I'm getting later at doing this every year, so sorry about that. Still, traditions are traditions. And it's always a fun excuse to look back at the teams from the olden days. I can barely remember when Stephen Hughes was actually a thing...
2007/08: Allan McGregor (Rangers), Alan Hutton (Rangers), Carlos Cuellar (Rangers), Lee Wilkie (Dundee United), Lee Naylor (Celtic), Barry Robson (Celtic), Stephen Hughes (Motherwell), Barry Ferguson (Rangers), Aiden McGeady (Celtic), Scott McDonald (Celtic), Steven Fletcher (Hibernian)
And here's this season's list:
GOALKEEPER: DIMITAR MITOV (ABERDEEN)
Honourable mentions: Jordan Smith (Hibernian), Kasper Schmeichel (Celtic)
This isn't just recency bias following his cup final heroics; Mitov was impressive all season for the Dons and was badly missed during a couple of injury layoffs. Smith only got his chance for Hibs because Jozef Bursik was so consistently terrible, but he grabbed it (and often the ball) with both hands. In contrast to Mitov, Schmeichel had a nightmare at Hampden last month but had actually been reliable enough the rest of the season. I'd have put Zach Hemming ahead of him but the St. Mirren stopper didn't play enough games to qualify.
RIGHT-BACK: ALISTAIR JOHNSTON (CELTIC)
Honourable mentions: James Tavernier (Rangers), Nicky Devlin (Aberdeen)
Tav's seven year run as my pick at right-back comes to an end; he only really makes the top three here because there was a dearth of options (you could say the same about Aberdeen's Devlin). Johnston is the clear first choice though after another excellent all-round season which has led to him being linked with big money moves elsewhere.
LEFT-BACK: JAMES PENRICE (HEARTS)
Honourable mentions: Nicky Cadden (Hibernian), Greg Taylor (Celtic)
Penrice had shown at Livingston that he has a wand of a left foot, and he displayed it to good effect during his first campaign at Tynecastle. Cadden was more of a wing-back - or a winger playing wing-back - than a full-back, but I've put him in here. His crossing from deep was a big part of Hibs' attacking play. Celtic will miss Taylor if/when he goes this summer, when prodigal son Kieran Tierney inevitably gets injured again and again and again.
CENTRE-BACK: CAMERON CARTER-VICKERS (CELTIC), JOHN SOUTTAR (RANGERS)
Honourable mentions: Jack Iredale (Hibernian), Rocky Bushiri (Hibernian), Liam Scales (Celtic), Dan Casey (Motherwell)
CCV is a mainstay of this list now - four times he's made it. Celtic are lucky that he shows no particular urge to test himself at a higher level. Souttar was miles ahead of everyone Rangers partnered him. As for the others, Iredale's insertion into the Hibs lineup coincided with an improvement in those around him, including the hereto haphazard Bushiri. Scales was quietly very good for Celtic and often kept the far more expensive Trusty and Nawrocki out of the team. Motherwell may find it difficult to retain Casey this summer, as he has improved year on year.
CENTRAL MIDFIELD: CALLUM MCGREGOR (CELTIC), NICOLAS RASKIN (RANGERS), REO HATATE (CELTIC)
Honourable mentions: Nectarios Triantis (Hibernian), Beni Baningime (Hearts), Vicko Sevelj (Dundee United), Mohamed Diomande (Rangers), Lennon Miller (Motherwell), Killian Phillips (St. Mirren)
Just the fifth time McGregor has been named to this team, and a second for Hatate; the Celtic duo were both outstanding again. Raskin raised his game dramatically in the second half of the season, forcing his way into Belgium's national team and onto the radar of several bigger clubs after his fine perfomances as midfield anchor. Russell Martin would love to hold on to him and Diomande, who is a lot more skilful on the ball than he often gets credit for. Triantis, Baningime and Sevelj were all impressive no. 6's for their clubs this season. Miller will clearly go on to much greater things, while Phillips was St. Mirren's Player of the Year and got himself an Ireland call-up.
WINGERS: DAIZEN MAEDA (CELTIC), NICOLAS KUHN (CELTIC)
Honourable mentions: Vaclav Cerny (Rangers), Luca Stephenson (Dundee United), Martin Boyle (Hibernian), Jamie McGrath (Aberdeen)
Maeda was the best player in the country this season and could have been picked as a striker, but for the purposes of this I've stuck him wide. 'Kuhn or Cerny' was the hardest pick in this list; whilst the latter showed more consistency, Kuhn had a few months this season where he was unplayable every week and gets the nod for that. Stephenson did well on loan from Liverpool and United really want him back. Boyle is more of a striker than a winger these days but regardless he is as important to Hibs as ever and shows no signs of slowing down. McGrath was a big factor in Aberdeen's fast start but injuries affected much of his season.
STRIKER: CYRIEL DESSERS (RANGERS)
Honourable mentions: Simon Murray (Dundee), Simon Dalby (Dundee United)
18 league goals is nothing to be sneezed at; however when one watched Dessers, one could believe his xG was probably double that. I think the Premiership's top scorer probably gets in this team by default, though. Lord knows what would have happened to Dundee without Simon Murray, and lord knows why Murray wasted a chunk of his career playing in the lower leagues with Queen's Park given he's playing so well at age 33. Dalby's goals dried up a bit as the season went on but he's been too good for United to be able to sign permanently.
And that's another year sorted. Maybe when I reach twenty, that'll be enough?
Lawrie Spence has whinged about Scottish football on Narey's Toepoker since September 2007. He has a life outside this blog. Honestly.
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