In his final blog of the season for the SPFL website, Richard Gordon selects his Scottish Premiership Team of the year.
With the second season of the SPFL Premiership drawing to a close, it seems the perfect opportunity to take stock, reflect on a remarkable 10 months, and pay tribute to those who have done most to entertain us throughout the campaign.
The various award ceremonies will be taking place, trophies will be handed out, and men who have given their all will be recognised for their efforts.
In sitting down to draw up my own personal Premiership Team of the Year, I was struck by how few actually maintained their levels of consistency right across the season. Even some of those who made the final cut fall into that category, but they are the 11 who most impressed me during 2014/15.
Among those who shone in spells, but who were not selected, are... Niall McGinn, John Guidetti, Leigh Griffiths, Gary MacKay-Steven, Greg Stewart, Scott Bain, Nadir Ciftci, Tony Andreu, Marley Watkins and Michael O’Halloran. All blazed brightly on occasion, but not for long enough to make the side.
After much deliberation, I came up with this selection in a 4-2-3-1 formation.
Craig Gordon has been the outstanding goalkeeper all season long and I defy anyone not to choose him in their own compilation.
I have gone for a central defensive pairing of Jason Denayer and Virgil van Dijk, a duo I simply could not separate and who, for much of the season, have looked impenetrable. My full-backs are the ever-consistent, and under-rated, Dave Mackay and Aberdeen-bound Graeme Shinnie, both of whom offer a variety of talents and would have freedom to surge forward given the centre-half cover on offer.
Scott Brown has been a real driving force in the Celtic midfield, a key reason why the team has improved as the season has gone on, and I would partner him with Ryan Jack, who has admittedly dipped of late, but who was sensational for months, and looks to have a stellar career ahead of him.
The three players beyond them have really excited me. Kris Commons wasn’t always a guaranteed starter for Celtic, but when he plays he almost always looks like a potential match-winner. Stefan Johansen has been outstanding; pushed up into a more attacking role, he has been one of the genuine stars of Ronny Deila’s side.
Jonny Hayes makes up the trio, despite injuries having curtailed him a bit of late. For the bulk of the campaign, whether he played left-back or across the midfield, the Irishman was sensational, a major reason why the Dons have done so well.
While other strikers have had purple patches during the season, Adam Rooney is the only one who has scored right the way through, and the league’s top scorer has to be the choice to lead the line.
At the turn of the year I had compiled an XI for a column I write in the Aberdeen FC programme, and I thought it might be interesting to see how the two sides differed. Only four players – Gordon, Hayes, Jack and Rooney – made both selections, with just two Celtic players chosen at the midway point. The fact that six made the end of season team is an indication of how much better they got as the months passed, and why they eventually held off the Dons to win another title.
You can follow Richard Gordon on Twitter @richardgordon48
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