FOOTBALL: Rangers to push Celtic all way in down-to-wire Old Firm

THE bad news in Craig Brown's prognosis for the new Premier League season is that there is no end in sight of the Old Firm dominance.

But the good news is that the former Scotland boss is certain that the fans are in for a photo-finish thriller when the prizes are handed out next spring.

Brown has been in Fife all week, fine-tuning Preston's bid to capture a lucrative place in the English Premiership.

But he took time out to look ahead to the new season in an exclusive interview with the Sunday Mirror.

He said: "There is no evidence to suggest that the gap between the Old Firm and the rest is going to close - in fact it could get even greater.

"It's all about money I'm afraid and the Old Firm's financial clout gives them such a huge advantage and makes life very difficult for the other ambitious clubs.

"There is no doubt that the Old Firm are much better placed to cope with the current downturn in income than the 10 other SPL clubs.

"But that is not to say that there will not be much to enjoy in the League this season and it's worth remembering that a handful of top clubs dominate most of the leagues in Europe. It's not just a Scottish problem.

"I've had all my staff out watching as many of the pre-season games as it's possible to cover and the reports I'm getting from Livingston are very positive.

"They have had a very active summer in the transfer market and, although they've lost David Fernandez, the place has been freshened up again.

"What they achieved last season in going from Division One to third place in the Premier League was a massive achievement - make no mistake about that.

"And of course they have a marvellous management team with David Hay and Jim Leishman still in place at Almondvale to keep the whole place vibrant.

"I think that it would be wise for the rest of the teams in the Premier League to play safe and assume that they will be making a huge bid to stay Scotland's third team.

"I certainly expect them to consolidate again and anyone who continues to take them less than seriously will be making a very grave error indeed.

"Motherwell's results in pre-season have been good against the backdrop of a dreadful summer for the club and they are another team I'll be interested in watching closely early on.

"Terry Butcher seems to have managed to keep the players' eyes on the ball in very trying circumctances. Look out for a bold start from the Fir Park team

"I feel very sorry for Craig Levein at Hearts, who - even in the best circumstances - is in a job where there are always big expectations at what is traditionally a big club. But he's been watching players drop around him like flies with injuries in the last couple of weeks. He's not having to seek his troubles - they are there from Day One.

"Bobby Wiliamson and Jim Jefferies are both starting their first full seasons at Hibs and Kilmarnock and both will bring something individual to their new clubs.

"Aberdeen are interesting with their many promising young players and, if they can continue to develop, there is reason to expect some more progress at Pittodrie.

"Dunfermline played well against us in our 3-3 draw on Tuesday night and, at a time when standing still might be an achievement, Jimmy Calderwood may get more from them.

"It would be great if my old club Dundee were to achieve something but there will be a settling -in period for new manager Jim Duffy and he'll need a bit of time.

"My old mate Alex Smith has already done a terrific job getting Dundee United back to some sort of stability and there's no doubt that this will continue in the months ahead.

"And John Lambie's last season at Partick Thistle sees them back in the Premier and, although they are favourites to go down, they won't fail for fight and spirit."

Back at the top of the table, Brown is adamant that Celtic - after winning the title by 18 points last season - will face a much tougher defence this time around.

"There will be no stroll in the park for either of the Old Firm this time and it's not difficult to see this going right to the wire for the championship," he insisted.

"Rangers have added Kevin Muscat and Mikel Arteta to their squad and I feel Alex McLeish will use both new men in midfield.

"Arteta is a tricky player who will add craft to the midfield area while I've seen the competitive nature of Muscat's game when Australia, played Scotland at Hampden.

"The midfield area will be crucial for both teams and with Stilian Petrov set to have another good season for Celtic, Rangers will need to be more competitive there.

"We all saw that the Ibrox players responded really well to Alex's management in the second half of last season and with their Scottish Cup win they'll be ready.

"And after Celtic's rather low-key pre-season results, perhaps the early edge rests with Rangers. But we all know just how efficient Celtic are now under Martin O'Neill.

"If he can get them back into the groove of scoring first in matches, the rest of the league already knows how difficult they are to peg back.

"It will be very difficult to call but I'm certain that it will be very close.

For the sake of the SPL and Scottish football as a whole, it would be great to see both battling it out at the death.

"Preston are my priority now, but it won't take me long on a Saturday evening to tune in to the Scottish results."

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