The 2014–15 Scottish Premiership was the second season of the Scottish Premiership, the highest division of Scottish football. The season began on 9 August 2014[2] and ended on the 31 May 2015. Celtic were the defending champions.
| Season | 2014–15 |
|---|---|
| Dates | 9 August 2014 – 31 May 2015 |
| Champions | Celtic 2nd Premiership title 46th Scottish title |
| Relegated | St Mirren |
| Champions League | Celtic |
| Europa League | Aberdeen Inverness CT St Johnstone |
| Matches played | 228 |
| Goals scored | 587 (2.57 per match) |
| Top goalscorer | Adam Rooney (18) |
| Biggest home win | Celtic 6–1 Dundee United (16 August 2014) Hamilton 5–0 Motherwell (1 May 2015) |
| Biggest away win | Ross County 0–5 Celtic (18 October 2014) |
| Highest scoring | Dundee United 6–2 Dundee (1 January 2015) |
| Longest winning run | 8 games[1] Aberdeen Celtic |
| Longest unbeaten run | 12 games[1] Aberdeen |
| Longest winless run | 11 games[1] Ross County |
| Longest losing run | 7 games[1] Ross County |
| Highest attendance | 55,638[1] Celtic 5–0 Inverness CT (24 May 2015) |
| Lowest attendance | 1,544[1] Hamilton Academical 2-2 Ross County (14 March 2015) |
| Average attendance | 8,806 ( 1,377)[1] |
← 2013–14 2015–16 →
All statistics correct as of 23 August 2017. | |
Twelve teams contested the league: Aberdeen, Celtic, Dundee, Dundee United, Hamilton Academical, Inverness CT, Kilmarnock, Motherwell, Partick Thistle, Ross County, St Johnstone and St Mirren. Due to the relegation of Edinburgh-based teams Heart of Midlothian and Hibernian in 2014, this season marked the first time in football history in which a capital city had no representatives in the top league.
On 2 May, Celtic clinched their fourth title in a row after Aberdeen lost 1–0 away at Dundee United, leaving Celtic 11 points clear with three games to play.[3][4]
Teams edit
Dundee were promoted from the Scottish Championship. Heart of Midlothian were relegated from the Scottish Premiership.
Hibernian finished in the play-off position in the Scottish Premiership. They lost to Hamilton Academical who took the final place in the second edition of the competition, a result which left the Scottish capital Edinburgh without a club in the top flight of Scottish football for the 2014–15 season.
Stadiums by capacity and locations edit
| Aberdeen | Celtic | Dundee | Dundee United |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pittodrie Stadium, Aberdeen | Celtic Park, Glasgow | Dens Park, Dundee | Tannadice Park, Dundee |
| Capacity: 20,897[5] | Capacity: 60,355[6] | Capacity: 11,506[7] | Capacity: 14,229[8] |
|
|
|
|
| Hamilton Academical |   Location of teams in 2014–15 Scottish Premiership |
Inverness Caledonian Thistle | |
| New Douglas Park, Hamilton | Caledonian Stadium, Inverness | ||
| Capacity: 6,078[9] | Capacity: 7,800[10] | ||
|
| ||
| Kilmarnock | Motherwell | ||
| Rugby Park, Kilmarnock | Fir Park, Motherwell | ||
| Capacity: 18,128[11] | Capacity: 13,677[12] | ||
|
| ||
| Partick Thistle | Ross County | St Johnstone | St Mirren |
| Firhill Stadium, Glasgow | Victoria Park, Dingwall | McDiarmid Park, Perth | St Mirren Park, Paisley |
| Capacity: 10,102[13] | Capacity: 6,541[14] | Capacity: 10,696[15] | Capacity: 8,023[16] |
|
|
|
.jpg)
|
Personnel and kits edit
| Team | Manager | Captain | Kit manufacturer | Shirt sponsor |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Aberdeen |  Derek McInnes
|
Russell Anderson
|
Adidas | Saltire Energy |
| Celtic |  Ronny Deila
|
Scott Brown
|
Nike | Magners |
| Dundee | Paul Hartley
|
Kevin Thomson
|
Puma | Hangar Records |
| Dundee United | Jackie McNamara
|
 Seán Dillon
|
Nike | Calor |
| Hamilton Academical | Martin Canning
|
Martin Canning
|
1874 Accies, Nike | M&H Logistics (H), Life Skills Centres (A) |
| Inverness CT | John Hughes
|
Richie Foran
|
Erreà | Subway |
| Kilmarnock | Gary Locke
|
 Manuel Pascali
|
Erreà | QTS |
| Motherwell |  Ian Baraclough
|
Keith Lasley
|
Macron | Cash Converters |
| Partick Thistle | Alan Archibald
|
Sean Welsh
|
Joma | macb |
| Ross County | Jim McIntyre
|
Richard Brittain
|
Carbrini | Stanley CRC Evans Offshore |
| St Johnstone |  Tommy Wright
|
Dave Mackay
|
Joma | GS Brown Construction |
| St Mirren | Gary Teale
|
Steven Thompson
|
Carbrini | JD Sports |
Managerial changes edit
| Team | Outgoing manager | Manner of departure | Date of vacancy | Position in table | Incoming manager | Date of appointment |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| St Mirren | Danny Lennon
