Tony Dingwall (Ross County)
Having only heard his name for the first time earlier in the season I’m so glad he’s a good player. After all, it would be a shame to let such a glorious name go to waste. And it’s not just because he’s playing in Dingwall. Oh no. That type of name would be cool regardless of what shirt he wore. It sounds like one that would fit an antagonist in an American drama series.
Anyway, on to the football. It seems County have a player on their hands. Young Dingwall showed a maturity beyond his years in Saturday’s win over Motherwell. Not just to score two excellent goals, but to float in the areas between the home side’s defence and midfield, continually looking to exploit little pockets of space, which he can do with a good first touch and all round impressive technical abilities. Make no mistake about it, this lad can go far.
James Forrest (Celtic)
The little winger endured a sub par 2013/14 season and the emergence of Callum McGregor at the beginning of this campaign cast a great, big, dark, looming crowd over his career prospects. After all, this was a top flight without Rangers; one Celtic were winning comfortably, playing without any undue pressure and smashing several opponents out of their path. A prior criticism of Forrest was that he was a bit of a flat-track bully, and even the lesser teams he once thrived again appeared too much of a challenge.
It’s still early days since he returned from injury, but the indications are he’s ready to put a sub-par campaign behind him and build up some career momentum once more. On Saturday he caused problems for St Mirren down the right and scored his first goal of this season. I’d warn any Celtic fan against getting too excited – it is only St Mirren and you’re always potentially a minute away from another Forrest injury – though you cannot deny winning back his job is a huge step in the right direction.
Jonny Hayes (Aberdeen)
Another outstanding performance from Aberdeen’s player of the year thus far. It boggles the mind how well Hayes has adapted to playing as part of the double pivot alongside Ryan Jack. He’s been a winger his whole career and his attributes suited such exclusivity: he’s fast, can dribble with the ball and is an excellent crosser of the ball. And yet here he is; excelling such such a different role. It’s partly down to the changing nature of the game itself, with more focus on technique, passing and dynamism in the centre, that players like him can thrive in these areas. But mostly it’s down to the fact he’s a highly intelligent footballer, something we may not have given him credit for in years past.
Saturday’s win over Dundee United was Aberdeen’s third win on the bounce in the league since Wilo Flood went out injured. Prior to his spell on the sidelines you would have had the buzzing midfielder as one of Aberdeen’s most valuable players, and yet they’ve not missed a beat. Even in the defeat to Dundee they dominated large periods of the match.
Alan Mannus (St Johnstone)
The keeper we anointed as Scotland’s second best last term suffered through a mediocre start to this campaign. Normally reliable with the ability to pull off the occasion world class save, mistakes began to creep into his game over the first couple of months. It now seems as if his own form mirrored that of St Johnstone since the team’s up turn in form – six wins in their last seven, while remaining unbeaten though that time – has coincided with his own return to top form. On Saturday he pulled off the save of the weekend to deny Robbie Muirhead in the very first minute. Had that effort gone in, which it had every right to, then it’s a completely different game and perhaps Saints don’t leapfrog their hosts into the top six.
Alex Neil (Hamilton)
The Hamilton boss made a very smart decision in what was one of Hamilton’s biggest games this season. Regardless of how good or bad their form is, Accies are staying in the league. They’ve enough credit in the bank that even an absolute capitulation would see them survive. The issue was whether this team had what it took to survive when the next season rolls around. If they suffer an ignominious second half to the term then Neil would have to seriously think about the future of both he and the current team. Would he be tempted to walk away when his stock was at its highest? Or would he look to make manager changes in the hope he could keep the side among the elite for a sustained period?
Of course, a capitulation could still happen, but a victory against a Dundee side who were in good form, and who’ve generally had Accies number over the last year or so, was a very encouraging sign the metioric rise up the table wasn’t a complete fluke. Aiding them to capture that victory with his on the field play was Neil, adding some well needed leadership in the defensive midfielder role. The player-manager had tried a few different things in recent weeks in the hope of getting a spark out of his players. Turns out what they needed instead was a calm head in the middle of the park. Composure isn’t normally an aspect of Neil’s game, but perhaps he’s learning more to curb his aggression the more he watches from the sideline. Or maybe it had something to do with watching Darian MacKinnon and wondering ‘Jesus, is that what I look like when I play?’
Tommy Wright (St Johnstone)
It goes without saying the Northern Irishman has done a terrific job of turning things around at St Johnstone. Lesser managers would not have recovered from losing two of their most influential players, and with good reason. Steven MacLean’s injury occurred after the transfer window had closed and Wright was severely limited in who he could bring in. He had to find a new attacking dimension for the team and has managed to piece together a formidable unit in Brian Graham, Michael O’Hallorahanrahan and James McFadden.
The latter of those three limped off during Saturday’s match after suffering a hamstring injury. Most managers would have used the artificial surface at Kilmarnock as a scapegoat for such misfortune. Tommy, instead, chose to show a bit of respect. He categorically denied the pitch had anything to do with it. Explaining to the media that a player such as McFadden cannot be expected to train and play every week on this type of surface, but one off matches would not make any difference. The injury could just as easily have come on grass, he stated.
Tommy Wright: good manager and a real classy individual.
WRITTEN BY CRAIG FOWLER
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