FOOTBALL can still take you by surprise. I don't think anyone expected to see Celtic back on top of the league, but all of a sudden things are looking good.

St Mirren's win over Rangers on Sunday afternoon raised a few eyebrows but, having got themselves back in pole position, Celtic will be pretty determined to stay there. Belly laugh but Oz must be a lean goal machine SCOTT McDONALD enjoyed his goal on Saturday afternoon, didn't he?

The little striker took a pop at his critics when he punched his stomach, and I thought it was quite funny.

If you're getting stick you might as well be able to give a little back and the best way to do that is to stick the ball in the back of the net.

But I suspect he knows that he hasn't been performing anywhere near his best this season.

At Celtic you are only as good as your last pass, let alone your last game, and he'll know that he has to find the prolific form of last term if he wants to hang on to his first-team place long-term.

Winning the league is simply the be all and end all of every season and the chance to make it four in a row is a glorious opportunity for this current squad to make a little bit of history.

When things were looking a bit ropey after the Old Firm defeat, much of the criticisms that were vented revolved around the money that Celtic spent in the summer.

But I actually think that the Board were quite right not to splash millions on one or two players because right now the current squad is strong enough to win the title.

It is impossible now to unearth a golden nugget that costs £2m or £2.5m and comes in and makes a world of difference to your squad. Those days are long gone.

The fact is that if Celtic were to spend the kind of money on making the current squad a genuine Last 16 of the Champions League side, or even a side that could get to the quarter-finals, you would really have to spend serious, serious cash.

And it just isn't there.

Celtic are one of the best run clubs in Britain at the minute. Their finances are spot-on and the rewards on the pitch have not suffered because of it.

The structure of the club is excellent and although people were crying out for the big money to spend on one player, I reckon Strachan believes his current squad has enough in them to win the league.

The left-back position is the biggest headache for the manager, and I am sure that it was disappointing for him that whatever targets he made known he wanted, Celtic couldn't get. It remains an issue, with Barry Robson having to play there on Saturday.

I actually think that Robson coped well and he could find himself playing there a fair bit this season, although I don't think there would be many who would argue with the fact that he is at his best in the heart of the midfield.

But there will be money made available for Strachan in January and that is when he may feel that he needs a couple of reinforcements to help him get that fourth title.

It worked last season when Robson came in and proved to be a key player in the drive for the championship.

Marc Crosas looks as though he will also give Strachan food for thought in the middle. The young Spaniard has looked at home spraying passes about and I think, given time, he looks like a player who will be able to control games and dictate the tempo in there.

He has caught my eye a few times and I expect big things of him as the season progresses.

Another who looks as though he is going to have his best campaign so far is Georgios Samaras.

The striker seemed a bit unsure of himself against Villarreal in the Champions League, but in the SPL he is oozing confidence.

The injury to Jan Vennegoor of Hesselink will be a worry, but Strachan will take comfort in the fact that Samaras looks as though he can score every time he goes on the park.

He looks to be value for money and he appears a different player from the guy who was at Celtic on loan.

He looks far more settled and, in football, confidence is everything. He has that at the minute and there will be manymore goals from him this season. Put us on top of the World

SCOTLAND are by no means dead and buried when it comes to the 2010 World Cup - but this weekend's game against Norway is massive.

The Euro 2008 qualifying campaign ended in failure, but it was a glorious run with some cracking games and results, and I desperately hope we can recapture that form.

It seizes the imagination of the country and encourages everyone to get behind the national team.

Getting to a World Cup would give our game a massive boost and I know from experience just what a thrill it is to be at the biggest football competition on the planet.

Norway will be difficult opponents, but I fancy Scotland to beat anyone at Hampden, although the loss of Kenny Miller is an undoubted setback.

That said, however, when the ground is full and everyone gets behind the team, it is a fabulous arena and seems to lift the players who have more than held their own against some of the world's best.

For Gordon Strachan, though, it will be a case of watching between splayed fingers. There must be nothing worse for a club boss than the fear of one of your key players coming back from international football injured.

With Jan Vennegoor of Hesselink looking as though he'll be sidelined for a month, the last thing Strachan needs is any other bad news in that department.

Scott McDonald and Shunsuke Nakamura both face gruelling journeys and with a trip to Inverness at lunchtime a week on Saturday, Strachan will be hoping they return fresh and fit. Don't lose Euro focus

I HAVE said it before and I'll say it again; Celtic have been punching above their weight in the Champions League.

For the past two seasons they have qualified for the last 16 and that is fantastic.

However, it looks as though this season the group stages are as far as it goes for Celtic.

I don't think there is any disgrace in that, but securing the Uefa Cup berth is absolutely vital.

You only have to look at Rangers' financial results this summer to see the benefits of a good run in the lesser tournament and that would be consolation should the Champions League dream end.