennon departs with Celtic 18 points behind archrival Rangers, which is just seven points away from clinching its first league championship since 2010-11. Any appearance of a title race has been more or less over since November. Assistant manager John Kennedy will replace Lennon on an interim basis.
Imagine you took the Premier League and made some drastic changes: removed all the money, gathered the most random assortment of players, had every match played in unbearable wind and rain and turned up the patter by a factor of 10. Only then can you begin to imagine what goes on in Scottish soccer.
While he may have been reluctant to admit it ahead of the game, Neil Lennon knows his Celtic side's aspirations for a 10th straight league title will come to naught.
Celtic is 23 points off of Steven Gerrard's Rangers in second place, and on Saturday dropped one of its three games in hand to sixth-place St. Mirren, 2-1. Poor defending from Brighton loanee Shane Duffy allowed Ilkay Durmus to put St. Mirren back in front in the 37th minute, five minutes after Odsonne Edouard had drawn the hosts back level.
As the year draws to a close, Steven Gerrard's Rangers side is well-placed to end its 10-year run without a Premier League championship.
The Gers sit in first place with a 16-point lead over second-placed Celtic, although the Parkhead side has three games in hand. Rangers' rear guard has deservedly earned plaudits this season, having kept a remarkable 17 clean sheets in 21 games and conceded just five goals.
In Britain, Dec. 26 is the biggest day on the footballing calendar. Soccer is to Boxing Day as the NFL is to Thanksgiving Day or college football is to New Year's Day here in America.
It is a day to gather with family, enjoy Christmas leftovers and, of course, watch soccer. Boxing Day is one of the most fixture-filled days of the footballing calendar, and it is highly anticipated from the start of the season.