Scottish Player of The Year Breakdown

Nominees for Player of the Year Award 2013

Looking at the current state of the SPL, you would be forgiven for not giving a toss about who is playing well and what your team is doing in the league. However, the small shining light has to be a handful of players outside of  the 'all conquering complainers' Celtic.

This year the SPL has been one of the most evenly matched seasons in recent memory (taking Celtic out of the equation and Rangers demotion to the 3rd division). The Highland teams of Caley and Ross Country have exceeded their fans wildest expectations in particular. But this all about those individuals who have been voted by their peers as the standout performers this season;

Michael Higdon- Motherwell
Leigh Griffiths- Hibernian
Andrew Shinnie- Inverness Caledonian Thistle
Nial McGinn- Aberdeen

Just another day at Fir Park

We have the Well hit-man Michael Higdon. At first glance he is a typical target man in stature, with some suggesting that he is carrying a bit of extra timber (weekly away fans appreciation of "You fat baastaarrd") . There are in fact many more strings to this beefy man's bow on the football pitch. Capable of accurate, powerful first time finishes as a front line poacher or as a dominant aerial threat from corners and free-kicks, he has consistently shown that scoring goals is his mince and tatties. The aspect of his game which has been excellent this season is his footwork with the ball. His large frame combined with a natural delicate touch often creates space in and around the box. The 6ft2 striker is excellent at dropping deep and creating space to distribute passes out to the wide areas with Humphrey, (previously) Jamie Murphy and (currently) Sir James McFadden who all are more than capable at being direct and go past any player in the Scottish top flight. Resulting in more times than not a well timed run and finish from 'The Don'. In the same mold as John Hartson or Dean Ashton- who incidentally was a team mate at Crewe Alexandra, Higdon keeps the nostalgic flame glowing as an 'old fashioned centre forward'.

Looks like a thumb

Leigh 'Sparky' Griffiths has had a vast improvement with discipline on field this season for the Mighty Hibees. As a Hibernian FC supporter, I'm very aware that he is basically an idiot. But as a footballer, is one of the most talented in the SPL right now. The impending doom of his loan deal eventually being up at the end of the season to go back to Wolves who start next season in League 1 is a sad one... Not just for Hibs, but as a entertainment spectacle up and down Scottish top flight footy. 

Griffiths has lead the line this year for a stuttering Hibs, with their league form promising up until Christmas then after that it was fairly disgusting in the hunt for a top 6 finish. His Scottish Cup form alongside a punishing league scoring ratio could see a 30 goal mark come the end of the season which hasn't been seen at Easter Road for many a year. Acceleration and a slalom like dribble has had 50% of the SPL defenders on their backsides. This is not a fact but it is probably true... A left foot which delivers and scores free kicks, takes corners and powers in screamers from outside the box is a priceless commodity at this level. The only issue is that Griffiths tends to be a one man team and blinker his team-mates and this is a big problem if he is having a stinker. Which at a higher level (future Scotland call-up) will not be effective or tolerated as part of a team unit.

I'll be sad to see Leigh Griffiths leave Hibs purely on footballing terms. Love him or hate him, he can win games by himself  or tell someone to "fuck off" on Twitter. Great lad.

I'm good at celebrating

Birmingham City bound Andrew Shinnie of Inverness Caledonian Thistle has been the fulcrum for the Highlanders, just like Christopher Lambert in The Highlander. Although he is not a immortal warrior, his performances for Caleys this season have boosted his credentials as a quality attacking midfielder. A call-up to the International stage was somewhat a shock and Shinnie was Caley's first Scottish player to be brought in for a Scotland cap. In terms of ability he seems to have a very strong all round game with a uncanny ability to probe passes through tight formations and taking the ball past opponents with ease. It is refreshing in my opinion to see a player not dragged down to the 3rd Division with Rangers and actually commit to a 'smaller' team. The Shinster's consistency and work ethic epitomises this Inverness Caley team under the guidance of Terry Butcher, who could be in for a shout for Manager of the Year too if they push on and grab that 3rd European spot.

'Red Granite'

Niall McGinn has been Aberdeen's shining light in a season where they struggled with the expectation of becoming a solid experienced team pushing for Europe. Scoring for fun in the first half of the season, McGinn's technique and direct style of attacking have made him a force to be reckoned with. His work ethic is sometimes overlooked and if the other two strikers in Rory Fallon and Scott Vernon were able to discover consistency for more than a handful of games at a time then I'm sure that McGinn would be close to top goal scorer and the Dons higher up the league. For a player to have scored 14 goals in 20 games by the end or December and rumours of Championship English clubs offering about a million for the Northern Irishman at this time, it speaks volumes for a man who scored and outplayed Cristiano Ronaldo during Northern Ireland's World Cup Qualifying away game against Portugal last year. A slightly slower second half of the season could count against Niall in his quest for the PFA Scotland's player of the year. However there is much more to his game than just goals, with sublime offensive movement and skill to change the momentum of a match in a split second, surely he has a strong chance of picking up this award.

The frustrating thing as a Scottish football fan at the moment is pretty much everything, from inability to re-structure the league for the better to our International team being unable to inspire and get results. The very last thing It needs right now is managers like Neil 'King of Scottish Football' Lennon throwing his expensive toys out of his wheelie bin. In my opinion, the Celtic team have lost and drawn too many games this season without their ex-girlfriend Ms Rangers being present. Outside their Champions League campaign I can confidently say that there have not really been any standout performers in the Bhoys ranks.

At the end of the day, you cannot complain if the nominees have been decided by the fellow professionals of the SPL. 

Who will come out on top? My heart says Leigh Griffiths, my head says Michael Higdon and my arse says Rafael Scheidt.