I’ve kept my powder dry on this one for months, but the news today that Brendan Rodgers has made the manager of the year shortlist makes it inevitable that I write this piece.
There is a good argument for saying that Steve Clarke is the manager of the year and I would give that argument more than just a fair hearing.
He has been exceptional. He has turned around a club that was in danger of complete collapse. The decision to appoint Lee McCulloch was rank madness – a bit like the decision to give him a newspaper column – but Kilmarnock board deserve credit for reading the runes and acting decisively.
The turnaround in their form has been incredible.
To say that Clarke has done a good job is an understatement. It has been exceptional. To claw them up from the foot of the table to a spot where they actually made the top six was phenomenal. Some of their individual results have been amazing, including beating us. The guy has worked a miracle.
So yes, I would certainly be willing to listen to anyone who wanted to make the case for him when the awards are handed out. He deserves consideration.
Equally, it would be churlish not to put another of Scotland’s title winning managers, Jack Ross of St Mirren, in the frame. His club has been in sensational form, due in no small part to the brilliance of Celtic-bound Lewis Morgan, but also because Ross himself has a commitment to teams which play the game the right way. He deserves all the credit in the world and will doubtless consider it a real feather in his cap just to be on the shortlist.
No-one but the most corrupt bigot could argue against the inclusion of Neil Lennon. To take a newly promoted side as far as he is remarkable, especially on such a limited budget. He has worked wonders at Easter Road, having secured the title last year. To now be challenging for second place in the SPL is extraordinary. His team is young, aggressive, passionate and highly entertaining to watch. They thoroughly deserved their victory last week.
But as much respect as I have for these three nominees, and although I would not grudge any of them the award, I will laugh to myself anyway if one of them wins it and Brendan goes on to clinch the back-to-back treble. The award ceremony will be held on Sunday, well before the Scottish Cup Final, and it would be just like Scotland to be the first country where a manager who won the grand slam was not honoured for it by being named the best in the business.
Brendan deserves to pick up the gong. Our side will just have secured their seventh title in a row. We will be chasing the double treble. We were in Europe after Christmas. When the objectives were being laid out at the start of the season that was the checklist he had to work his way down and he has ticked every box. What more do people want?
Has the form always been bang-on? No, and I’ve written about it many times. But it’s a testament to how much better we’ve been than the rest that we could have had the title wrapped up last weekend, on the first day of the split, had we beat Hibs.
It is a testament to how good we are that it’s not even been close as we get to the run in.
And how comprehensive was that semi-final victory at Hampden?
When this team has to, it shows up for business and does the job. That’s a credit to the players, first, yes, but also the manager himself. With Brown almost certain to be named Player of the Year it is only right that credit goes to the man in the dugout who has gotten performances out of Scott that have been amongst the finest of his career.
I mean, what more does people want? No this hasn’t been an Invincible campaign but those who say Brendan has only done what was expected of him or, and I swear I’ve read this, that he has actually underachieved this year … what are these people on? There’s a reason why we’re being talked about as on the brink of history. No side has ever done back to back trebles in Scotland … if we pull it off it is a mammoth accomplishment, the equal of going a season unbeaten.
We surely do not need Brendan to actually get his hands on the trophy before he is honoured for putting us on the brink of it. He earned it. He deserves it. As good as the other candidates are, the man remains in a class of his own.
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