Celtic 5 - 0 Hearts

In isolation, Celtic's 5-0 lashing of a pitiful Hearts side epitomised a vast improvement in entertainment value after Gordon Strachan's spruce-up. The self-appointed guardians of the "Glasgow Celtic Way" were unimpressed by the aesthetics of last season's landslide victory, but not even the most ardent idealist could complain about the rich fabric of their team's play on Saturday.

Scott Brown did not so much collect the man of the match award as aggressively canvas 57,000 constituents for their votes. Heaven forbid a sponsorship deal that results in the awarding of man of the match Red Bull.

Brown may have produced his finest display in a Celtic shirt to date but, of even greater significance, he and Massimo Donati, the elegant Italian, were fused to often wondrous effect. If Celtic retain their title for a second successive season, it is a triumph likely be borne out of their midfield mastery.

Brown is an all-rounder of boundless energy. A ubiquitous presence, he has the uncanny instinct for the thick of the action and his abrasive style and endeavour has instantly endeared him to the support.

It is no exaggeration to suggest he could become as popular a figure at Celtic Park as Henrik Larsson. Remarkably, given the mournful reaction to Neil Lennon's recent departure, there has hardly been a cheep about the former captain.

It has taken Donati precisely two games to equal Lennon's goal haul in seven years at Celtic and while the Italian is prone to lapses in concentration, he has a depth of quality that the crowd also favour.

As Scott McDonald worked himself into a frenzy in the search for his first competitive goal for Celtic, and Vennegoor of Hesselink continued to frustrate with a leisurely style, it was Brown and Donati who sent Hearts hurtling to capitulation. The grievous harm inflicted on Hearts was a two-man job.

What a state this sub-contracted club are in. Hopelessly disjointed and with the majority of their imports bereft of any professional pride, poor Steven Frail has become a pleasant patsy within the current, inevitably ill-fated set-up.

Unfathomable tactics, idiotic substitutions and, worst of all, a complete lack of accountability have left a once proud institution the laughing stock of Scottish football. If Vladimir Romanov deals as shoddily with his other businesses as he does Hearts it is a wonder he hasn't declared bankruptcy.

Anatoly Korobochka and Angel Chervenkov, the most recent enforcers of Romanov's unqualified demands, were responsible for turning a comprehensive defeat into an annihilation. They made three half-time substitutions that underlined the thoughtlessness of the entire operation.

Laryea Kingston, their only player of note, was replaced by Neil McCann. He was apparently injured but looked suspiciously sprightly as he scampered down the tunnel. Jose Goncalves was replaced by Christos Karipidis to leave McCann, a player renowned for his defensive hopelessness, at left back. His misery would later be compounded by an ankle fracture after one of his trademark botched tackles. It left Hearts to limp on with 10 men but by then, many of the impostors had given up the ghost.

Kesttutis Ivaskevicius was also replaced by the sprightly Andrew Driver. The mystery here is that somehow the flimsy Salius Mikoliunas and utterly deplorable Audrius Ksanavicius were spared. Had it not been for Steve Banks, Hearts could have lost by 10 at Parkhead. The fourth was enough for many of the fans.

It took less than 10 minutes for Celtic to break through. McDonald's cross was volleyed by Shunsuke Nakamura and while the original trajectory threatened Row Q West of the Jock Stein Stand, Christophe Berra managed to redirect the effort past his goalkeeper.

Donati then danced past Michael Sewart and Berra to slot into the corner of Banks's right-hand post. Brown bundled the third home, with more than a suspicion of offside, after McGeady's pitched delivery was headed back across goal by Vennegoor of Hesselink.

Berra's nightmare day ended in a needless tug at Nakamura, with Vennegoor of Hesselink stroking home the present. Brown then waltzed through and teed-up Nakamura.

Celtic showed their championship credentials, Hearts unravelled in the manner of a team resigned to a sorry, if as yet unknown, fate.