The calendar year of 2011 wasn’t the finest in Scottish football history. Our European co-efficient slipped to an embarrassingly low 17th, we had the shame game where Ally McCoist and Neil Lennon looked like they were about to do a strip the willow and by the end of August we had no teams left in Europe. (By September we had one though, thanks to a dodgy Swiss businessman being in the news for something other than Euthanasia!)
The plus side of the lack of money in the SPL is that more teams are beginning to develop young and exciting prospects to play in the leagues. Here’s a list of ten players to look out for in 2012, whether it be their breakthrough year or whether they will go onto bigger and better things…….like the English Championship!
The 10:
Kenny Mclean
At the age of 19, Kenny Mclean has already got nearly 60 competitive first team games under his belt. The St Mirren midfielder has been a key part in the pass and move style of football that Danny Lennon has tried to bring to the SPL. Mclean has a contract till the end of 2014 with the Saints, with Lennon insisting that the player will continue to mature and can only get better. McLean reportedly has caught the eye of a few championship clubs as well as the eye of another Lennon that manages in the SPL, so he is definitely one to look out for!
Victor Wanyama
A player who plays like the love child of Bobo Balde and Claude Makelele, Wanyama has made an excellent start to his career at Parkhead with his versatility proving a great asset for the team. At only £900,000 he already looks like a bargain signing and has won over hoops fans with his style of play, as well as wearing his number 67 jersey as homage to the Lisbon Lions. Wanyama made his national debut for Kenya aged just 15, an age when most boys are concerned about slipping a hand under someone’s jersey than donning their national one. A quick look at his performance in the last Old Firm game shows that this is a player who is destined for the big stage.
Jason Holt
You might not know this name just now but I think by the end of 2012 you will, all thanks to the absurdity of Vladimir Romanov. Jason Holt is a young midfielder on the books of Hearts and is a player that has been earmarked by coaching staff as someone to benefit from the mass exodus expected from Tynecastle in the January transfer window. Holt is currently on loan at Raith Rovers in the first division getting competitive experience for when he comes back to a place that is more unstable than Rik Waller on a bike. A big year is expected for the player who was the 2011 under 19 year old player of the year.
David Templeton
At the other end of the scale, David Templeton is a first team player at Hearts who has been one of their best performers this season. A jinky winger, Templeton was named after his father’s footballing idol Davie Cooper. Templeton was nominated for the PFA Young Player of the Year award last season and despite losing out collected the Hearts Young Player of the Year award from the fans. Templeton has been linked with many clubs for the upcoming transfer window and who he’s playing for in 2012 will all depend on the mind-set of Mr Romanov. When in charge earlier in the year, Jim Jeffries put a price tag of £15 million on Templeton, so the only way he is staying in Scotland is if that couple from Largs who won the EuroMillions put a bid in for him.
Liam Kelly
Liam Kelly is another young promising Scottish midfielder who is currently playing regularly at SPL level. The Kilmarnock dynamo (I hate myself for using that word) has opted to play for Scotland despite growing up in Milton Keynes and has been a mainstay for the under 21 squad over the last year. Expect him to follow the Craig Bryson route of amassing a decent number of games at Killie before moving to the Championship to continue his development.
Francisco Sandaza
A striker who is the spitting image of the butler from Mr Deeds, Sandaza has been banging them in for St Johnstone this season. He has created an effective partnership with Cillian Sheridan, a feat in itself given his punditry on Sportscene recently that showed him to be the most boring man in the world who wears jumpers that his Gran knits him. Sandaza has 11 goals in 16 appearances this season and has been recently linked with a move to Rangers as a replacement if they do sell Nikica Jelavic. Sandaza is by far and away the oldest on this list, but could be in line for an exceptional 2012 if he keeps on playing the way that he is just now.
