Next season Hull will play in the top tier  of English football for the first time in their 104-year history, and they will enjoy spending the £60m (820m RMB) in television rights  that comes with promotion.

The northern England team have their veteran striker  Dean Windass to thank for the goal that won them a place in the Premiership.

Windass, who will be 40 next season, scored the winner with a powerful volley  in the first half, guaranteeing himself a place in next year¡¯s team.

"I will come back as fit as I have for the last 19 years and put my head on the block again," Windass told fans, meaning he will risk another year of competitive football.

Meanwhile in Scotland, Celtic managed to retain  the Scottish Premier League title by winning their last game while arch-rivals  Rangers lost their final game of the season to the mighty Aberdeen.

Jan Vennegoor of Hesselink, who scored the winning goal for Celtic, dedicated the victory to the memory of Tommy Burns, a former Celtic player and coach who died a week before the end of the season.

"It's about Tommy Burns, it's a tribute  to him. We did it and it's a great feeling," said Vennegoor of Hesselink.

Gordon Strachan has become the first Celtic manager in nearly forty years to win the Scottish league title three years running .

"We had a challenge and accepted it and I want to celebrate it with guys who believed in me and who I believed in," said Strachan.

One Premiership manager who is lamenting  his employers' lack of belief  in his abilities is Avram Grant, who was sacked  as Chelsea manager at the weekend.

Despite leading Chelsea to second place in the Premier League and the finals of the Uefa Champions League, Grant has been told his services will not be necessary  next term.

The vacant role  at Chelsea is now the subject of wild rumour and speculation  with candidates such as Sven-Goran Eriksson of Manchester City and former Juventus coach Didier Deschamps linked to the job.

There is even talk of the 'Special One' himself returning, with British bookmakers slashing the odds  on Jose Mourinho coming back to the job he was fired  from in September last year.