FanNation

Bhoys Win the League, Huns Go Home Crying

Rangers FC better get used to second place.  They'll be there for a while.

The Huns had a 7 point lead going into April.  They finished the season 3 points behind Celtic.  Celtic won 8 straight games to claim the league and an automatic spot in the UEFA Champions League.  At least Rangers beat Queens of the South for the Scottish Cup, which in today's soccer world is meaningless for a team at the top of the table anyways.

Celtic Mourn Tommy Burns' Death

Tommy Burns (1956-2008)

Celtic first team coach Tommy Burns died late Wednesday night (early Thursday morning in Glasgow). He was 51 years old. 

Tommy, who's current run with Celtic began in 2005, died of complications of cancer that was first diagnosed in 2006. Though it had seemed he would last, it was revealed that he still had cancer in March. Tommy had been treated in the top cancer treatment centers in Glasgow and France but died early in the morning.

Word of Tommy's death paralyzed the Celtic football community and shocked Scotland as a whole, as Tommy was not only a fantastic soccer player but also an amazing person.

Tommy was a Celt, through and through, no doubt. His 14 year career at Celtic saw him play 350 league games for the Bhoys, scoring 52 goals and earning eight caps with Scotland.

He soon returned to Celtic as manager in 1994 and won the Scottish Cup in 1995. In 1998 he left Celtic again, but after stints with Manchester United and Reading he returned to his longtime club in 2000, right before Martin O'Neill's arrival, working in Celtic's youth development.

When Gordon Strachan arrived as Celtic manager in 2005, bringing Burns onto his coaching staff was one of his first oders of business. Burns had been on the touchline since then, playing a major role in Celtic's success.

However, Tommy Burns was more than a great player and coach.

Celtic manager Gordon Strachan, who was very close to Tommy in the last years of his life when the two coached together, was extremely hurt by Tommy's passing and touchingly recalled how great a person Tommy was.

"Of all the signings I've made, the most important thing I did when I came to Celtic was bring Tommy into the coaching team," said an emotional Celtic manager.

Hoops Win, But Gers Close In

On Sunday, Celtic won again in their final home game of the season against Hibernian by a comfortable score of 2-0.

Celtic needed another win to continue their run for the SPL trophy, as Rangers won contreversially over Dundee United the day before.

Goals for Celtic came from Stephen McManus in the 36th and Scott McDonald in the 87th.

Hibernian ended the game with only nine men on the pitch, as Martin Canning and Ian McMurray were both sent off during the second half.