2009–10 Scottish Premier League Explained

Season:	2009–10
Dates:	15 August 2009 – 9 May 2010
League Topscorer:	Kris Boyd (23)
Biggest Away Win:	Nine wins by three clear goals^[1]
Highest Scoring:	Motherwell 6–6 Hibernian (12)
Matches:	228
Total Goals:	586
Highest Attendance:	Celtic v St Johnstone: 58,500 Celtic v Dundee United: 58,500
Lowest Attendance:	Hamilton Academical v Heart of Midlothian: 2,003
Average Attendance:	Rangers 47,564
Nextseason:	2010–11

The 2009–10 Scottish Premier League season was the twelfth season of the Scottish Premier League. Rangers were the defending champions and they retained the championship with three games to spare by winning 1–0 against Hibernian at Easter Road on 25 April.^[2] The competition began on 15 August 2009 and ended on 9 May 2010.

Clubs

Promotion and relegation from 2008–09

Promoted from First Division to Premier League

• St Johnstone

Relegated from Premier League to First Division

• Inverness Caledonian Thistle

Stadia and locations

Aberdeen	Celtic	Dundee United	Falkirk
Pittodrie Stadium	Celtic Park	Tannadice Park	Falkirk Stadium
Capacity: 20,866^[3]	Capacity: 60,411^[4]	Capacity: 14,223^[5]	Capacity: 7,937^[6]
Hamilton Academical			Heart of Midlothian
New Douglas Park			Tynecastle Park
Capacity: 5,510^[7]			Capacity: 17,420^[8]
Hibernian			Kilmarnock
Easter Road			Rugby Park
Capacity: 16,531^[9]			Capacity: 17,889^[10]
Motherwell	Rangers	St Johnstone	St Mirren
Fir Park	Ibrox Stadium	McDiarmid Park	St Mirren Park
Capacity: 13,677^[11]	Capacity: 50,817^[12]	Capacity: 10,696^[13]	Capacity: 8,023^[14]

Personnel and kits

Team	Manager	Kit manufacturer	Kit sponsor
Aberdeen	Mark McGhee	Nike	Team Recruitment
Celtic	Neil Lennon	Nike	Carling
Dundee United	Peter Houston	Nike	Carbrini
Falkirk	Steven Pressley	Puma	Central Demolition
Hamilton Academical	Billy Reid	Nike	Reid Furniture
Heart of Midlothian	Jim Jefferies	Umbro	Ukio Bankas
Hibernian	John Hughes	Le Coq Sportif	McEwan Fraser
Kilmarnock	Jimmy Calderwood	1869	Smallworld
Motherwell	Craig Brown	Canterbury of New Zealand	JAXX
Rangers	Walter Smith	Umbro	Carling
St Johnstone	Derek McInnes	Surridge	Taylor Wimpey
St Mirren	Gus MacPherson	hummel	Braehead Shopping Centre

Managerial changes

Team	Outgoing manager	Date of vacancy	Manner of departure	Position in table	Incoming manager	Date of appointment
Aberdeen	Jimmy Calderwood	24 May 2009^[15]	Resigned	Pre-season	Mark McGhee	12 June 2009^[16]
Celtic	Gordon Strachan	25 May 2009^[17]	Resigned		Tony Mowbray	16 June 2009^[18]
Hibernian	Mixu Paatelainen	29 May 2009^[19]	Resigned		John Hughes	8 June 2009^[20]
Falkirk	John Hughes	8 June 2009	Signed by Hibernian		Eddie May	23 June 2009^[21]
Motherwell	Mark McGhee	12 June 2009	Signed by Aberdeen		Jim Gannon	27 June 2009^[22]
Dundee United	Craig Levein	23 December 2009^[23]	Signed by Scotland	4th	Peter Houston	23 December 2009^[24] (interim) 25 May 2010^[25] (permanent)
Motherwell	Jim Gannon	28 December 2009^[26]	Sacked	6th	Craig Brown	29 December 2009^[27] (interim) 27 January 2010^[28] (permanent)
Kilmarnock	Jim Jefferies	11 January 2010^[29]	Mutual consent	11th	Jimmy Calderwood	14 January 2010^[30]
Heart of Midlothian	Csaba László	29 January 2010	Sacked	5th	Jim Jefferies	29 January 2010^[31]
Falkirk	Eddie May	11 February 2010^[32]	Sacked	12th	Steven Pressley	11 February 2010^[33]
Celtic	Tony Mowbray	25 March 2010^[34]	Sacked	2nd	Neil Lennon	25 March 2010 (interim) 9 June 2010^[35] (permanent)

