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00:11And so, the Scottish season that gave us so many stories
00:17is, with the same old story, Celtic are champions of Scotland.
00:32Celtic are champions, but my goodness, they were pushed all the way in what has been
00:37just an incredible season, and when it comes to this match here, John, Hearts did everything
00:41that they could, they took the lead through Laurence Shanklin, we spoke about it at half,
00:46so good at set pieces this season, and Shanklin, all that space at the back post.
00:50Yeah, it was, I mean, they said that the game plan was fine, they kept Celtic quiet, kept
00:55the crowd noise down, and they've worked it, Shanklin just come round the back, he scored
00:58the other on this season, with a header round, there you go, it's poor defensive, it brilliantly
01:02worked for Hearts, and at this stage, you're talking 43 minutes, get to half-time, 1-0 up,
01:07could be crucial, unfortunately, it didn't work out that way.
01:10No, it didn't, and it is always an unfortunate incident when one of these handballs happen,
01:17we spoke about it in the studio, all three of you agreed it was a handball, Chris, I'm
01:21sure you're no different, as the Hearts supporters in the Corn Exchange enjoys that opening goal,
01:25but there's nowhere really for his arm to go, but in the letter of the law, this is a
01:28goal, this is always going to be a penalty, isn't it?
01:30Yeah, and I've got to say, I thought with all the pressure on Don Robertson going into
01:35this game, I thought he handled the game really well, and, you know, I think the position of
01:39his arm is the thing, and people say, well, you know, where can he put it, his arm is out
01:44and away, and then he gets lucky with the penalty, I think.
01:47I agree with you, but I don't think the goalie should save it, I thought you were being critical.
01:51I bet if you asked him, he would feel disappointed.
01:54Yeah, he goes early, it's under him, it's hard for him to adjust.
01:56He's going for the corner.
01:58Listen, I'm not, I don't like this reputation of defending goalkeepers, absolutely not, but
02:02I'm not sure Swallow can get there.
02:04And just with that one, Sirachi, I mean, yet another sub who made a massive difference.
02:10Yeah, and Dyson Maeda, I mean, he's spoken often over these last month or so, pops up again.
02:15Yeah, he's had a huge impact in the last, probably, seven or eight games, if we've got to be honest,
02:20and he sets the tone early doors with his press, and look, he'll miss a couple of chances here
02:26and there, right, but that's where you want your striker, right in between the posts.
02:29Look, he's brave there as well, the goalie's a little bit unlucky, but it's a fantastic ball
02:33across by Sirachi to start with, and look, he came on, he was calm, and at that point in
02:38time, you can see the Celtic fans all celebrating, and VAR was quite quick there, so I'll stick
02:42up for it on that occasion.
02:43Yeah, it just shows the fine margins again, John, and then you said we were standing down
02:49in the corner here, just waiting for the final whistle to go, and we saw Alexander Swallow
02:54going up for the corner, and you said to me, this is either going to be 3-1 or 2
03:00-2, and
03:01unfortunately for Hearts, it went their Celtics way.
03:04It's the last minute, and they've put everybody in, you're hoping that it gets into an area
03:09just for people to go and attack, and with all the bodies in the box, if it breaks out
03:14like it did, Cameron Evelyn's shots charged down, Celtic are running away and scoring,
03:17so it's going to be 2-2, absolutely sensational victory for Hearts in the title race, or as
03:24it happens, Celtic break away and score the third.
03:26That goal's irrelevant, it's irrelevant in the end, it's just an added, but it's great
03:30for the young lad, Osmond there, fantastic, he's had an assist, and he gets the easiest
03:34of goals, but it was everything, it was score or bust for Hearts, and unfortunately it was
03:39bust.
03:40You've got such a strange season for Callum Osmond as well, he's had two massive moments
03:44in it.
03:44There I was in commentary saying, you know, her tatty being left off the bench, you know,
03:48I wasn't sure about that decision, but I've not seen Callum Osmond in training, but you
03:53know, the right thing to do in many ways was to have that extra striker on the bench,
03:57but speaking to Scott and James off-camera, he looked so sharp when he came on, you know,
04:02thinking this is going to take him a while to get up to the speed of the game.
04:05Ian Acho, I thought, brought a different dimension with his hold-up player, such a clever
04:11player, but Osmond brought that sort of pace in behind, and Celtic finished the game strongly,
04:16and I mentioned Sriracha as well, having a heat game.
04:18James Forrest as well, James, he came on, composure, and he's a little bit from Yang,
04:23he loves chalking his boots, he literally does, he's old-fashioned, he wants to drive,
04:26be direct all the time, but his vision and awareness when he came on was brilliant, and
04:30his calmness, and me and Rob were talking about this, as soon as he gets the ball, you
04:34can see his head, he's always looking to try and play forward, and I love that about
04:38James.
04:39After the third goal went in, James, we saw what we were in amongst these Celtic fans
04:44that all came on to the pitch, and listen, it's not all Celtic fans, but there were some
04:49who went on to the pitch who got involved with Hearts players, and we can see some of
04:53it here, and this is the bad of what has been such a fascinating season, Lawrence Shanklin
05:01being held by security guards, and the fans going up to them, we don't want to see this
05:04at all.
05:05I mean, I understand spilling over, you know, onto the pitch with the emotion, but
05:10getting back off the pitch.
05:11This is unacceptable for me.
05:14You know, going up to players, I get, you know, again, emotions run high.
05:19The players should be safe on the football pitch.
05:21There should be no point, they're safety threatened, and you do not want to see that.
05:25There will always be people that spoil it for everyone else.
05:28You heard the majority of the fans in here booing the reaction of the fans that had gone
05:33onto the pitch because they know that, yes, you go and support your team, and you're overjoyed
05:37at winning another title, but do it in the right manner.
