Celtic have handed the first blow to the Rangers and their new manager, Derek McInnes.
Celtic barely outdid Hearts in the league title race last season. Nobody would have expected the Derek McInnes-managed side to be top of the table going into the final matchday.
They did not have enough to get over the finish line though. Late goals from Daizen Maeda and Callum Osmand sealed a 3-1 win for Celtic over Hearts in the final match of the league campaign to seal the Premiership title for the Hoops.
It was the most memorable title race in Scotland in decades. And Celtic will be hoping to win a lot more convincingly in the upcoming campaign.
They will be going up against a McInnes-managed team again. But this time around, he will be in the Rangers dugout.
Obviously, there is not much left to be said when it comes to the rivalry between the two Glasgow sides. And Celtic have already handed the Rangers, and their new manager, some bad news.
Celtic hand first blow of the summer to Derek McInnes and Rangers
Celtic recently announced the arrival of Ross Grant, adding him to Martin O'Neill's coaching team.
It was not without any competition either. According to CeltsAreHere, Grant turned down the opportunity to move to Ibrox in favour of joining Celtic.
The chance to join the Rangers was on the table. The report goes on to state that McInnes was keen to take Grant with him to Ibrox.
Of course, Grant was part of the coaching setup at Hearts last season. And he was instrumental in building a system that outdid all expectations.
So, it is not hard to understand why McInnes might have been keen to take him to Ibrox. But Grant will be adding his expertise to the coaching team at Celtic instead.
Interestingly, Celtic made it clear in their announcement that Grant supported the Hoops. That must have played a part in his decision-making.
Stats show how Ross Grant could improve Celtic
It is worth pointing out the results that Grant achieved at Hearts last season. That will give a brief look into why Celtic signing him can be such a positive.
Hearts scored 23 goals from set-piece situations in the league last season. No other team managed more.
Celtic, on the other hand, were 7th on the list. The Hoops scored just 10 goals from set-pieces.
Also, Hearts managed a league-high 15 goals when it came to corners. As the set-piece specialist coach, Grant would have had a direct hand in that.
This summer, it is all about improving things for Celtic. And Grant is someone who can help them achieve that, if provided the right tools.
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