Events

• 21 April – Inverness Caledonian Thistle won promotion to the Scottish Premier League as First Division champions following a 1–0 defeat for their nearest challengers Dundee against Raith Rovers.^[36]
• 25 April – Rangers clinch the championship by winning 1–0 against Hibernian at Easter Road.^[2]
• 5 May – The 6–6 draw between Motherwell and Hibernian at Fir Park breaks the SPL record for the most goals scored in a single SPL match.^{[37] [38]}
• 8 May – Falkirk were relegated after goalless draw against Kilmarnock at Rugby Park.^[39]

League table

Results

Matches 1–22

During their first 22 matches, each team played every other team home and away.

Matches 23–33

During matches 23–33 each team played every other team once (either at home or away).

Matches 34–38

After 33 matches, the table splits into two groups of six. Each team plays every team in their own half once (either at home or away)

Bottom six

Attendances

Source: SPL

Team	Stadium	Capacity	Highest	Lowest	Average
Aberdeen	Pittodrie Stadium	22,199	16,803	6,097	10,461
Celtic	Celtic Park	60,355	58,500	24,000	45,582
Dundee United	Tannadice Park	14,209	11,100	5,598	7,821
Falkirk	Falkirk Stadium	9,706^[40]	7,049	4,321	5,635
Hamilton Academical	New Douglas Park	6,096	5,343	2,003	3,005
Heart of Midlothian	Tynecastle Stadium	17,420	17,126	12,325	14,484
Hibernian	Easter Road	17,500^[41]	16,949	9,185	12,164
Kilmarnock	Rugby Park	18,128	10,662	4,068	5,919
Motherwell	Fir Park	13,742	9,355	3,544	5,307
Rangers	Ibrox Stadium	51,082	50,321	44,291	47,564
St Johnstone	McDiarmid Park	10,673	7,807	2,993	4,717
St Mirren	St Mirren Park	8,016	6,164	3,009	4,414

Goals

Top scorers

Sources: SPL BBC

Rank	Scorer	Team	Goals
1	Kris Boyd	Rangers	23
2	Anthony Stokes	Hibernian	21
3	Kenny Miller	Rangers	18
4	Jon Daly	Dundee United	13
	Derek Riordan	Hibernian
6	Lukas Jutkiewicz	Motherwell	12
	Robbie Keane	Celtic
8	John Sutton	Motherwell	11
9	Marc-Antoine Fortuné	Celtic	10
	Scott McDonald	Celtic^[42]
	Georgios Samaras	Celtic

Hat-tricks

See main article: List of Scottish Premier League hat-tricks.

Scorer	For	Against	Date
Peter MacDonald	St Johnstone	Motherwell	26 December 2009^[43]
Kris Boyd ^5	Rangers	Dundee United	30 December 2009^[44]
Jon Daly	Dundee United	Falkirk	23 January 2010^[45]
Colin Nish	Hibernian	Motherwell	5 May 2010^[46]

⁵ player scored 5 goals

Awards

Monthly awards

See main article: Scottish Premier League monthly awards.

Month	Manager of the Month		Player of the Month		Young Player of the Month
	Manager	Club	Player	Club	Player	Club
August	Tony Mowbray^[47]	Celtic	Danny Cadamarteri^[48]	Dundee United	Ross Forbes^[49]	Motherwell
September	John Hughes^[50]	Hibernian	Derek Riordan	Hibernian	Craig Thomson^[51]	Heart of Midlothian
October	Jim Gannon^[52]	Motherwell	Liam Miller^[53]	Hibernian	Lukas Jutkiewicz	Motherwell
November	Craig Levein	Dundee United	Andy Webster^[54]	Dundee United	Peter Pawlett^[55]	Aberdeen
December	Walter Smith	Rangers	Kris Boyd^[56]	Rangers	Anthony Stokes^[57]	Hibernian
January	Craig Brown^[58]	Motherwell	Steven Davis^[59]	Rangers	Fraser Fyvie^[60]	Aberdeen
February	Craig Brown^[61]	Motherwell	David Weir^[62]	Rangers	Chris Maguire^[63]	Kilmarnock
March	Peter Houston^[64]	Dundee United	Robbie Keane^[65]	Celtic	Ryan Flynn^[66]	Falkirk
April	Billy Reid^[67]	Hamilton Academical	Kenny Miller^[68]	Rangers	Graham Carey^[69]	St Mirren