|
End of contract | 12 May 2014[17] | Pre-season | Tommy Craig
|
13 May 2014[18] |
| Celtic | Neil Lennon
|
Resigned | 22 May 2014[19] | Pre-season | Ronny Deila
|
6 June 2014[20] |
| Ross County | Derek Adams
|
Sacked | 28 August 2014[21] | 12th | Jim McIntyre
|
9 September 2014[22] |
| Motherwell | Stuart McCall
|
Resigned | 2 November 2014[23] | 11th | Ian Baraclough
|
13 December 2014[24] |
| St Mirren | Tommy Craig
|
Sacked | 9 December 2014[25] | 11th | Gary Teale
|
29 January 2015 |
| Hamilton Academical | Alex Neil
|
Signed by Norwich City | 9 January 2015[26] | 3rd | Martin Canning
|
23 January 2015[27] |
| Kilmarnock | Allan Johnston
|
Resigned | 6 February 2015[28] | 8th | Gary Locke
|
6 February 2015 (interim) |
Tournament format and regulations edit
Basic edit
In the initial phase of the season, the 12 teams played a round-robin tournament whereby each team played each one of the other teams three times. After 33 games, the league split into two sections of six teams, with each team playing each other in that section. The league attempts to balance the fixture list so that teams in the same section play each other twice at home and twice away, but sometimes this is impossible. A total of 228 matches were played, with 38 matches played by each team.
Promotion and relegation edit
The team that finished 12th (St Mirren) was relegated to the Championship, while the champion of that league (Heart of Midlothian) was promoted to the Premiership for the 2015–16 season. The team that finished 11th in the Premiership (Motherwell) played the winner of the Championship playoffs (Rangers) in two playoff games, with the winner (Motherwell) securing a Premiership spot for the 2015–16 season.
League table edit
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification or relegation |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Celtic (C) | 38 | 29 | 5 | 4 | 84 | 17 | +67 | 92 | Qualification for the Champions League second qualifying round |
| 2 | Aberdeen | 38 | 23 | 6 | 9 | 57 | 33 | +24 | 75 | Qualification for the Europa League first qualifying round |
| 3 | Inverness Caledonian Thistle | 38 | 19 | 8 | 11 | 52 | 42 | +10 | 65 | Qualification for the Europa League second qualifying round[a] |
| 4 | St Johnstone | 38 | 16 | 9 | 13 | 34 | 34 | 0 | 57 | Qualification for the Europa League first qualifying round |
| 5 | Dundee United | 38 | 17 | 5 | 16 | 58 | 56 | +2 | 56 | |
| 6 | Dundee[b] | 38 | 11 | 12 | 15 | 46 | 57 | −11 | 45 | |
| 7 | Hamilton Academical | 38 | 15 | 8 | 15 | 50 | 53 | −3 | 53 | |
| 8 | Partick Thistle | 38 | 12 | 10 | 16 | 48 | 44 | +4 | 46 | |
| 9 | Ross County | 38 | 12 | 8 | 18 | 46 | 63 | −17 | 44 | |
| 10 | Kilmarnock | 38 | 11 | 8 | 19 | 44 | 59 | −15 | 41 | |
| 11 | Motherwell (O) | 38 | 10 | 6 | 22 | 38 | 63 | −25 | 36 | Qualification for the Premiership play-off final |
| 12 | St Mirren (R) | 38 | 9 | 3 | 26 | 30 | 66 | −36 | 30 | Relegation to the Championship |
Rules for classification: 1) points; 2) goal difference; 3) number of goals scored
(C) Champions; (O) Play-off winners; (R) Relegated
Notes:
- ^ Inverness Caledonian Thistle qualified for the second qualifying round of the UEFA Europa League by winning the 2014–15 Scottish Cup.
- ^ Teams in the bottom six at the time of the split (33 games) cannot pass teams in the top six
Results edit
Matches 1–22 edit
Teams played each other twice, once at home, once away.
Matches 23–33 edit
Teams played every other team once (either at home or away).
Matches 34–38 edit
After 33 matches, the league split 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 were determined upon the league table at the time of the split.
Top scorers edit
| Rank | Player | Club | Goals |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Adam Rooney
|
Aberdeen | 18 |
| 2 | Leigh Griffiths
|
Celtic | 14 |
 Nadir Çiftçi
|
Dundee United | 14 | |
| 4 | Greg Stewart
|
Dundee | 13 |
| 5 |  Anthony Andreu
|
Hamilton Academical | 12 |
| John Sutton
|
Motherwell | 12 | |
| 7 | Ali Crawford
|
Hamilton Academical | 11 |
| 8 | Billy McKay
|
Inverness Caledonian Thistle | 10 |
| Liam Boyce
|
Ross County | 10 | |
| Kris Commons
|
Celtic | 10 |
Premiership play-offs edit
Quarter-final edit
First leg edit
| Queen of the South | 1–2 | Rangers |
|---|---|---|
Lyle  64' |
BBC Report | Smith 44' Shiels 75' |
Second leg edit
| Rangers | 1–1 | Queen of the South |
|---|---|---|
| Wallace 60' |
BBC Report | Lyle 35' |
Rangers won 3–2 on aggregate.
