Scottish Premiership: Champions open their defence with a comfortable win
The Scottish Premiership was the first of the popular European football divisions to return from the summer break. The action got underway on the final day of July and it was like we had never been away. There was drama, controversy and a generous helping of conspiracy theories by the time the first round of results were in the book.
That fast start caught the attention of bettors who acted early and made their predictions on the winners and losers of the coming season. The top online betting sites all had Glasgow Rangers as favourites to successfully defend the title they won from bitter rivals Celtic last season. Will they make it two in a row or will the Bhoys bounce back?
Round one of the 2021/22 season saw one half of the Old Firm get off to a winning start before their rivals slipped to defeat. What clues can be taken from the results of those games and how have they changed the thoughts of the trading teams at major bookies?
Rangers unfurl the flag with a victory
Rangers were spectacular last season under the management of former Liverpool and England midfielder Steven Gerrard. They won their first league championship in a decade and, just as importantly for fans, the team stopped Celtic's march to 10 league titles in a row and a place in the history books. Gers crossed the line virtually unchallenged while securing an invincible season, unbeaten in the league.
Everyone connected to the Govan side wanted to see more of the same again this term and the bookies expected things to go to plan for Rangers, pricing them as strong favourites. They made several impressive summer signings to bolster an already strong squad and were able to hold on to their better players in the summer. It showed as the side got right down to business, picking up three points with a win over Livingston at Ibrox in the league opener. They picked up where they had left off.
Many in the Rangers team had never played at home with fans in attendance. The last time Ibrox was packed was a Europa League knockout round defeat to Bayer Leverkusen before the coronavirus epidemic hit. It wasn't a capacity crowd that witnessed the win over Livingston but it was a sizable audience and the players fed off the atmosphere.
Rangers took the lead early thanks to an opening goal of the game and the season from Ianis Hagi. That gave the champions some breathing space and they extended their lead thanks to Scott Wright and Kemar Roofe. The victors weren't up to full speed and won't be for much of the summer but they did have more than enough quality to win the game. The 3-0 victory sent Rangers straight back into pole position.
Celtic stunned on Postecoglou's debut
Celtic ended their drawn out wait for a new manager when appointing little known former Australian manager Ange Postecoglou from the J-League in Japan. His summer rebuild has been slow and laboured with the board dithering while COVID-19 restrictions slowed down the signing of new players. It showed on matchday one in Edinburgh when the Bhoys lost to newly promoted Hearts, a team playing in the Championship just a few weeks before stunning the Hoops.
The Jambos took the lead inside the opening eight minutes of the match, and it was former Celtic player Mackay-Steven that broke the deadlock. That lead remained until Ralston levelled things for his team early in the second half, and the game then swung back and forth as both teams sought a winner. Hearts got it with almost the last passage of play as Souter dipped in a stunning header.
Advantage Rangers on matchday one, and with Gerrard's side hitting the front early, they will be eager to continue their winning ways and stay there. The pressure is on Postecoglou's newbies to get up to speed early. From that early-season trip to Edinburgh, they would have learned that anything less than three points is a disaster for Celtic fans. The first Old Firm derby will be the last game in August at Ibrox before the league takes a break for the resumption of the World Cup qualifiers.