Clydesdale Bank Premier League Awards

^[70]

Award	Recipient
Player of the Season	David Weir^[71]
Manager of the Season	Walter Smith
Young Player of the Season	David Goodwillie^[72]
Goal of the Season	Anthony Stokes
Save of the Season	Artur Boruc
Under-19 League Player of the Season	Dale Hilson^[73]
Best Club Media Relations	Motherwell
SPL Family Champions	St Mirren
Best Community Initiative	Hibernian

External links

• 2009–10 Scottish Premier League Season at ESPN

Notes and References

1. [Hamilton Academical F.C.|Hamilton Academical]
2. News: Hibernian 0 – 1 Rangers. 25 April 2010. BBC Sport . BBC. Andy . Campbell . 26 April 2010. https://web.archive.org/web/20100427005438/http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport2/hi/football/scot_prem/8638892.stm. 27 April 2010 . live.
3. Web site: Aberdeen Football Club. Scottish Professional Football League . 11 November 2013.
4. Web site: Celtic Football Club. Scottish Professional Football League . 11 November 2013.
5. Web site: Dundee United Football Club. Scottish Professional Football League . 11 November 2013.
6. Web site: Falkirk Football Club. Scottish Professional Football League . 11 November 2013.
7. Web site: Hamilton Academical Football Club . Scottish Professional Football League . 11 November 2013 . https://web.archive.org/web/20131016083122/http://spfl.co.uk/clubs/hamilton/ . 16 October 2013 . dead.
8. Web site: Heart of Midlothian Football Club . Scottish Professional Football League . 11 November 2013 . https://web.archive.org/web/20131022121754/http://spfl.co.uk/clubs/hearts/ . 22 October 2013 . dead.
9. Web site: Hibernian Football Club. Scottish Professional Football League . 11 November 2013.
10. Web site: Kilmarnock Football Club. Scottish Professional Football League . 11 November 2013.
11. Web site: Motherwell Football Club. Scottish Professional Football League . 11 November 2013.
12. Rangers Football Club. Scottish Professional Football League . 4 November 2015.
13. Web site: St Johnstone Football Club. Scottish Professional Football League . 11 November 2013.
14. Web site: St Mirren Football Club. Scottish Professional Football League . 11 November 2013.
15. News: Aberdeen manager Jimmy Calderwood quits after European qualification. The Guardian. 24 May 2009. 18 February 2018.
16. News: Aberdeen appoint Mark McGhee as manager. The Guardian. 12 June 2009. 18 February 2018.
17. News: Strachan resigns as Celtic boss. BBC Sport. 25 May 2009. 18 February 2018.
18. News: Celtic appoint Tony Mowbray as new manager. Daily Record. 16 June 2009. 18 February 2018.
19. News: Paatelainen leaves Hibs. Metro. 29 May 2009. 18 February 2018.
20. News: Hughes appointed Hibernian boss. BBC Sport. 8 June 2009. 18 February 2018.
21. News: Eddie May takes over at Falkirk. The Guardian. 23 June 2009. 18 February 2018.
22. News: Motherwell appoint Gannon as new manager but Clarkson on way to Bristol. The Scotsman. 27 June 2009. 18 February 2018.
23. News: Craig Levein confirmed as Scotland manager. The Guardian. 23 December 2009. 18 February 2018.
24. News: Peter Houston is Dundee United manager until the summer. BBC Sport. 28 January 2010. 18 February 2018.
25. News: Dundee United appoint Peter Houston as new manager. 25 May 2010. 18 February 2018.
26. News: Boss Gannon sacked by Motherwell. BBC Sport. 28 December 2009. 18 February 2018.
27. News: Brown given stint at Motherwell. BBC Sport. 29 December 2009. 18 February 2018.
28. News: Craig Brown becomes permanent Motherwell manager. BBC Sport. 27 January 2010. 18 February 2018.
29. News: Jim Jefferies quits Kilmarnock after eight years in charge at Rugby Park. The Daily Telegraph. 11 January 2010. 18 February 2018.
30. News: Jimmy Calderwood named new Kilmarnock manager. The Daily Telegraph. 14 January 2010. 18 February 2018.
31. News: Hearts appoint Jim Jefferies as new manager. Goal.com. 29 January 2010. 18 February 2018.
32. News: Falkirk manager Eddie May pays the price for defeat at Kilmarnock. The Daily Telegraph. 11 February 2010. 18 February 2018.
