Team of the half-season

I really loved being part of a discussion on The SPL Podcast regarding a 'team of the half-season'.  Rather than giving my own views, I think the transcript of our argument is far more interesting.  My views were often very different from those of Rab McCracken (Killie fan and assistant editor of Lovely Left Foot) and Paul Fisher (Celtic fan and editor of Write Club).  Our other usual contributor, St. Mirren fan Dave McFarlane, was absent - he has subsequently threatened us with GBH for not picking Steven Thompson...

GOALKEEPER
Rab: The logical place to start, then, is of course, in goal.  I'll go first, and I've picked Fraser Forster.  I think the guy is just, pure and simple, head and shoulders above everyone else in the SPL.
Me: Literally.
Rab: I go down to watch Newcastle and I was pleased they let him go, because I never thought he was going to get a chance, but now I'd be quite happy to see him back!  He's been vital for Celtic, not only with his saves but with the way he organizes his defence.  Every team needs to be built on a good goalkeeper and Celtic have certainly found one.  It's a while since they found someone who is as regularly dependable as Fraser Forster.  He's been such an important player.
Me: No arguments here.  I picked Forster as well.  I think Darren Randolph and Rab Douglas deserve honourable mentions, but it's got to be Forster, even for his SPL form alone - I don't know if we're allowed to consider how amazing he's been in Europe.  But he's been the best goalkeeper in this league.
Rab: Paul, any disagreements?
Paul: Not at all.  He's the first player who came to my mind; I didn't consider anyone else.

DEFENCE
Rab: Defenders, gents.  I'll start by putting forward Adam Matthews.
Paul: He's in my team as well.
Me: I've not picked Matthews.  He's started so many games in different positions this season - I think he's played full-back, wing-back, wide-midfield.  Aside from his excellent display at Rugby Park, I think his best perfomances have been in Europe, which is why I didn't pick him.  At right-back, I actually picked Lustig, who has been very good for Celtic.
Paul: I've got Lustig in my team as well, if that counts.  No bias is being shown here!
Me: You've just picked eleven Celtic players, haven't you?
Paul: Naw, I've only picked another one.
Rab: I'll propose another Celtic player then - Kelvin Wilson.  I think he's come on leaps and bounds since last year and he's been very important to Celtic's defence.
Paul: I'd agree with that, but I didn't choose him, firstly because picking three Celtic defenders would be too much.  They have got the best defensive record in the league by a good eight goals.  But obviously a lot of that is down to Forster.  I think Matthews and Lustig just edge Wilson and Ambrose, for me.
Me: As regards centre-halves, I think there are some good ones who play outwith Parkhead.  Wilson has been decent enough, but in the games where Celtic have dropped points, I feel the defence has been very culpable.  I had Mulgrew on my shortlist, but I also looked at guys like James McPake, or Shaun Hutchinson of Motherwell, even Inverness's Gary Warren.  But the two I've picked were Russell Anderson and Andy Webster, two veterans who I think have been very solid this season for their clubs.
Rab: You'll be pleased to hear the other defender I've picked is Josh Meekings.
Me: You're joking.  Whatever pills you're on, I want some of them.
Rab: I think for a young guy, he's actually been fairly good.  I thought Inverness would miss him at the weekend.
Me: Well, we did, but he's not nearly as good as Warren beside him.  Warren has been so solid.  As you'd expect, Meekings is still a bit erratic.  He'll go on to become a better player than Warren, but he isn't there yet.
Rab: I agree with you on Russell Anderson though. I forgot about him.  He's been excellent for Aberdeen this season.
Paul: You mentioned McPake.  I've put McPake in my team at centre-half, along with - I'll get a couple of sniggers for this - Grant Munro.  I think he's been excellent for County.
Rab: I'm surprised you picked McPake, who's been injured for quite a while.
Paul: Hibs are a team I've seen play more than anyone else this season, I think.  Every time I've watched them he's been solid.
Me: McPake's started as many games as Adam Matthews, and more than Lustig.  I think he's fair game.  I think what gives him a chance of getting in this team is how much Hibs missed him when he was injured.  He seemed to be guiding Paul Hanlon through games, and Hanlon looks lost without him there.  That said, in his first two games back...
Rab: He got sent off!
Me: He got sent off in the first one and Hibs lost both of them - at home.  That's probably why I didn't pick him.  Aberdeen fans have waxed lyrical about Anderson this season and Hearts fans are the same about Webster.
Rab: Have we got a left back for consideration?  I struggled.
Me: I had a chat on twitter with John Maxwell of County Tactics about who was a good left-back and we both struggled.  I went for Stevie Hammell.
Rab: Sheer consistency.
Me: He's a seven-out-of-ten player every week. I presume Paul has Matthews at left-back.
Paul: Yes.
Me: John suggested Gary Naysmith, but he's been injured.  I don't know who you take, to be honest, it's a difficult position.  I went for Hammell by default.
Rab: I think that's a good shout.
Me: Tesselaar?  Would he be an option?
Rab: I think he was injured for a big period of time.  If he was regularly in the team, he could be.  The problem is he's so attacking-minded that he often leaves us exposed defensively.  I don't think I could consider him.  Rory McKeown?  (Everyone laughs).  No, we're not having that!  So what's our defence?  At right-back, by popular decision, do we put Adam Matthews?
Paul: Yeah, that's fair enough.  I did have him in at left-back.
Rab: Or should we put Matthews at left-back and Lustig at right-back?
Me: I'd be pedantic and say Matthews hasn't played many games at left-back in the SPL this season.
Rab: Our centre-halves, shall we include Anderson?
Me: On consensus, shall we say Anderson, with either Wilson or McPake?
Rab: Yeah, we'll pick McPake.
Paul: We're representing every club. We're doing well!

