| Competition: | Scottish Premier League |
| Season: | 2012–13 |
| Dates: | 4 August 2012 – 19 May 2013 |
| Relegated: | Dundee |
| Continentalcup1: | Champions League |
| Continentalcup1 Qualifiers: | Celtic |
| Continentalcup2: | Europa League |
| Continentalcup2 Qualifiers: | Motherwell St Johnstone Hibernian |
| Matches: | 228 |
| Total Goals: | 623 |
| League Topscorer: | Michael Higdon (26 goals) |
| Biggest Home Win: | Celtic 5–0 Dundee (24 February 2013) |
| Biggest Away Win: | St Mirren 0–5 Celtic (20 October 2012) |
| Highest Scoring: | St Mirren 5–4 Ross County (29 September 2012) |
| Longest Wins: | 6 games Celtic |
| Longest Unbeaten: | 11 games Ross County |
| Longest Winless: | 14 games Dundee |
| Longest Losses: | 6 games Dundee St Mirren |
| Highest Attendance: | 57,000 Celtic 4–0 St Johnstone |
| Lowest Attendance: | 2,167 St Johnstone 3–1 Aberdeen |
| Average Attendance: | 9,871 (3,990)[1] |
| Prevseason: | 2011–12 |
| Nextseason: | 2013–14 |
The 2012–13 Scottish Premier League was the fifteenth and final season of the Scottish Premier League, the highest division of Scottish football, since its inception in 1998. The season began on 4 August 2012[2] and ended on 19 May 2013.[3]
Twelve teams contested the league. Ross County (champions) and Dundee (runners-up) were promoted from the 2011–12 First Division, replacing Dunfermline (relegated) and Rangers (entered administration and demoted). After the SPL clubs voted against Rangers continuing in the league,[4] the club were accepted into the fourth tier of Scottish football,[5] with Dundee taking their place in the SPL.[6]
On 21 April, Celtic retained their title after a 4–1 home win against Inverness Caledonian Thistle at Celtic Park.[7] [8]
This was the final season of the Scottish Premier League before it was abolished in June 2013, when the SPL and SFL merged to form the new Scottish Professional Football League,[9] with its top division being known as the Scottish Premiership.
Dunfermline were relegated from the 2011–12 Scottish Premier League. Ross County, who won the 2011–12 Scottish First Division, were promoted. The 2012–13 season marks the top-flight debut for the Highland team.[10]
After failing to exit administration by an agreed CVA, Rangers was replaced with the term "Club 12" when the fixture list was published on 18 June 2012.[11] The transfer of the club's membership share of the SPL to the new company that had bought Rangers was dependent on a vote by the remaining SPL clubs.[12] Eight clubs publicly declared that they would oppose the membership transfer, which would mean that they could not play in the SPL.[13] The vote took place on 4 July 2012, and Rangers were refused re-entry to the SPL by a 10-1 majority.[14] [15] Dundee, who had finished second in the 2011–12 Scottish First Division, were invited to replace Rangers.[15] [16]
| Team | Stadium | Capacity |
|---|---|---|
| Aberdeen F.C. | Pittodrie | 22,199 |
| Celtic F.C. | Celtic Park | 60,832 |
| Dundee United | Tannadice Park | 14,223 |
| Heart of Midlothian F.C. | Tynecastle Stadium | 17,420 |
| Hibernian F.C. | Easter Road | 20,241 |
| Inverness Caledonian Thistle | Caledonian Stadium | 7,800 |
| Kilmarnock F.C. | Rugby Park | 18,182 |
| Motherwell F.C. | Fir Park | 13,742 |
| Ross County F.C. | Victoria Park | 6,541 |
| St Johnstone F.C. | McDiarmid Park | 10,740 |
| St Mirren F.C. | St Mirren Park | 8,023 |
| Dundee F.C. | Dens Park | 11,500 |
Note: Flags indicate national team as has been defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.
