For Rangers, the capture of a first Scottish league title in ten years felt like the very best of times. The Ibrox club had waited so long to return to the top of the tree that it felt, to many, like a rare and wondrous thing.
A feat so precious that management, players and fans would refuse to relinquish it for all the treasure in the world.
It's a testament to the respect and awe in which Walter Smith is held, then, that almost all of them would gladly hand back the trophy to have him back now.