33. News: Falkirk confirm Eddie May's departure as Steven Pressley takes charge. Daily Record. 11 February 2010. 18 February 2018.
34. News: Celtic end manager Tony Mowbray's troubled reign. BBC Sport. 25 March 2010. 18 February 2018.
35. News: Celtic confirm Neil Lennon appointment as new manager. The Daily Telegraph. 9 June 2010. 18 February 2018.
36. News: Raith Rovers 1–0 Dundee . BBC Sport. 21 April 2010 . 21 April 2010. https://web.archive.org/web/20100424235738/http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/football/scot_div_1/8633826.stm. 24 April 2010 . live.
37. News: Motherwell 6–6 Hibernian . BBC Sport. 5 May 2010 . 5 May 2010. https://web.archive.org/web/20100507091100/http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/football/scot_prem/8658858.stm. 7 May 2010 . live.
38. News: 12 – The 6–6 draw between Motherwell and Hibs tonight, breaks the SPL record for the most goals in a single SPL match. Entertainment. . Opta Sports / Twitter . 5 May 2010 . 5 May 2010.
39. News: Kilmarnock 0-0 Falkirk. BBC Sport. 8 May 2010. 8 May 2010. https://web.archive.org/web/20100511160425/http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport2/hi/football/scot_prem/8666163.stm. 11 May 2010 . live.
40. A new stand was opened at the Falkirk Stadium during the summer of 2009 that increased capacity.
41. The capacity of Easter Road was reduced to 14,326 in March 2010, as Hibernian chose to demolish the old East Stand and replace it with a new facility to be opened during the 2010–11 season.
42. [Scott McDonald]
43. Web site: Motherwell v St Johnstone . https://archive.today/20120426190612/http://www.soccerbase.com/results3.sd?gameid=607743 . dead . 26 April 2012 . 4 April 2010 . .
44. Web site: Rangers v Dundee United . 4 April 2010 . . https://web.archive.org/web/20100209055910/http://www.soccerbase.com/results3.sd?gameid=607940 . 9 February 2010 . dead.
45. Web site: Falkirk v Dundee United . https://archive.today/20120426190627/http://www.soccerbase.com/results3.sd?gameid=609554 . dead . 26 April 2012 . 4 April 2010 . .
46. News: Motherwell 6–6 Hibernian . 5 May 2010 . BBC Sport. 5 May 2010. https://web.archive.org/web/20100507091100/http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/football/scot_prem/8658858.stm. 7 May 2010 . live.
47. News: Mowbray nets monthly boss award . 11 September 2009. BBC Sport. 11 September 2009. https://web.archive.org/web/20090915181117/http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/football/teams/c/celtic/8250137.stm. 15 September 2009 . live.
48. News: Cadamarteri earns August honour . 10 September 2009. BBC Sport. 10 September 2009.
49. News: Forbes given young player prize . 14 September 2009. BBC Sport. 14 September 2009.
50. News: Hughes and Riordan scoop awards . 1 October 2009. BBC Sport. 1 October 2009. https://web.archive.org/web/20091004113355/http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/football/teams/h/hibernian/8284442.stm. 4 October 2009 . live.
51. News: Young player prize for Thomson . 10 October 2009. BBC Sport. 10 October 2009. https://web.archive.org/web/20091013081911/http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/football/teams/h/heart_of_midlothian/8300721.stm. 13 October 2009 . live.
52. News: Gannon targets January clear-out . 5 November 2009. BBC Sport. 5 November 2009. https://web.archive.org/web/20091108083606/http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/football/teams/m/motherwell/8342807.stm. 8 November 2009 . live.
53. News: The world's a stage for Miller . 8 November 2009. Scotland on Sunday. 8 November 2009. https://web.archive.org/web/20091109090910/http://sport.scotsman.com/football/The-world39s-a-stage-for.5805159.jp. 9 November 2009 . live.
54. News: Double celebration for Dundee Utd . 3 December 2009. BBC Sport. 3 December 2009. https://web.archive.org/web/20091206235044/http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/football/teams/d/dundee_utd/8392603.stm. 6 December 2009 . live.
