Athrilling 2013-14 Scottish Premiership season came to a climax on Sunday with Celtic declared champions, Motherwell pipping Aberdeen for second, Hearts suffering relegation to the Championship and Hibernian facing a nervy play-off to preserve their top flight status.
So much for the doom-mongers who predicted financial Armageddon when Rangers fell out of the top flight.
Aberdeen’s return to the top table and the emergence of a number of talented young players at clubs throughout the Premiership has given cause for optimism in the stands and boardrooms across the country, but who were the best players of the season?
Former Scotland, Aberdeen and Motherwell manager Craig Brown has chosen his team of the season and admitted it was a far from easy task.
He said: “There were so many players who enjoyed good seasons, which was great to see.
“Pretty much every team in the league had at least one contender to make the team.
“It was hard to whittle it down to just a starting XI so I have added in a few substitutes.
“I was going to go for a 4-2-3-1 formation which seems to be the preference of many of the teams in the Scottish Premiership, but in the end I decided to change it to a 4-4-1-1 in order to get an extra forward in the team.
“One pleasing aspect is to be able to include so many talented young Scottish players, which hopefully bodes well for the national team in the future.”
JAMIE LANGFIELD
It was a tough call between Jamie and Fraser Forster as my number one but I have seen a lot of Jamie in action this year and he has enjoyed another excellent season for Aberdeen with very few errors and a consistency of performance.
GRAEME SHINNIE
The Caley Thistle left back has been the stand-out performer for the Inverness side this season. He has been deployed as a right-back for a large part of the season but has also shown he can more than do a job in the central midfield when called on and is an exceptional talent.
VIRGIL VAN DIJK
The Dutchman has enjoyed a hugely successful first season with Celtic. At only 22, he is only going to get better and is certain to be of interest to clubs in the English Premiership, possibly as soon as this summer and big things should be expected of this defender.
MARK REYNOLDS
Mark has been one of Aberdeen’s most consistent performers this season. Alongside Russell Anderson, the pair have formed a formidable partnership at the heart of the Dons defence and the good news is he is on a long-term contract and is only going to get better.
ANDREW ROBERTSON
What a year this young man has enjoyed. He ended the 2012-13 season as a Queen’s Park player in the country’s fourth tier and 12 months on he is a full international and has a Scottish Cup final to look forward to with Dundee United. He is one of the best of Dundee United’s bright young talent to have emerged this season.
KRIS COMMONS
It was no surprise to see the 30-year-old named the PFA Scotland player of the year, having scored 32 goals for Celtic this season. An outstanding talent who has sadly retired from the national team Commons remains a pivotal part of Neil Lennon’s dominant squad which swept to the title this season and will probably do the same next season.
SCOTT BROWN
My holding midfielder in this team, the Celtic captain has enjoyed one of his best seasons for the champions and has chipped in with more goals than he usually does.
PETER PAWLETT
My choice for attacking midfielder. Pawlett has been excellent this campaign. I have really enjoyed watching Peter continue his development as a player this season and he has certainly become a favourite of the Aberdeen crowd, although the same cannot be said of opposition supporters.
KENNY McLEAN
Whenever I watch St Mirren, I am always impressed by Kenny McLean. I would include him in the team at the left side of midfield. I think all four of these midfielders would provide a goal threat as well as create ample service for the two forwards and forcing a formidable barrier in front of the defence.
STEVIE MAY
Stevie May has been another young Scottish player who has played extremely well this year. He has already scored 27 times ahead of this weekend’s Scottish Cup final and I would have him playing just behind Kilmarnock’s prolific forward Kris Boyd.
KRIS BOYD
When it comes to scoring goals there is nobody better than Kris. He is a natural finisher and his 22 goals were vital in helping Kilmarnock preserve their top flight status. Whether he is still in the Scottish Premiership with Killie next season remains to be seen.
SUBSTITUTES
FRASER FORSTER
The Celtic and England goalkeeper went 1,256 minutes without conceding a goal before Jonny Hayes’ superb strike for Aberdeen in February’s 2-1 win at Pittodrie. He has got his place in England’s World Cup squad for Brazil.
SHAUN HUTCHINSON
The Motherwell defender has enjoyed another fine season at Fir Park. He is out of contract this summer and I’m sure Stuart McCall would be keen to retain his services as there will be any number of other clubs in the mix for his signature.
RUSSELL ANDERSON
The Aberdeen captain more than played his part in helping the Dons to a third-place finish and it was great to see him lift the League Cup. At the veteran stage of course but still one of the best there is.
RYAN STEVENSON
The former Ayr United midfielder was a central figure in helping a young Hearts side enjoy some impressive results during a difficult season for the club on and off the pitch. His future will be an interesting one given the troubles of the Tynecastle club.
NADIR CIFTCI
Dundee United’s Turkish forward has impressed me during his first season in Scottish football although there have been disciplinary issues.
JAMES FORREST
In my opinion, Forrest is the best wide right player in the country. Unfortunately he has struggled with injuries but when he is fully fit he is a great talent.
RICHARD BRITTAIN
The Staggies captain helped keep his team in the top division once more and scored a vital penalty against Hibernian to ensure they escaped the play-offs. He has been a huge part of County’s successes.
Manager – Derek McInnes
Assistant manager – Stuart McCall
Goalkeeping coach – Jim Leighton