While Rangers’ blunderings have rendered left Celtic free to stroll towards another Premiership title, there may yet be some late drama at the other end of the table.
Because, as ex-Ibrox stalwart Jason Holt rolled back the years against Callum McGregor and co, St Johnstone’s stunning 1-0 victory over Brendan Rodgers’ champions-elect ensures that the gap between twelfth and eleventh-place Dundee now stands at just four points.
To think, before Sunday afternoon’s coupon-buster, just about everyone at McDiarmid Park expected to end the weekend eight adrift.
Is a great escape really on the cards? Or is Daniels Balodis’ fourth minute header destined to become a false dawn before the eventual rainclouds set in for good, and a rare moment for the Rangers support to mock their silver-hoarding neighbours in green.
One things for sure, as Southampton’s relegation from the Premier League at breakneck, record-setting speed was finally confirmed on Sunday afternoon, there will be no St Johnstone-style charge south of the border.
Former Rangers ace Joe Aribo relegated with Southampton
No team in the history of the competition had ever seen their fate confirmed with seven days still to play.
Southampton’s 3-1 defeat by Tottenham Hotspur – their 25th in 31 top-flight games – sees Ivan Juric’s team stumble back into the Championship a whole three weeks before the start of May.
As for Joe Aribo – the former Rangers favourite who joined Southampton in a £10 million deal a couple of years ago – his Premier League ‘dream’ turned into a waking nightmare. The sort of which even a villain as cruel as Freddie Krueger may feel guilty inflicting upon his victims.
“I want to mark my stamp as a Premier League footballer. That’s a dream of mine,” Aribo said back in October, embarking upon only his second ever campaign in England’s first division at the age of 28.
“I just want to be acknowledged or be known as a very good player, really. Nothing too crazy, but I know what I am capable of.
“Our goal was to be back in the Premier League. We did it the hard way going to Wembley [and beating Leeds United in the play-offs] but we did it and we’re back again.”
Well, they wouldn’t be back for long.
Aribo embarrassed as Premier League dream turns sour
Aribo felt that the chance to prove himself amongst the Kevin de Bruynes and the Bruno Fernandes was an opportunity he simply could not pass up when Southampton came calling back in 2022, shortly after the Nigeria international had put Rangers ahead in the Europa League final clash with Eintracht Frankfurt.
Southampton would go on to finish bottom that season.
If Aribo felt things could hardly go much worse at the second time of asking, he was sadly mistaken. The Saints are destined to end the current campaign nailed to the basement of the Premier League table once again.
Furthermore, with only two wins and ten points, Southampton could yet break another unwanted record. They are still trailing Derby County – statistically the worst ever Premier League team – by a single point.
Rangers have been linked with ex-Ibrox stopper Russell Martin as they scour the market for a permanent head coach. But, sacked in December, it was Martin who allowed the rot to set in.
That Aribo is Southampton’s second highest goalscorer on three, meanwhile, tells it’s own story.
“I’m going to speak for myself personally. Of course, it’s embarrassing [to be so far adrift],” a red-faced Aribo told the Daily Echo a few weeks ago. “We play football to win.
“I’m a winner and it’s just a difficult time in my career for me, obviously, with what’s going on with results.”
