By David McDaid

Rangers claimed title number 52 - ending three years of Celtic domination - with victory over Dundee United at Tannadice.

Did you enjoy that rollercoaster SPL season? Want to relive it?

BBC Scotland looks back over a topsy-turvy 10 months of SPL action and picks out some of the pivotal moments that went towards deciding the helicopter's final destination on 24 May.

August

September

October

November

December

January

February

March

April

May

Rangers' season began in ignominy when they were eliminated from the Champions League at the first qualifying hurdle by Lithuanian side Kaunas before a ball was kicked in the SPL.

Fans of the Ibrox club were disgruntled that they had cashed in on popular defender Carlos Cuellar to Aston Villa for £7.8m without timely reinvestment.

Sir David Murray promptly released more than £17m, with defender Madjid Bougherra and midfielder Pedro Mendes proving particularly shrewd acquisitions.

Across Glasgow, the outlays of defending champions Celtic were modest by comparison, spending seven-figure sums on just three players, including Rangers target Glenn Loovens and forward Georgios Samaras from Manchester City.

Rangers made a steady start to the league, despite an uninspiring opening win over Falkirk in which surprise signing Andrius Velicka claimed the only goal and Allan McGregor saved a penalty. After beating Hearts, Velicka would disappear off the radar until the closing stages of the season.

POSITIONS ON 31 AUGUST 1 RANGERS Pld 4 Pts 10 2 KILMARNOCK Pld 4 Pts 10 3 HEARTS Pld 4 Pts 9 4 CELTIC Pld 4 Pts 7

Two points were dropped at Aberdeen, in a game in which Rangers' DaMarcus Beasley had a goal controversially ruled offside, before they went to Celtic Park.

There, they humbled their old foes 4-2, with a farewell strike from Daniel Cousin, a spectacular first Rangers goal by Pedro Mendes and a Kenny Miller brace against his former club.

That reverse formed part of a sluggish start for Celtic. In their curtain-raiser, they came through thanks to a Barry Robson penalty against 10-man St Mirren.

At Tannadice, in a season in which referees found themselves under more scrutiny than ever before, Gordon Strachan's side took a controversial point as Dundee United were denied a good claim for a spot-kick, but they were convincing winners over Falkirk.

Kilmarnock were the surprise team of the month, sharing the lead after four games, recording home wins over Hibernian, Hamilton Accies and Dundee United.

Meanwhile, in the Capital, Hearts made a healthy start under new boss Csaba Laszlo.

In their own words:

"It's an incredible decision for a linesman who is in line with the play to actually give an offside on that one."
Rangers manager Walter Smith smarts after Beasley's strike was disallowed at Pittodrie

"We had four good players, It doesn't feel like a win because we should be doing better than that."
Celtic boss Gordon Strachan after his side's narrow win over St Mirren

"To come here today and play like we played and the fantastic win we had - I think it was a joy for everyone, especially for our supporters who deserved that."
Rangers' Pedro Mendes after the 4-2 victory at Celtic Park

"If it is a stonewall penalty, which everybody says it is, then I feel really harshly treated. I've got to put it down to a mistake by the referee."
Dundee United manager Craig Levein is left frustrated following 1-1 draw with Celtic at Tannadice

After a sticky August, Celtic clicked into gear in style at Fir Park, hammering four goals past Motherwell.

Kilmarnock were brushed aside at Rugby Park, before Jan Vennegoor of Hesselink scored a last gasp winner to dump Aberdeen 3-2 in one of the matches of the season. However, that crucial goal was the Dutchman's last for more than six months due to injury and lack of form.

POSITIONS ON 30 SEPTEMBER 1 RANGERS Pld 7 Pts 19 2 CELTIC Pld 7 Pts 16 3 HEARTS Pld 7 Pts 12 4 INVERNESS Pld 7 Pts 10

Rangers also took maximum points in September. There were comfortable wins over Hibernian and Motherwell, although they were given a scare by Kilmarnock, who led for the best part of an hour at Ibrox before Kris Boyd got a double - one from the spot.

That match was a top-of-the-table clash, but by the end of the month the Ayrshire side had dropped down to fourth.

Inverness Caley Thistle moved up to fourth under Craig Brewster, while Hearts took third spot.

In their own words:

"I thought the football at times was exhilarating. We've not done that to many teams for a long time."
Celtic manager Gordon Strachan after the 4-2 win at Fir Park

"I think everybody enjoyed that apart from the coaching staff on both sides."
Celtic manager Gordon Strachan on the thrilling 3-2 match with Aberdeen

"I was disappointed to lose a sloppy goal. They started the game very well, set out their stall, and made it awkward for us."
Rangers manager Walter Smith after the comeback win over Kilmarnock

Eddie Thompson's death cast a dark cloud over month three of the season. The Dundee United chairman had endured a long battle against cancer, finally passing away on 15 October.