Semi-final edit
First leg edit
| Rangers | 2–0 | Hibernian |
|---|---|---|
| Clark 44' Miller 63' |
BBC Report |
Second leg edit
| Hibernian | 1–0 | Rangers |
|---|---|---|
| Cummings 90+4' |
BBC Report |
Rangers won 2–1 on aggregate.
Final edit
First leg edit
| Rangers | 1–3 | Motherwell |
|---|---|---|
| McGregor 82' |
BBC Report | Erwin 27' McManus 40'Ainsworth 47' |
Second leg edit
| Motherwell | 3–0 | Rangers |
|---|---|---|
| Johnson 52' Ainsworth 70'Sutton 90+3' (pen.) |
BBC Report |
Motherwell won 6–1 on aggregate.
See also edit
References edit
- ^ a b c d e f g "2014–15 Scottish Premiership statistics". ESPN FC. Retrieved 9 November 2014.
- ^ "Scottish Premiership 2014/15 campaign set for start on August 9". STV. 6 March 2014. Archived from the original on 7 April 2014. Retrieved 6 March 2014.
- ^ "Celtic retain Premiership title". SPFL. 2 May 2015. Retrieved 2 May 2015.
- ^ "Celtic win Scottish Premiership title after Aberdeen lose". BBC Sport. 2 May 2015. Retrieved 15 May 2015.
- ^ "Aberdeen Football Club". Scottish Professional Football League. Retrieved 11 November 2013.
- ^ "Celtic Football Club". Scottish Professional Football League. Retrieved 11 November 2013.
- ^ "Dundee Football Club". Scottish Professional Football League. Retrieved 11 November 2013.
- ^ "Dundee United Football Club". Scottish Professional Football League. Retrieved 11 November 2013.
- ^ "Hamilton Academical Football Club". Scottish Professional Football League. Archived from the original on 16 October 2013. Retrieved 11 November 2013.
- ^ "Inverness Caledonian Thistle Football Club". Scottish Professional Football League. Retrieved 11 November 2013.
- ^ "Kilmarnock Football Club". Scottish Professional Football League. Retrieved 11 November 2013.
- ^ "Motherwell Football Club". Scottish Professional Football League. Retrieved 11 November 2013.
- ^ "Partick Thistle Football Club". Scottish Professional Football League. Archived from the original on 6 May 2017. Retrieved 11 November 2013.
- ^ "Ross County Football Club". Scottish Professional Football League. Retrieved 11 November 2013.
- ^ "St Johnstone Football Club". Scottish Professional Football League. Retrieved 11 November 2013.
- ^ "St Mirren Football Club". Scottish Professional Football League. Retrieved 11 November 2013.
- ^ "Danny Lennon: St Mirren decide not to offer manager new contract". BBC Sport. BBC. 12 May 2014. Retrieved 12 May 2014.
- ^ "St Mirren: Tommy Craig appointed as Danny Lennon's successor". BBC Sport. BBC. 13 May 2014. Retrieved 13 May 2014.
- ^ "Celtic: Neil Lennon ends his four-year spell as manager". BBC Sport. BBC. 22 May 2014. Retrieved 22 May 2014.
- ^ "Celtic: Ronny Deila named new manager of Scottish champions". BBC Sport. BBC. 6 June 2014. Retrieved 6 June 2014.
- ^ "Ross County sack manager Derek Adams and his father George". BBC Sport. BBC. 28 August 2014. Retrieved 28 August 2014.
- ^ "Ross County: Jim McIntyre joins from Queen of the South". BBC Sport. BBC. 9 September 2014. Retrieved 9 September 2014.
- ^ "Stuart McCall: Motherwell manager resigns after five straight defeats". BBC Sport. BBC. 2 November 2014. Retrieved 2 November 2014.
- ^ "Motherwell: Ian Baraclough is new manager at Fir Park". BBC Sport. BBC. 13 December 2014. Retrieved 13 December 2014.
- ^ "St Mirren: Tommy Craig exits as manager after 19 games". BBC Sport. BBC. 9 December 2014. Retrieved 9 December 2014.
- ^ "Alex Neil: Norwich City appoint Hamilton player-manager as boss". BBC Sport. 9 January 2015.
- ^ "Hamilton Academical: Martin Canning becomes new manager". BBC Sport. 23 January 2015.
- ^ "Allan Johnston: Kilmarnock manager relieved of duties". BBC Sport. 6 February 2015.
- ^ "Top scorers". ESPN. Retrieved 27 December 2014.
- ^ BBC - Scottish Premiership - Top Scorers
External links edit
- Official website Archived 12 June 2018 at the Wayback Machine