05:40That is unacceptable for me.
05:42It should never happen.
05:43A player should be safe on a football pitch.
05:45It should not be, you know, surrounded by stewards, and almost, you know, Lawrence Shanklin's
05:50almost surrounded by his teammates to make sure nothing happens to him.
05:52That's unacceptable.
05:53It's unacceptable.
05:54Yeah, I totally agree with that.
05:56There's no place for that.
05:58I mean, and you can imagine how the Hearts players would have felt after such a long season
06:03and, you know, losing it at the end.
06:05I mean, they, you know, the Celtic fans who got involved with the Hearts players were lucky.
06:09They didn't get a thump or two.
06:11John, can you sort of sum up in any way how the Hearts supporters might be feeling right now?
06:18I mean, seven minutes your team were from lifting the title,
06:22and the first opportunity they get to go back and potentially lift the title again,
06:27it's even closer.
06:28I think it was three minutes from winning the title today.
06:32It's the way it is.
06:33It'll be devastated.
06:34It'll be heartbroken.
06:35You'll get all the heartache, heartbroken, hearts are broken, et cetera, et cetera.
06:38And that's how it'll be.
06:39It's really, really tough to take as a fan.
06:42It's tough to take as a player, because as a player, you're on the pitch.
06:45You believe you can do something about it and try and affect it in some way.
06:48As a fan and watching it today as a fan, it's just, it's horrendous.
06:51It is horrendous to feel for the players.
06:54They've nothing to be ashamed of.
06:56This group of players, this management team,
06:58and the fans that follow them all through the country
07:00have got nothing to be ashamed of today.
07:02They shouldn't be down.
07:03They will be down, but they shouldn't be down,
07:05because this is just a start.
07:06James has said it already.
07:07Chris has said it over the weeks.
07:09This Hearts team and club are going to get stronger,
07:11and that's what we should look at today.
07:12Yes, be upset.
07:13Yes, be hugely disappointed.
07:15But not in the team, not in the players.
07:17They have given us everything, absolutely everything, and more.
07:21And I am very proud of them,
07:23and I'm sure the whole Hearts fan base are very proud of them.
07:25Yes, I'm sure there will be so much excitement
07:27for what that Hearts team can achieve next season.
07:30But in terms of Celtic this season,
07:32Scott, sum up this last nine months or so.
07:36Sum it up?
07:37It's a hard one.
07:39It's easier to say it's been a rollercoaster,
07:42because there has been some highs,
07:43there's been some very, very lows as well,
07:46at the same time losing a cup final.
07:48But it's how you end the season.
07:50And I know there's been a lot happening behind the scenes
07:53with the fans and the board,
07:55and I get that.
07:56They just want the best,
07:57and so does the board as well.
07:59We understand that.
08:00You're always going to get players that come in
08:01that maybe aren't as good as other players,
08:03and you'll get some other players that come
08:04that want to leave.
08:05It's part and parcel.
08:06But for me, they've had to dig deep,
08:09and they could go away with a double.
08:11And Lennon's not going to lie down with his Dunferlin.
08:15They've had a fantastic season as well.
08:16So it's still going to be a hard, hard-fought game
08:19to try and get that over the line as well.
08:21Yeah, and...
08:22Dunferlin don't lie down.
08:25Did you do that just for his benefit?
08:28Listen, how big is this summer?
08:29I know I asked Callum McGregor the same question,
08:31but what needs to happen over the course
08:34of these next few months
08:35before those Champions League playoff matches?
08:36Well, look, the truth is,
08:38is a lot of Celtic fans will think this season,
08:42getting over the line,
08:43Celtic have gotten away with one.
08:44And the situation, I mean,
08:46we spoke about the summer transfer window was rotten.
08:50And then the January transfer window
08:52was arguably even worse
08:54when Celtic had a chance to strengthen.
08:58So, look, the fact of the matter is,
09:00the Celtic players and management supporters
09:03should just enjoy today.
09:04Winning a title isn't easy.
09:06And listening to Callum McGregor,
09:08he speaks so well.
09:10He's been captain here for however many years,
09:12and it's about finding a way to do that.
09:14They have done that.
09:15But I think him and everybody at the club
09:17is really well aware that it's a huge summer.
09:21Days have made it, you know,
09:22talk about him leaving.
09:23How are they going to replace him next season?
09:25So, you know, they have to get on the right side
09:27of the transfer market,
09:29but they've got to get a manager in as well.
09:31You know, who knows?
09:32But just enjoy tonight
09:33and then maybe worry about that tomorrow.
09:36Let's allow them one night.
09:37OK.
09:38We'll give them one night.
09:39Thank you all for joining me today.
09:41And across the course of the season,
09:43there is a whole feast of Premier League action
09:46coming up tomorrow.
09:47It starts with Man United against Forest
09:49at midday on Sky Sports Premier League.
09:51A choice of four matches at three o'clock.
09:53European hopefuls, Brighton, Everton, Brentford,
09:55all in action.
09:56Or you can watch on multi-view from half past two
09:59on Sky Sports Plus then at five.
10:01A big one for West Ham as they travel to Newcastle.
10:04That's on Premier League.
10:05Monday night football is from the leaders Arsenal.
10:07And on Tuesday, Bournemouth host Man City
10:09on main event while Spurs go to Chelsea.
10:12That one is on Sky Sports Premier League.
10:16Well, what a season it has been.
10:18It has come to the final, final day
10:21and the final minutes of the final day.
10:23For only the third time in Scottish top flight history,
10:26it has been a head-to-head shootout for the title.
10:28And it is congratulations to Celtic
10:30for winning number 56.
10:32See you all soon.
10:32Bye for now.
11:03Bye for now.
11:15Bye for now.
11:45Bye for now.