Prize guys are tough call in campaign like no other
Former Scotland boss and our Euro 2020 columnist
THE Scottish Football Writers’ Association have now released the details of the nominees in the three categories for their end of season awards.
It has been a year like no other for the game here and hopefully we will be back to something resembling normality by the time the new campaign kicks off and we will have supporters back in the grounds cheering on their teams.
There will be some worthy winners after some excellent campaigns, but these lists always spark debates about who should get the nod and why.
Whatever I say, I am probably going to get pelters! Here are my picks for each award.
MANAGER OF THE YEAR
I have to go for Steven Gerrard here. You look at where Rangers were when he came in, they had to play catch up and he wasn’t on a level playing field.
But he has built it over three seasons and to win the Premiership title this season is an amazing achievement. He has done a brilliant job when you consider what Rangers have come through over the last ten years.
When I was appointed at Ibrox, it was a case of inheriting a lot of good players and having to find a way to get them going again and getting them winning again. Thankfully we were able to do that.
But Steven has had to take it step by step over a longer period and it is similar to the job that Jurgen Klopp has done at Liverpool in many ways. It took him time to get it right, but then he delivered the success that the supporters craved all along.
The recruitment has been the key for Rangers this season. There have been some brilliant individual performances, but it is a team game and the squad – especially with the acquisition of more attacking options last summer – has made the difference.
Steven has had such a huge impact on and off the park and since day one he has been very humble, conducted himself with a lot of dignity and been a fantastic representative for Rangers.
When you hear him speak, you can tell that he has bought into the history and the magnitude of Rangers and the club has got under his skin.
A lot of people in England don’t see Rangers and Celtic as the big clubs that they are because of the league that they play in. But as soon as you are appointed at Ibrox, you can’t help but fall in love with the place and the club.
I think Steven has been blown away by the size of Rangers and the following that the fans give the club. Hopefully there will be more success to come now.
PLAYER OF THE YEAR
THIS list is dominated by Rangers players and it is not easy to choose between Allan McGregor, James Tavernier, Connor Goldson and Steven Davis.
Tavernier’s stats this season have been awesome once again in terms of goals and assists and it was unfortunate that he would miss a couple of months through injury.
For me, it has to be Greegsy. He is not the captain, but he is a great leader and his performances this season have just been of such a consistently high standard.
He has been an inspirational figure off the park and he is there in the big moments time after time. Even last weekend against Celtic, he made the saves and helped Rangers win the game.
He has had a phenomenal season. He has made big saves when it has mattered, he has led by example and he continues to show that he is a top-class goalkeeper.
There have been a few times this season when people have made the comparison between
Allan and Andy Goram and the fact that the conversation is even being had tells you everything.
Goram obviously has more titles and cups to his name but Greegsy is right up there and side by side with him and the way he has performed this season has been incredible.
Goldson and Davis have been excellent and so consistent as well and Tavernier deserves a lot of credit for captaining the team to the title. But Allan McGregor has been, for me, Rangers’ best player this season.
YOUNG PLAYER OF THE YEAR
I HAVE been a big fan of David Turnbull for a long time now. James McFadden told me a couple of years ago that he was going to be a really good player and we actually thought about him for Scotland as well.
But we felt that it was a wee bit too early for him and we didn’t want to put too much pressure on him. David’s time will come for Scotland I am sure and he has had a good first season at Celtic.
I am a big fan of Josh Doig at Hibernian and I feel he deserves this award. He has been so impressive this season and will surely only go from strength to strength.
It has been a meteoric rise for him and I have seen that before with young players. I remember Stephen Wright when he burst onto the scene at Aberdeen and he came straight in, played a blinder and then remained at that level all season. Sometimes young players will have bad games and they lose a wee bit of confidence or they can plateau a wee bit. But in other instances you get players that just rise and rise.
The impact that Doig has made this season has been encouraging to see and he will hope to help Hibs finish third in the Premiership now. Hibs have had a great campaign and Doig has been consistently very good for them this season.