Johnny Russell
When Dundee United sold David Goodwillie in the summer, Johnny Russell was the player that they looked towards to fill his old teammate’s boots, which according to evidence given in Stirling Court are size tens. He may have the worst footballing hairstyle since early 2000s Taribo West but Russell is starting to grow into his role as a first choice striker at Tannadice recently. He has also been a feature of the Scotland under 21 squad recently so hopefully with game time then he will develop into yet another Dundee United player that moves on a free transfer to the championship in a couple of years. (See Craig Conway, Prince Buaben and Morgaro Gomis for details).
Gary Mackay-Steven
One of the main problems that young Scottish footballers face throughout their development is the brutality of rejection from a club that they have invested years of their lives in. Gary Mackay-Steven is one of those players, having been released by Liverpool last summer before taking the decision to go part-time playing for Airdrie United. It was during this period that he caught the eye of Peter Houston and the rest was history. Mackay-Steven has played 19 times for United this season already with two goals and copious amounts of assists. He seems to have the mental toughness that is needed to thrive in this game and is a player who should go onto bigger and better things.
Paul McGowan
Paul McGowan is a player that I think should be playing at a much higher level than he currently is doing for St Mirren. This is no disrespect to the Paisley side but I think McGowan possesses the talent to progress further than the SPL given the chance. He has been unfortunate before, breaking into the Celtic first team twice only for the managers to be replaced shortly after allowing him to fall out of favour. McGowan has been tipped for a Scotland call up by Danny Lennon in the past week (probably under the mind-set of ‘if Don Cowie can then anyone can!’) and while I wouldn’t expect him to make the jump to the national squad anytime soon, there’s a chance of a bigger move in the summer for him.
James Forrest
The current shining star in Scottish football, Forrest appears to be destined to play at a high level throughout his career. He has inevitably been likened to Aiden McGeady by pundits but has a better goal to game ratio than McGeady did at this time and perhaps more importantly appears to be able to adapt to the goldfish bowl surroundings in Glasgow that McGeady could never. Forrest already has four Scotland caps to his name and has been linked with a high profile transfer to Tottenham. What has been clear this season is that when Celtic were poor in October and November, it was Forrest who was frequently their best player and spurred on his team mates. Forrest appears to have a brilliant career ahead of him proven by being the only Scottish inclusion in the recently compiled list of the World’s 100 Best Young Players for 2012.
And one more dependent on fitness
Jamie Ness
When Jamie Ness broke into the Rangers team this time last season, he was showered with superlatives and heralded as the next big Scottish midfielder. Sadly his past year has been blighted by injuries, so much so that he has only made 13 appearances in his entire Rangers career. A fit Jamie Ness would be a great asset to Rangers and seems a player that would benefit a loan spell at another Scottish club to develop. If he manages to stay injury free then Jamie Ness will have a big effect in 2012.
Do you agree or disagree with Ray’s list? Who have we missed out? Let us know by posting your comments below.
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About the Author
Having made his comedy debut in September 2008, Ray has quickly established himself as one of the most exciting new acts on the comedy circuit. A two time Scottish Comedian of The Year finalist, Ray has travelled the lengths and breadths of the country telling jokes to anyone that will listen, making his name as an MC for various promoters.
Ray is a Partick Thistle fan who has an unhealthy obsession with Jean-Yves Anis and Paul Walker. The only players who have ever come close to such admiration since are Emile Heskey, Marlon “Fox in the Box” Harewood and Charlie Adam (his left foot only.)
Ray currently manages a saturday morning amateur team known as the mighty West Glasgow, where he is affectionately known as the “Ginger Mourinho” or simply the “Dick on the touchline”. A keen footballer, Ray likes to think his dead ball skills are similar to Shunsuke Nakamura, but at time they are more like Hiro Nakamura from Heroes. As a well known John Hartson impersonator, Ray is versatile in the emergency striker role when needed and can also kick Eyal Berkovic in the face upon request.
“Very funny” – STV
“a very promising writer, able to create some enjoyably twisted punchlines” – Chortle
“Has a Clear Comedy Gift” – Edinburgh Evening News
“Funnier than a falcon…” – Frankie Boyle
You can follow Ray on Twitter: @comedyray
Check out Ray’s Website http://raybradshaw.co.uk/
