The Scottish PFA nominees for manager of the year have been announced. The list is a formidable one and for once we don’t have a clear winner.

The nominees are: Ronny Deila (Celtic), John Hughes (Inverness Caledonian Thistle), Derek McInnes (Aberdeen) and Robbie Neilson (Heart of Midlothian). 

All have had fine seasons and for various reasons. That means it’s hard to see where the award will end up, come Sunday night.

Celtic are closing in on their fourth league title in a row. Under new coach Ronny Deila they have impressed with some scintillating performances. The Norwegian has also brought in a new professionalism to Scotland’s champions. He’s also brought them one game away from claiming the treble in his debut season. Ronny’s already seen his side claim the League Cup and will no doubt see them lift the league trophy in the coming weeks. His honesty has been refreshing all season too.

John Hughes and his men at Caley Thistle were the ones that halted Celtic’s treble pursuit in the Scottish Cup. That semi-final win at Hampden saw Inverness reach their first Scottish Cup final. The Highland club have also done consistently well in the league and currently lie in third place. Hughes has been terrific since arriving at the Caledonian stadium in December 2013. If he can secure the Scottish Cup on the 30th of May against one of his former sides Falkirk, then his legacy at Caley Thistle will be secured!

Aberdeen are fast becoming Scotland’s second force. Forty-three year old boss Derek McInnes has been integral in their success. Aberdeen are closer to top spot than those in similar positions in England, Germany, Italy, Holland and Greece. That is a big triumph for a so called Mickey Mouse league without Rangers in the top flight. McInnes has also used a core of Scottish players too. Only Celtic have scored more and conceded less. The Dons are constantly improving and an extremely tough side to beat.

A lot of people were expecting one team to runaway with the Scottish Championship this season, but that team wasn’t meant to be Hearts! Yet the capital side has destroyed Scotland’s second tier and have put both Hibs and Rangers into the shade. For the Jambos to have such a strong season with a rookie manager in charge has been astonishing. Thirty-four year old coach Robbie Neilson has been fantastic, allowing his team to play attractive football and putting a lot of emphasis on the younger players too. Could really take the Premiership by storm next term.

So as you can see all of these managers deserve their nominations as they have lead their clubs to excitingly high standards.  They all allow younger players to grow and have had consistently fine seasons.

If I had a vote, I’d probably plump for Celtic’s Ronny Deila as he’s very close at securing a double in his debut season and Celtic look more attractive with an attacking/pressing style under the Norwegian.

But I wouldn’t complain if any of these bosses ends up with the the big prize.

Posted on April 30th, 2015 by scott
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