POSITIONS ON 31 OCTOBER 1 CELTIC Pld 10 Pts 25 2 RANGERS Pld 9 Pts 22 3 KILMARNOCK Pld 10 Pts 16 4 DUNDEE UTD Pld 9 Pts 14

As a mark of respect, United's away match against Rangers three days later was postponed. And, with an additional break for Scotland's World Cup qualifier in Norway, the league-leaders took to the field just twice.

The first time they did so they were handed their first defeat of the campaign - 1-0 away to St Mirren - with Stephen McGinn scoring a wonderful goal.

The Ibrox side had 20 days to ruminate over their slip-up before making short work of newly-promoted Hamilton Accies.

With a game extra, and their rivals stumbling, Celtic went top of the league, scoring 10 goals in total as they took full points against Hamilton, Inverness and Hibs.

Dundee United were the biggest movers - up four places from eighth - seven points saw Killie rise to third, but Hearts went three games without a win and dropped to fifth.

In their own words:

"In the last period, the players were throwing their bodies on the line."
St Mirren boss Gus MacPherson after his team's win over Rangers

"Maybe if we'd started a bit brighter there might have been a different reflection on the game. We struggled throughout in that respect."
Rangers manager Walter Smith after the shock defeat at Love Street

"Scott Brown was absolutely terrific, he did everything."
Gordon Strachan following Celtic's win over Hibs gave them a perfect month

Celtic looked well on their way to their fourth successive title after taking 18 points from 18 in a gruelling November schedule in which they also played Manchester United and Aalborg in the Champions League.

Gordon Strachan's side were rattled at New Douglas Park when Richard Offiong headed Hamilton Accies into an early lead.

And there was plenty of debate over Celtic's equaliser. Cillian Sheridan was awarded a penalty even though he was tripped by Martin Canning outside the area. Canning was dismissed and Paul Hartley eventually put his former club to the sword with a late winner.

POSITIONS ON 30 NOVEMBER 1 CELTIC Pld 16 Pts 43 2 RANGERSPld 16 Pts 36 3 HEARTS Pld 16 Pts 29 4 DUNDEE UTD Pld 16 Pts 26

Rangers dropped seven points as Dundee United and Hearts in particular underlined that they were going to be no pushovers this season.

Kevin Thomson rescued a point for the Light Blues against United with an added-time strike in a 3-3 classic at Ibrox, as Rangers failed to make use of their game in hand to go top.

Rangers manager Walter Smith fumed at the linesman at Fir Park for his calls in the 0-0 stalemate with Motherwell and worse was to follow at Tynecastle, where Hearts recorded a 2-1 win thanks to two goals in three first-half minutes from Marius Zaliukas and Laryea Kingston.

That win was part of a dramatic turnaround in fortunes for the Edinburgh club. From taking just two points from three games the previous month, Casba Laszlo's charges roared to five wins from six to lift them to third place.

In their own words:

"Once again, match officials have let us down badly. There's a tug, but it's well outside the box."
An exasperated Hamilton boss Billy Reid after Celtic's controversial win at New Douglas Park

"I know we were fortunate today. Football has shown that you do get breaks for and against you."
Opposite number Gordon Strachan's honest assessment.

"When you're 3-2 down and into injury time, the players showed the character to get back and salvage a point."
Walter Smith moments after Kevin Thomson saved a point against Dundee United

"I'm chuffed to bits with the way we performed and gutted with the result. It feels like a defeat. Overall, I'm quite disappointed."
Arabs boss Craig Levein after watching two points evaporate at Ibrox

"The stand-side linesman Mr Murphy... had one of those last season and gave an offside Scott McDonald goal (against Rangers)."
Walter Smith rages after decisions don't go his way in the stalemate at Fir Park

"The other teams can believe Rangers and Celtic are not so good."
Hearts boss Csaba Laszlo says confidence can be taken from their win over Rangers

The status quo was preserved in December with both halves of the Old Firm having a mixed bag in terms of results.

Hamilton were first to visit Ibrox and, as they did at home against Celtic, they took a shock lead. But James McArthur's second-minute goal only served to annoy their hosts, who promptly went on to administer a 7-1 thrashing to the Accies upstarts.

POSITIONS ON 31 DECEMBER 1 CELTIC Pld 20 Pts 50 2 RANGERSPld 20 Pts 43 3 DUNDEE UTD Pld 20 Pts 34 4 HEARTS Pld 19 Pts 31

By contrast, Celtic's 12-game winning streak was brought to a shuddering halt at Easter Road on the day that the 'squiggler' was added to football parlance.

Artur Boruc's form was put under the microscope as he allowed John Rankin's 45-yard shot to slip through his arms before Colin Nish sealed a 2-0 Hibs win from close range.

