Our man on the challenge facing both sides of the Old Firm now...

THE Premiership title is there to be won for Rangers. For Celtic, it is only there to be lost.

Steven Gerrard has the Old Firm bragging rights in the aftermath of Saturday’s Ibrox victory and there is no doubt it is the Light Blues boss who will be the more satisfied overall right now.

Brendan Rodgers did remarkably well to follow up a historic first campaign at Parkhead with another season that will ensure he and his players remain in Hoops history forever.

But the second clean sweep is proving harder to follow and Rodgers’ third crack at the Premiership hasn’t exactly been plain sailing as Celtic have clearly regressed in recent months.

The problems the Northern Irishman is facing on and off the park shouldn’t be enough to prevent Celtic making it eight-in-a-row, however. One derby defeat shouldn’t derail them to that extent.

Celtic were huge favourites for the Premiership title before a ball was kicked at Ibrox on Saturday and you won’t see the odds lengthening that much despite a loss that was far more comprehensive than the 1-0 scoreline suggests.

It would still be a monumental shock if the green and white ribbons are replaced by red, white and blue ones on the silverware come the end of the campaign.

But the fact that there is even a chance of a proper title race at this stage of the season is an intriguing and exciting prospect for the league and Scottish football.

In all likelihood, Celtic will be champions again. And so they should, given the foundations upon which Rodgers had to build in the summer and the resources he has at his disposal in comparison to his former