55. News: Award win for Aberdeen's Pawlett . 8 December 2009. BBC Sport. 8 December 2009. https://web.archive.org/web/20091213050848/http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/football/teams/a/aberdeen/8400503.stm. 13 December 2009 . live.
56. News: Walter Smith and Kris Boyd rewarded for Rangers form . 15 January 2010. BBC Sport. 15 January 2010. https://web.archive.org/web/20100118100023/http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/football/teams/r/rangers/8461272.stm. 18 January 2010 . live.
57. News: Anthony Stokes happy at Hibs but better placed than before if a big club comes calling. 17 January 2010. . 17 January 2010.
58. News: Motherwell's Craig Brown is manager of the month . 4 February 2010. BBC Sport. 4 February 2002.
59. News: Rangers' Steven Davis wins January SPL award . 9 February 2010. BBC Sport. 9 February 2010. https://web.archive.org/web/20100212072627/http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/football/teams/r/rangers/8505927.stm. 12 February 2010 . live.
60. News: Clydesdale Bank Premier League Young Player of the Month. 7 February 2010. Aberdeen F.C.. 7 February 2010. https://web.archive.org/web/20100208221727/http://www.afc.premiumtv.co.uk/articles/20100207/clydesdale-bank-premier-league-young-player-of-the-month_2212158_1957872. 8 February 2010. dead.
61. News: Craig Brown scoops SPL manager award for second successive month . 4 March 2010. scotsman.com. 4 March 2010.
62. News: Rangers captain David Weir wins February player award . 8 March 2010. BBC Sport . 8 March 2010.
63. News: Killie striker Chris Maguire lifts young player prize . 6 March 2010. BBC Sport . 6 March 2010.
64. News: Dundee United's Peter Houston is SPL manager of month . 13 April 2010 . . 13 April 2010. https://web.archive.org/web/20100416210128/http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/football/teams/d/dundee_utd/8617717.stm. 16 April 2010 . live.
65. News: Robbie Keane named SPL player of month for March . 12 April 2010 . . 12 April 2010. https://web.archive.org/web/20100415062349/http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/football/teams/c/celtic/8615887.stm. 15 April 2010 . live.
66. News: Young player prize for Falkirk's Ryan Flynn . 8 April 2010 . BBC Sport . 8 April 2010. https://web.archive.org/web/20100412000017/http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/football/teams/f/falkirk/8608891.stm. 12 April 2010 . live.
67. News: Hamilton manager Billy Reid nets award for April . 4 May 2010 . . 4 May 2010. https://web.archive.org/web/20100507153259/http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/football/teams/h/hamilton_academical/8658827.stm. 7 May 2010 . live.
68. News: Kenny Miller named top SPL player for April . 1 May 2010 . . 1 May 2010. https://web.archive.org/web/20100504092831/http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/football/teams/r/rangers/8656051.stm. 4 May 2010 . live.
69. News: Graham Carey focused on St Mirren survival . 29 April 2010 . . 1 May 2010.
70. Web site: "Clydesdale Bank Premier League Season Awards 2009/2010" . 3 May 2010 . https://web.archive.org/web/20100423074752/http://www.cbfootball.co.uk/seasonawards0910.aspx . 23 April 2010 . dead .
71. News: Rangers duo win Clydesdale manager and player awards . 19 April 2010 . 19 April 2010 . BBC Sport. https://web.archive.org/web/20100423004836/http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/football/scot_prem/8630065.stm. 23 April 2010 . live.
72. News: Dundee Utd striker Goodwillie nets young player award . 19 April 2010 . 19 April 2010 . BBC Sport. https://web.archive.org/web/20100423080054/http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/football/scot_prem/8631202.stm. 23 April 2010 . live.
73. Web site: CB award winners in full . 20 April 2010 . 20 April 2010 . . https://web.archive.org/web/20120305181920/http://www.scotprem.com/content/default.asp?page=s2&newsid=9044 . 5 March 2012 . dead.