Both Celtic and Rangers both came from behind in their next games to salvage draws against Hearts and Dundee United respectively.

And Gordon Strachan's men restored their seven-point advantage going into 2009, with a 1-0 victory at Ibrox with a lovely Scott McDonald turn-and-strike into the top corner of the net.

Contrasting fortunes saw United and Hearts flip-flop in third and fourth, while Aberdeen had a perfect month with wins over Falkirk, Inverness and Hearts.

In their own words:

"Our back three couldn't handle their front two. Miller and Boyd destroyed us at times."
Shell-shocked Hamilton boss Billy Reid after coming completely unstuck at Ibrox

"I've been practising with Derek Riordan 45-yard squigglers as we call them. To be fair, it did squiggle."
Hibs midfielder says he meant his extraordinary goal against Celtic, and the 'squiggler' is born

"It's a game where you only need two or three bits of brilliance from somebody, and the rest of it is headers, tackles and closing down. Fortunately, we had a bit of brilliance today
Gordon Strachan after his team's Ibrox win

Having played a game extra, Rangers had clawed back the deficit to a single point by the end of January.

The Ibrox side's record read played four, won three and drawn one - when neither side could muster a goal at Pittodrie.

Celtic rounded off the month with a 3-1 win over Hibs, but again found it tough going against a dogged Dundee United side, this time in Glasgow.

POSITIONS ON 31 JANUARY 1 CELTIC Pld 23 Pts 54 2 RANGERS Pld 24 Pts 53 3 DUNDEE UTD Pld 24 Pts 38 4 HEARTS Pld 24 Pts 38

The home side were unable to defend Georgios Samaras' double, as Craig Levein's team fought back to earn a point with goals from Paul Dixon and Warren Feeney.

Victory would have opened up a 10-point lead over Rangers, instead their lead was reduced further with a thumping 4-2 defeat at Aberdeen inspired by a quick-fire Zander Diamond double.

In their own words:

"If there's anything we regret today, it's probably not taking our many first-half chances."
Gordon Strachan after watching his side surrender a two-goal lead against United

"This group of players are never beaten, that's something that is very admirable."
Arabs boss Craig Levein after the same game at Celtic Park

"It is a massive boost for us to beat the champions. We took a lot of flak round about September/October when we were bottom of the league."
Aberdeen boss Jimmy Calderwood after scalping Celtic 4-2

"If they play like that for the rest of the season, I will be happy. If they defend like that at set-plays, I will be a worried man"
Gordon Starchan's take on the defeat at Pittodrie

Celtic's indifferent New Year form continued into February, and Rangers took advantage by beating Kilmarnock and Hamilton to stand on the SPL summit for the first time since October.

It took 240 minutes of SPL football in February before Scott McDonald got the Parkhead side's first goal of the month in a 1-1 draw at Motherwell.

POSITIONS ON 28 FEBRUARY 1 RANGERS Pld 27 Pts 60 2 CELTIC Pld 27 Pts 60 3 HEARTS Pld 27 Pts 45 4 DUNDEE UTD Pld 27 Pts 40

That was Celtic's third successive draw after stalemates against Inverness and Rangers.

But, with Rangers steaming ahead on goal difference, Shunsuke Nakamura notched a hat-trick and Marc Crosas scored the PFA Scotland goal of the season as they ran riot 7-0 in their final game against St Mirren.

However, their Glasgow rivals held top spot in the league by a margin of four goals, while Hearts and Dundee United again swapped places below.

In their own words:

"If we don't score goals then it's going to be a problem, as we saw today."
Celtic's manager watches his team struggle to hit the net in February

"It's nice to be top of the league, but we have to keep winning. Celtic have shown that they can keep that up, we've still to prove that."
Rangers boss Walter Smith after the 3-1 win over Kilmarnock

Rangers' stint at the top was short-lived, as they dropped points against Hearts and Inverness .

The struggling Highlanders were under the stewardship of former Rangers favourite Terry Butcher after Craig Brewster's sacking at the end of January.

And they pulled off one of the shocks of the season in dramatic style, claiming their first-ever win at Ibrox with an Ian Black penalty in injury time. The win lifted Caley Thistle off the bottom of the league for the first time in 2009 and also allowed Celtic to pull three points clear at the top.

POSITIONS ON 31 MARCH 1 CELTIC Pld 29 Pts 64 2 RANGERSPld 29 Pts 61 3 HEARTS Pld 30 Pts 49 4 ABERDEEN Pld 30 Pts 44

Scott McDonald was keeping the Parkhead club ticking over, chipping in with three goals as they beat Killie, but they dropped more points with another draw with Dundee United.

