The majority of Scottish football fans around the country would probably love for it to happen, Football fans around the world without any allegiance to either of the two big Glasgow clubs would almost certainly welcome the change. Aberdeen’s incredible start to the season has had the more excitable sections of the Dons support wondering whether this could be the year. Could someone else apart from Celtic or Rangers win the title?
More realistic fans might be content with Aberdeen splitting the Old Firm at the top of the table. Many will be quite happy with the Dons being able to go as long as possible causing Brendan Rodgers to worry about a possible title challenge. But if you look at any sportsbook featured on https://www.onlinesportsbetting.net/ you will not see the northeast coast club given a slither of a chance.
There are many reasons why an Aberdeen triumph is probably out of the question. For starters, in the last 100 years, there have only been nine different Scottish football champions. Only five of them have won multiple titles. The last time any club other than Celtic or Rangers lifted the league trophy was 40 years ago – coincidentally, that club was Alex Ferguson’s Aberdeen. It is fair to say that the odds are stacked against a non-Glasgow champion this year.
But the way that Aberdeen has begun this season has understandably gotten everyone excited. Bringing in a new manager can often have a galvanizing effect on the players and club and serve as an inspiration for a new campaign. Jimmy Thelin has certainly made his mark at Pittodrie since joining from Swedish top-tier side Elfsborg. By the time the final international break of the year came around in the middle of November, Aberdeen was second in the table on goal difference, unbeaten in the league, and the only side to take any points from leaders Celtic. A 6-0 thrashing at the hands of Celtic in the League Cup was the only blot on the copybook so far.
With most clubs, an enforced break when everything is going so well is not going to be welcomed. But there is a feeling that if Aberdeen is to achieve anything at all this season, it will need to make the most of any respite it can. Squad depth is nowhere near the quality of its main rivals and Rangers in third place will have the option to rotate players as the grueling campaign goes on – a luxury that Aberdeen doesn’t have. That is especially true when it comes to injuries.
Thelin is fortunate that he has been able to rely on players throughout the squad for the goals that rocketed the Dons to second place. But his main striker is now out of action with a muscle tear picked up during training. Senegalese forward Pape Habib Guèye had managed to find the net on six occasions – five in the league – before suffering his injury. The international break gave him the chance to begin his recovery without missing out on action but this will be an extended absence and Aberdeen just doesn’t have the resources to compete without its best players.
On a brighter note, many pundits have pointed to the fact that Aberdeen will not be distracted by any European competition commitments this season. While Celtic navigate the elongated Champions League league phase and struggle to keep up with the elite of Europe, and Rangers battle it out in the Europa League equivalent, Aberdeen’s players will rest up between Scottish Premiership matches. After that League Cup mauling, it will only be the Scottish Cup in the New Year that takes away the priority of the league for the Dons.
But can Aberdeen fans – and the wider football world – really believe that Aberdeen has a chance of claiming the title? Can there really be even a possibility that this could be the year? Statistics and knowledge of the Scottish game would suggest not. The two Glasgow clubs are just too powerful for any other team to seriously challenge for the duration of the season. An unbeaten start is all very well but there is an awful long way to go and it seems unlikely that Aberdeen will be able to sustain the pressure needed for a title challenge. Dreamers will look to the example of Leicester City winning the English Premier League in 2016. But even in an English league with a limited number of realistic potential champions, that one-off was still more likely than a Scottish club tearing away the league title from Glasgow.

It is one of the oldest cliches in the world of football but what Jimmy Thelin and his players need to do is take it one game at a time. As the season goes on, the Dons just need to keep within touching distance at the top. A victory over either Celtic or Rangers would be ideal but avoiding defeat to any of the other Scottish Premiership clubs should be the priority. Keeping the pressure up on Celtic for as long as possible is key.
By the time next May comes around it is very likely that Celtic will be lifting the league trophy for the fourth time in a row and the 13th time in the last 14 years. That kind of domination cannot be erased overnight. But splitting the Glasgow sides at the top of the table would be an important statement by Aberdeen. The potential for Champions League money would only make a small dent in the financial advantage Celtic and Rangers have over the rest of the country. But it would be a start – and those dreams could turn Aberdeen into more of a realistic contender in the future.