MIDFIELD
Rab: I'll get the bias out of the way and propose Liam Kelly.  He's come on leaps and bounds like I mentioned earlier, earned his first Scotland cap and been vital to what's going on at Rugby Park.
Me: You could use the same argument for Andy Shinnie at Inverness as well.
Rab: You'll be pleased to hear he's on my list.
Paul: He's on my list too, so he's in there.
Me: I considered both of them, and picked neither.  Is it fair to say everyone picked Victor Wanyama?
Rab: Yes.
Paul: Of course.
Me: Wanyama is the best player in Scottish football at the moment, period.  I had Shinnie and Kelly in my thoughts.  I'd have loved to find a place in the team for Nicky Law as well.
Rab: Nicky Law is on my list, actually.
Me: I put St. Johnstone's Murray Davidson in central midfield, with Wanyama.  He's been consistent and scoring goals this season.
Rab: I just picked four midfielders - Liam Kelly, Andrew Shinnie, Nicky Law and Victor Wanyama.
Paul.  I picked three - Wanyama, Shinnie and Ryan Fraser - and went for three strikers.  I couldn't decide between three strikers.
Rab: So Wanyama's in, and Shinnie as well?
Me: I tried to go for 4-4-2, but again there is a dearth of left-sided players, so I've plumped for Vigurs of Ross County, though more recently he's played a central role.  He's been great and scored some great goals, and will go on to better things.  I also really wanted to find a place on the other flank for David Wotherspoon.
Rab: He's come on.  He's been one of Hibs' most improved players, and was abysmal last year.  I think we should go for Vigurs.
Me: So my four across midfield are Wotherspoon, Wanyama, Murray Davidson and Vigurs.
Rab: I think I'll go with Vigurs as well - Dave and me were talking about him on the podcast the other week and how we would both happily take him at St. Mirren and Kilmarnock.  So, Vigurs on the left side, Wanyama in the middle.  Can we decide who's partnering Victor Wanyama?
Paul: I would say Liam Kelly.
Rab: The popular vote then is Wanyama and Liam Kelly in the middle. 
Me: So no place for Andy Shinnie then?
Rab: Not unless we can force him wide right?
Me: He's not been nearly as good when he's been playing wide right.  I can definitely see why we should have Liam Kelly in.
Rab: Who are we going to play on the right hand side?  Wotherspoon?
Me: I'd have Wotherspoon.
Paul: Yeah, I'd say so.  Wotherspoon's been superb for Hibs.
Rab: But we have to give honourable mentions to Andy Shinnie and Nicky Law, two guys who we've been on and on about in this year's podcasts.  Nicky Law is a player I rate really highly, and I think Motherwell would struggle if he wasn't there.

FORWARDS
Rab: Now, up front we have no shortage of attacking talent in the SPL this year.  Eoin Doyle, Leigh Griffiths, Billy McKay, Michael Higdon, Cillian Sheridan, Gary Hooper...how do we pick?
Paul: I think you missed the first name on my sheet, Niall McGinn.  He's been fantastic for Aberdeen.  I think along with Billy McKay that would make up my team.  Just missing out is Hooper, who's coming into form, but just hasn't done quite enough so far.
Rab: Is the consensus that we can put Billy McKay in?
Me: Yes.  I find it very difficult to leave him out.  I tried to take into account my bias, but he's top scorer in the league now.  He really has been in unbelievable form in the last couple of months.  He has to be in, I think.  Having him in kicks Niall McGinn out of my team, and Leigh Griffiths as well.  I quite fancied a big man-little man front two...
Rab: So Michael Higdon?
Me: I didn't actually.  I thought about Higdon, but I'm such a big fan of Cillian Sheridan, apart from his jumpers!  He's such a superb centre forward.  He's got the cliched 'good touch for a big man', he's superb in the air, he's a smart guy.  I think he's a phenomenal striker, someone who's far better than the clubs he's played for since he left Celtic.
Rab: He's playing for a massive team now! (chuckles).  He's playing for the Scottish League Cup holders!  It doesn't get much bigger than that!  As much as it pains me to say, Sheridan wasn't on my list.  I've gone for McGinn, simply because the guy wasn't even a striker before this season.  It's almost as if Craig Brown's said "By the way, mate, you're actually going to play up front!"  And all of a sudden McGinn seems to have found his position.  He pips Griffiths for me, because we all knew what Griffiths could do.  We all knew what Michael Higdon could do.  But all of a sudden Niall McGinn has hit ten goals in the league, and that's impressed me.  But we could almost pick a dozen strikers.
Paul: If you're going for the big man-little man combo, I was going to say Georgios Samaras.  He's been brilliant this season, especially in Europe.
Rab: How many league goals has he got, though?
Paul: He's only got three, but his link play with Watt, Lassad and Hooper is second to none.
Rab: This is splitting opinion - who's going to partner Billy McKay.  McGinn, Sheridan or Samaras?
Me: It sounds like you two had McGinn, so lets go with him.  He's really important as a creative force, as well as a goalscorer.  So I think having McGinn is pretty reasonable.

So our SPL team of the half-season:
Fraser Forster (Celtic)

Adam Matthews (Celtic)
James McPake (Hibernian)
Russell Anderson (Aberdeen)
Steven Hammell (Motherwell)

David Wotherspoon (Hibernian)
Victor Wanyama (Celtic)
Liam Kelly (Kilmarnock)
Iain Vigurs (Ross County)

Billy McKay (Inverness)
Niall McGinn (Aberdeen)

And I suspect our subs bench would look like this - Randolph (Motherwell), Webster (Hearts), Wilson (Celtic), A. Shinnie (Inverness), Law (Motherwell), Griffiths (Hibernian), Sheridan (Kilmarnock)

Thoughts?

L.