Hearts ensured Rangers only took a single point from March by coming back from 2-0 down at Ibrox and, to round off a miserable month for Walter Smith's charges, they lost out to Celtic in the Co-operative Insurance Cup final in extra-time.

In their own words:

"Overall, we can't complain about the result."
Walter Smith after Inverness leave Ibrox with three points

"We won a point back, we lost two."
Gordon Strachan watches his side score a late equaliser at Tannadice

The outlook for April looked bleak for Rangers, when they imposed first-team bans on two of their key players - Barry Ferguson and Allan McGregor - for indiscretions while on Scotland duty.

But it did not appear to hinder their title push any as, although appearing to labour slightly, they still gobbled up full points against Falkirk, St Mirren, Motherwell and Hibernian.

Andrius Velicka came back into the frame at Ibrox after six months out, contributing vital goals in the latter two wins.

All but one of Rangers' April victories were by single-goal margins, whereas Celtic hit four without reply past both Hamilton and Falkirk and claimed another clean-sheet win over Aberdeen.

POSITIONS ON 30 APRIL 1 CELTIC Pld 33 Pts 74 2 RANGERS Pld 33 Pts 73 3 HEARTS Pld 33 Pts 54 4 DUNDEE UTD Pld 33 Pts 49

Jan Vennegoor of Hesselink was crucial to Celtic's results over the month, scoring in every game, having not hit the net once since September.

But, despite the Dutchman putting Celtic 1-0 up within 60 seconds at Tynecastle, Bruno Aguiar produced a fine free-kick to trip up Gordon Stachan's men to reduce their lead at the SPL split to a solitary point.

In their own words:

"Going anywhere after the SPL split will be difficult. We have the benefit of three games at home, but we'll have to be at our best to do well."
Walter Smith after the cracking 3-2 match at Easter Road

"We're going to have a say in the championship, we determine where we go, not Hearts."
Gordon Strachan after two more points dropped at Tynecastle

Fans of the title contenders had frayed nerves and exasperated expressions as the season reached a dramatic final-day conclusion.

It appeared as if both sets of players were contriving to throw the prize away, as the lead changed hands three times in as many games.

The initiative swung two points Rangers' way as they came out on top in the final Old Firm game of the season, when Steven Davis' close-range strike was enough for a crucial victory.

The following Tuesday, Celtic survived a late onslaught to finally manage a win over Dundee United - and go top again by a point.

And they stayed there on superior goal difference when, the next night, Rangers were held to a 1-1 draw by Hibs in Edinburgh amid debate over Nacho Novo's 'winning-goal-that never-was'.

But, just four day later, Hibs were to shake things up again - this time in favour of Rangers - by tenaciously shutting Celtic out for a 0-0 score line.

POSITIONS ON 24 MAY 1 RANGERS Pld 38 Pts 86 2 CELTIC Pld 38 Pts 82 3 HEARTS Pld 38 Pts 59 4 ABERDEEN Pld 38 Pts 53

Walter Smith's men had already dumped Aberdeen, in a match that ended 10-a-side, after Dons defender Charlie Mulgrew and Rangers counterpart Madjid Bougherra were both sent off.

Both decisions took the shine off a vital three points for Rangers. Instead, the debate raged over the standard of officiating - and Kyle Lafferty's feigning injury for Mulgrew's dismissal, as well as the merit of Bougherra's red.

Despite the two-point cushion at the top for Rangers, there was still everything to play for on the final day of the season.

Given the opponents each team faced on 'Helicopter Sunday', there was no way to predict where the SPL trophy would be heading.

Dundee United and Hearts, who already clinched third spot and a Europa Cup place, had been thorns in the sides of the Old Firm all season. Now Rangers visited Tannadice knowing a win would seal their first championship since 2005.

However, if Celtic could beat Hearts in Glasgow, and Rangers drew on Tayside, Gordon Strachan would claim his fourth title in four years in the Parkhead dugout due to their superior goal difference.

But Rangers did not falter, putting three past United, while Celtic could only manage an insipid 0-0 draw at home.

In the north-east, Aberdeen joined Hearts in the Europa League, with a 2-1 win over Hibernian, edging out Dundee United on goal difference.

In their own words:

"We're on a good run just now and we've put ourselves in a good position."
Walter Smith is cagey on his side's title chances despite beating rivals Celtic

"We've not had the magic this year, maybe we're not hungry enough in the box."
Gordon Strachan after his team fail to break down a stuffy Hibs defence

"I felt at the stage in late December when we were well behind Celtic that we would lose out. But we haven't and that's fantastic."
Walter Smith toasts the club's 52nd championship win at Tanandice

"It is disappointing, but we have only ourselves to blame. We congratulate Rangers and I'm sure we will give them a run for their money next year."
Gordon Strachan is magnanimous despite missing out on his fourth successive title

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