| Team | Manager | Captain | Kit manufacturer | Shirt sponsor | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Aberdeen | Adidas | Team Recruitment | |||
| Celtic | Nike | Tennents | |||
| Dundee | Puma | Kilmac Energy | |||
| Dundee United | Nike | Calor | |||
| Heart of Midlothian | Adidas | Wonga.com | |||
| Hibernian | Puma | Crabbie's | |||
| Inverness Caledonian Thistle | Erreà | Orion Group | |||
| Kilmarnock | Killie 1869 | QTS | |||
| Motherwell | Puma | Cash Converters | |||
| Ross County | Diadora | Stanley CRC Evans Offshore | |||
| St Johnstone | Joma | GS Brown Construction | |||
| St Mirren | Diadora | Diadora |
| Team | Outgoing manager | Manner of departure | Date of vacancy | Position in table | Incoming manager | Date of appointment | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Heart of Midlothian | End of contract[17] | 7 June 2012 | Pre-season | [18] | 26 June 2012 | ||
| Dundee United | Mutual consent[19] | 28 January 2013 | 7th | [20] | 30 January 2013 | ||
| Dundee | Mutual consent[21] | 20 February 2013 | 12th | [22] | 23 February 2013 | ||
| Heart of Midlothian | Contract terminated[23] | 28 February 2013 | 11th | 28 February 2013 | |||
| Aberdeen | Retired[24] | 14 March 2013 | 9th | [25] | 25 March 2013 |
Teams play each other twice, once at home, once away
Teams play every other team once (either at home or away)
After 33 matches, the league splits into two sections of six teams each, with teams playing every other team in their section once (either at home or away). The exact matches are determined upon the league table at the time of the split.
| Rank | Scorer | Team | Goals[26] [27] |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Michael Higdon | Motherwell | 26 |
| 2 | Leigh Griffiths | Hibernian | 23 |
| Billy McKay | Inverness CT | 23 | |
| 4 | Niall McGinn | Aberdeen | 20 |
| 5 | Gary Hooper | Celtic | 19 |
| 6 | Johnny Russell | Dundee United | 13 |
| Steven Thompson | St Mirren | 13 | |
| 8 | Andrew Shinnie | Inverness CT | 12 |
| 9 | Kris Commons | Celtic | 11 |
 Paul Heffernan | Kilmarnock | 11 |
| Rank | Player | Club | Assists[28] |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |  Henrik Ojamaa | Motherwell | 16 |
| 2 | Aaron Doran | Inverness CT | 12 |
| 3 | Kris Commons | Celtic | 11 |
| 4 | Jonny Hayes | Aberdeen | 9 |
| Iain Vigurs | Ross County | 9 | |
| 6 |  Chris Humphrey | Motherwell | 8 |
| Adam Matthews | Celtic | 8 | |
| Gary Teale | St Mirren | 8 | |
| 9 | Richie Foran | Inverness CT | 7 |
| Gary Hooper | Celtic | 7 | |
| Nicky Law | Motherwell | 7 | |
| Andrew Shinnie | Inverness CT | 7 |
See main article: List of Scottish Premier League hat-tricks.
| Player | For | Against | Result | Date | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 4–1[29] | |||||
| | 3–1[30] | ||||
| 4–4[31] | |||||
| 3–1[32] | |||||
| 3–2[33] | |||||
| 3–2[34] | |||||
| | 3–0[35] | ||||
| 4–3[36] |
See main article: List of Scottish Premier League monthly award winners.
| Month | Manager | Player | Young Player | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| August | Derek Adams (Ross County)[39] | Leigh Griffiths (Hibernian)[40] | Tony Watt (Celtic)[41] | |
| September | Steve Lomas (St Johnstone)[42] | Michael Higdon (Motherwell)[43] | Ryan Fraser (Aberdeen)[44] | |
| October | Craig Brown (Aberdeen) | Niall McGinn (Aberdeen) | Ryan Fraser (Aberdeen)[45] | |
| November | Terry Butcher (Inverness CT) | Billy McKay (Inverness CT) | Aaron Doran (Inverness CT)[46] | |
| December | Neil Lennon (Celtic)[47] | Jamie Murphy (Motherwell)[48] | Joe Shaughnessy (Aberdeen)[49] | |
| January | Derek Adams (Ross County)[50] | Gary Hooper (Celtic)[51] | Adam Matthews (Celtic)[52] | |
| February | Derek Adams (Ross County)[53] | Leigh Griffiths (Hibernian)[54] | Stuart Armstrong (Dundee United) | |
| March | Stuart McCall (Motherwell)[55] | Nicky Law (Motherwell)[56] | Josh Meekings (Inverness CT)[57] | |
| April | John Brown (Dundee)[58] | Michael Higdon (Motherwell)[59] | Henrik Ojamaa (Motherwell)[60] |