Stuart Lovell: Poor Terry looked as if he'd been hit by a train

Published on Monday 25 May 2009 10:12

WHAT an incredible final weekend of the season in the Scottish Premier League.

There was drama aplenty at Inverness, Pittodrie, Celtic Park and, of course, Tannadice, where Rangers ended Celtic's hopes of four in a row and emerged as champions after nine-and-a- half months of blood, sweat and tears.

My job with Setanta has taken me the length and breadth of the country, covering 60 live games over the course of the season and I don't mind saying I'm glad it's all over.

I realise it's a privileged position to be in, getting paid to watch professional football, but I firmly believe if we played the game throughout the summer, without any kind of a break, it would become somewhat less appealing.

For me, the next couple of months will be spent trying to bring my handicap down on the golf course and trying to fill my wallet with wads of cash at racecourses such as Musselburgh, Hamilton and Royal Ascot.

But for now at least, it's time to reflect on what has proved to be another highly entertaining SPL campaign.

With the exception of Saturday's match between Motherwell and Kilmarnock, every other fixture has been of some importance to the table.

Even going into the final set of games there was still lots to play for with the title, relegation and the final European spot yet to be resolved. Setanta was broadcasting four live matches over the weekend – two in the bottom half and two in the top half – giving viewers the chance to have all the action right at their fingertips.

On Saturday, our main crew were up in the Highlands to cover a nerve-jangling encounter between Inverness Caley Thistle and Falkirk.

I knew this would be a tough gig as I've been friends with both managers – Terry Butcher and John Hughes – for a while now and yet it was a racing certainty one of the two teams would be relegated at the final whistle.

Imagine having to do a post-match interview with someone you like and respect, but at the same time knowing you have to ask them if they could be out of a job.

This was the prospect I was faced with and I can honestly say the six minutes I spent speaking to Inverness boss Terry Butcher, after a 1-0 home defeat had condemned them to First Division football next season, was easily the toughest task I've had since I joined Setanta as a trackside reporter three years ago.

Terry looked as if he'd been hit by a train, but he was man enough to come out and face the cameras at a time when he must've been wanting to shut the world away.

For the most part his answers were measured and fair, but it was clear to anyone watching he felt the sending off of Inverness's centre-half Ross Tokely was harsh and in his eyes it made all the difference.

Personally, I thought referee Eddie Smith called it correctly when Falkirk striker Steve Lovell got the wrong side of Tokely. He was through on goal and, although he was outside the box at the point of contact, the rules state if a player is denied a clear goalscoring opportunity a red card should be shown regardless of whereabouts on the pitch the incident has taken place.

I still believe if Richie Foran had taken one of two gilt-edged chances that fell to him in the first ten minutes Falkirk would have been as good as down, but a combination of poor finishing and outstanding goalkeeping from Dani Mallo kept the Bairns in it and the rest is history.

The sense of relief among the Falkirk players and backroom staff was massive and I'd imagine they will go into next weekend's cup final with Rangers in a completely different state of mind than if they'd been relegated.

After the game on Saturday, the Setanta bandwagon packed up and headed down the A9 to Dundee for a potential title clincher at Tannadice.

The scenario was simple – a victory for Rangers would see them crowned as league champions, but any kind of slip-up would present Celtic with a chance to sneak in the back door, so long as they beat Hearts at Parkhead. Like most people, I was expecting Dundee United to provide Walter Smith's men with a stern test but, in truth, from the moment Kyle Lafferty gave Rangers a sixth-minute lead the result was never really in doubt.

It was somewhat ironic that Lafferty, the villain of the piece at Ibrox last week, became Rangers' hero when they needed it most.

Some cynics have suggested that after his disgraceful playacting incident he shouldn't have played again this season, but regardless of that the fact remains the current disciplinary system needs a complete overhaul and the only time it can be addressed is in the summer so that no-one can be accused of having a hidden agenda.

I believe the decision to overturn Madjid Bougherra's red card from last week, thus allowing him to play at Tannadice, was even more crucial for Rangers and his calming influence at the back was the catalyst for an impressive victory.

So Rangers are champions and, regardless of Giorgios Samaras' claim that Celtic deserved to win the title, the trophy is heading back to Ibrox.

Aberdeen's last-day win against Hibs enabled them to take fourth spot ahead of Dundee United which, in my opinion, is somewhat of an injustice as I believe over the course of the season Craig Levein's men were more entertaining than both the Dons and Hearts. But as one of my old bosses once said: "Pretty football is no substitute for winning football."