Sir Kenny Dalglish: I’m not saying Aberdeen or Kilmarnock will win the title, but I would not rule either of them out

JORDAN JONES has been in the headlines for a variety of reasons this month.

He signed for Rangers and then angered the Kilmarnock supporters for a post he put out on social media to celebrate signing for the Ibrox club.

His manager at Rugby Park, Steve Clarke, then had to come out and publicly defend Jones last week.

But the player repaid that faith and backing by scoring a superb winner for his team against Gers on Wednesday night.

I think Steve deserves credit for handling the situation very well and using all of his experience to defuse any potential difficulties on and off the park.

It was then refreshing to see the boy celebrating his winning strike from 25 yards out by making his way to the touchline to embrace Steve.

It’s a great tribute to the boy that he put everything else out of his mind and focused 100% on his current employers and doing his very best for them.

When Jones scored, I’m sure Steven Gerrard would have been gutted and it wasn’t rewarding for him at that particular moment. But once the dust settles, Steven will reflect on the choice he has made to sign such a talented footballer.

But last Wednesday night has gone and Jones doesn’t arrive until June.

It’s about the here and now for the Rangers manager and nobody will need to remind him of the importance of getting three points at Livingston this afternoon.

The Ibrox boss will know that it’s not in their best interests to drop points in back-to-back league games.

A positive from Wednesday night would have been Jermain Defoe getting off the mark in his first game.

Steven started with Jermain and Alfredo Morelos as a strike partnership and he clearly thinks that’s the best way forward for the team.

The players need to back him and make it work. That will require time and patience from everyone.

I would expect them to win at Livi today and I also expect many more twists and turns in this title race.

The evidence of the first half of the campaign tells us that all of the top four clubs have dropped points, especially away from home, and they haven’t had a run of eight or nine wins without a blip somewhere along the line.

I expect that to still be the case between now and the middle of May. For sure, I don’t see any side running away with the league.

And that’s what makes this season all the more special. The intrigue and excitement is there for us all to enjoy.

We all seem to take it for granted that this is just a straight shoot-out between the Old Firm. That is most definitely not the case.

I’m not saying Kilmarnock or Aberdeen will win the title – but I also would not rule either of them out.

They are in this for the long haul and they are not going away.

Enormous credit is due to Steve and Derek McInnes for that – they know how to produce the goods.

Derek has had the advantage of getting Greg Stewart from Birmingham City, under the noses of Kilmarnock, and if the player reproduces the form he had for Killie then they will have a better chance of improving their form and level of consistency. There are certainly good attacking options in the Dons squad.

Of course, the greatest strength and depth is at Celtic Park. The squad has plenty of quality in it and they may well strengthen even more before the transfer window close on Thursday night.

Already, we can see the talent Timothy Weah has.

He looks to be a right good find and has the ability to make an impact in a positive way during the next four months.

He’s already scored goals and gets into great positions with clever runs in the and around the penalty box.

So, we will see what kind of shape the table is in at the end of February.

I really think we will know then. All the top teams have still to play one another on two occasions and that will have a proper bearing on the destination of the title.

Will any side be able to stop Brendan Rodgers and his players from doing eight-in-a-row?

Well, for the first time in many years, a proper challenge is there and we will see how Celtic responds during the next 16 or 17 games.

They are still on course to do a Treble Treble and that would be an incredible achievement.

But they will be aware that their form away from home has been very patchy and they will need to sort that to be guaranteed of more silverware as we move towards the business end of the season.