The late American author Jim George once claimed that it’s not how you start something that’s important but how you finish it.

This season’s Scottish Premiership title race would suggest that such wisdom does not always apply.

Confirmation of Celtic’s 55th title arrives at a point when the side has clicked back into top gear after a period when the engine started to splutter.

While it may be more exhilarating to witness a side coming up the rails to win by a nose, there’s a lot to be said about leading from the front and enjoying such a substantial lead that you can afford a couple of stumbles.

Having experienced the former in Rodgers’ first season back at the club, those of a green and white persuasion will have relished seeing their side coast home this year without their fingernails being bitten to the quick.

Celtic stars milk the moment after being crowned champions at Tannadice on Saturday

Skipper Callum McGregor has ensured his team-mates have kept their standards high

Brendan Rodgers insists speculation linking him with other clubs is well wide of the mark

After 18 games of last season, Celtic had suffered two defeats and drawn three times. With Rangers then resurgent under Philippe Clement, Rodgers had to draw on all his experience to galvanise his squad and get the job done.

That surge down the final straight seemed to roll over into this campaign. At the same juncture of this season, Celtic had drawn just two matches. Their lead was already unassailable.

While the subsequent downturn in form — four defeats and one draw in the next 14 games — drew mild concern, collectively, it’s still been a mighty impressive effort.

On a points per game average, Rodgers’ side are still on target to finish with 94 points — one more than last season.

That’s greater than the Northern Irishman’s second season first time around in Glasgow (82), the 2018-19 campaign which was split between Rodgers and Neil Lennon (87) and Ange Postecoglou’s first title success in 2021-22 (83).

This year may have lacked the pizazz or drama of Rodgers’ Invincible season of 2016-17 (106 points) and fallen short of the Australian’s spectacular second term (99). But, over the piece, Celtic have still set an extremely high standard.

While Rodgers, naturally, won’t countenance such talk, any side which finds itself 16 points clear at the turn of the year will do well not to experience some kind of drop-off in form.

Daizen Maeda’s extraordinary season has gone a long way to ensuring it was not more pronounced.

Cameron Carter-Vickers, Auston Trusty, Jeffrey Schlupp and Arne Engels are all smiles

Kuhn enjoyed an electric start to the season and Saturday’s double was a return to form

Maeda’s goalscoring heroics ensured the January loss of Kyogo Furuhashi was not keenly felt

The abrupt departure of Kyogo Furuhashi to Rennes in January left Celtic scrambling in vain to recruit a suitable replacement.

Having failed to get their man, Maeda’s redeployment as a centre-forward kept the drama to a minimum. Already through the 30-goal barrier and surely a shoo-in for the individual awards, his consistency has been startling.

While Rangers will end the season miles behind their great rivals, the Govan club do have considerable grounds for regret.

For the first time since winning the title in 2020-21, they won two out of the first three Old Firm league games. They also felt hard done by when they lost the League Cup final to Celtic on penalties.

The rule of thumb in Scottish football is that the side which enjoys the best of the derbies tends to end up on the winning podium come May. This season, Rangers fed that theory to the shredder due to their maddening form.

They thumped Celtic 3-0 at Ibrox at the turn of the year then claimed a famous 3-2 win at Parkhead in March.

Yet, they lost to Celtic, Kilmarnock, Aberdeen, St Mirren (twice), Motherwell and Hibernian and were knocked out of the Scottish Cup at home by Queen’s Park. They also drew with Hearts, Dundee United, Motherwell, Hibernian, Aberdeen, St Mirren and Dundee.

Clement could not eradicate such bewildering swings in form and paid with his job. Barry Ferguson has fared little better since taking the post until the end of the season.

Ferguson’s Rangers bloodied the nose of Celtic twice but fell a long way short of challenging

Jimmy Thelin’s Aberdeen started the season like a train but were derailed before Christmas

Every bit as likely to beat a good European side as they were to flatline against bottom-six opponents, no one in recent memory can recall a side that’s quite so unreliable.

After such a sluggish start — the tone for which was set by the Ibrox building works debacle — Rangers were never winning this title. Yet their displays in three games against Celtic suggest they should never have been such a distant second.

There was more to the story of the opening months of the season than Celtic’s fast start and the Jekyll and Hyde nature of their great rivals’ performances.

Under new manager Jimmy Thelin, Aberdeen were a revelation. The Dons came from two goals down to draw at Celtic Park to remain unbeaten then beat Rangers at a pulsating Pittodrie.

They were top of the league in October, nine points ahead of Clement’s side.

But, before you could utter the words ‘title challenge’, it all came unstuck. A thumping at Celtic’s hands in the League Cup semi-final put them into a tailspin.

With injuries biting and legs getting weary, they went 12 games in all competitions without a win.

By the time they played their way out of the slump, Rangers had long since overtaken them and Celtic were again a dot on the horizon. The resurgent Dons enjoyed the ride until reality bit.

Like Rangers and the rest of the chasing pack, they’ll go again next season after a well-earned summer’s rest filled with fresh belief.

But anyone willing to bet against Celtic failing to win a 14th title in 15 years can pretty much name their price.

Whether they go out in front or come up the rails, they’ll remain by far the strongest horse in the field.