2015–16 Scottish Premiership
Season | 2015–16 |
---|---|
Champions | Celtic |
Relegated | Dundee United |
Champions League | Celtic |
Europa League |
Aberdeen Heart of Midlothian |
Matches played | 228 |
Goals scored | 650 (2.85 per match) |
Top goalscorer |
Leigh Griffiths (31 goals)[1] |
Biggest home win |
Celtic 8–1 Hamilton Academical[2] (19 January 2016) |
Biggest away win |
Kilmarnock 0–4 Dundee[2] (1 August 2015) Kilmarnock 0–4 Ross County[2] (22 August 2015) Aberdeen 1–5 St Johnstone[2] (3 October 2015) Partick Thistle 0–4 Heart of Midlothian[2] (31 October 2015) Kilmarnock 0–4 Aberdeen[2] (19 December 2015) |
Highest scoring |
Celtic 8–1 Hamilton Academical[2] (19 January 2016) |
Longest winning run |
8 matches:[2] Aberdeen |
Longest unbeaten run |
12 matches:[2] Aberdeen |
Longest winless run |
10 matches:[2] Dundee United |
Longest losing run |
5 matches:[2] Partick Thistle |
Highest attendance |
49,050[2] Celtic 7–0 Motherwell (15 May 2016) |
Lowest attendance |
1,516[2] Hamilton Academical 0–1 Inverness CT (11 May 2016) |
Total attendance | 2,237,437[2] |
Average attendance | 9,644 (838)[2] |
← 2014–15 2016–17 →
All statistics correct as of 15 May 2016. |
The 2015–16 Scottish Premiership (known as the Ladbrokes Premiership for sponsorship reasons) was the third season of the Scottish Premiership, the highest division of Scottish football. The season began on 1 August 2015.[3] Celtic were the defending champions.
Twelve teams contested the league: Aberdeen, Celtic, Dundee, Dundee United, Hamilton Academical, Heart of Midlothian, Inverness CT, Kilmarnock, Motherwell, Partick Thistle, Ross County and St Johnstone.
Teams
Promoted from Scottish Championship
Relegated from Scottish Premiership
Stadia and locations
Aberdeen | Celtic | Dundee | Dundee United |
---|---|---|---|
Pittodrie Stadium | Celtic Park | Dens Park | Tannadice Park |
Capacity: 20,897[4] | Capacity: 60,355[5] | Capacity: 11,506[6] | Capacity: 14,229[7] |
Hamilton Academical | Heart of Midlothian | ||
New Douglas Park | Tynecastle Stadium | ||
Capacity: 6,078[8] | Capacity: 17,529[9] | ||
Inverness Caledonian Thistle | Kilmarnock | ||
Caledonian Stadium | Rugby Park | ||
Capacity: 7,800[10] | Capacity: 18,128[11] | ||
Motherwell | Partick Thistle | Ross County | St Johnstone |
Fir Park | Firhill Stadium | Victoria Park | McDiarmid Park |
Capacity: 13,677[12] | Capacity: 10,102[13] | Capacity: 6,541[14] | Capacity: 10,696[15] |
Personnel and kits
Team | Manager | Captain | Kit manufacturer | Shirt sponsor |
---|---|---|---|---|
Aberdeen | McInnes, DerekDerek McInnes | Jack, RyanRyan Jack | Adidas | Saltire Energy |
Celtic | Deila, RonnyRonny Deila | Brown, ScottScott Brown | New Balance | Magners |
Dundee | Hartley, PaulPaul Hartley | McPake, JamesJames McPake | Puma | Kilmac Energy |
Dundee United | Gordon Young (interim) | Dillon, SeánSeán Dillon | Nike | Calor |
Hamilton Academical | Canning, MartinMartin Canning | McGovern, MichaelMichael McGovern | Adidas[16] | Nevis (H), Scotia Aid (A) |
Heart of Midlothian | Neilson, RobbieRobbie Neilson | Öztürk, AlimAlim Öztürk | Puma | Save the Children |
Inverness CT | Hughes, JohnJohn Hughes | Foran, RichieRichie Foran | Carbrini | Subway |
Kilmarnock | Clark, LeeLee Clark | Connolly, MarkMark Connolly | Erreà | QTS |
Motherwell | McGhee, MarkMark McGhee | Lasley, KeithKeith Lasley | Macron | Cash Converters |
Partick Thistle | Archibald, AlanAlan Archibald | Osman, AbdulAbdul Osman | Joma | Kingsford Capital Management |
Ross County | McIntyre, JimJim McIntyre | Davies, AndrewAndrew Davies | Carbrini | Stanley CRC Evans Offshore |
St Johnstone | Wright, TommyTommy Wright | Mackay, DaveDave Mackay | Joma | Invest in Perth |
Managerial changes
Team | Outgoing manager | Manner of departure | Date of vacancy | Position in table | Incoming manager | Date of appointment |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Motherwell | Baraclough, IanIan Baraclough | Sacked | 23 September 2015[17] | 10th | McGhee, MarkMark McGhee | 13 October 2015[18] |
Dundee United | McNamara, JackieJackie McNamara | 26 September 2015[19] | 11th | Paatelainen, MixuMixu Paatelainen | 14 October 2015[20] | |
Kilmarnock | Locke, GaryGary Locke | Resigned | 30 January 2016[21] | 11th | Lee McCulloch | 30 January 2016[21] |
Kilmarnock | Lee McCulloch | Sacked | 15 February 2016[22] | 10th | Lee Clark | 15 February 2016[22] |
Dundee United | Paatelainen, MixuMixu Paatelainen | Sacked | 4 May 2016[23] | 12th | Gordon Young (interim) | 4 May 2016[24] |
Tournament format and regulations
Basic
In the initial phase of the season, the 12 teams will play a round-robin tournament whereby each team plays each one of the other teams three times. After 33 games, the league splits 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 will be played, with 38 matches played by each team.
Promotion and relegation
Heart of Midlothian were promoted as 2014–15 Scottish Championship winners. On 2 May, bottom club Dundee United were defeated 2–1 away to their city rivals Dundee, a defeat which confined them to relegation of the Championship. Craig Wighton, a local Dundee fan, scored the winning goal in the 92nd minute of the game. The champion of that league will be promoted to the Premiership for the 2016–17 season. The team that finishes 11th in the Premiership will play the winner of the Championship playoffs (teams that finish 2nd, 3rd and 4th in the Championship) in two playoff games, with the winner securing a Premiership spot for the 2016–17 season.
League table
Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification or relegation[lower-alpha 1] |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | Celtic (C) | 38 | 26 | 8 | 4 | 93 | 31 | +62 | 86 | Qualification for the Champions League second qualifying round |
2 | Aberdeen | 38 | 22 | 5 | 11 | 62 | 48 | +14 | 71 | Qualification for the Europa League first qualifying round |
3 | Heart of Midlothian | 38 | 18 | 11 | 9 | 59 | 40 | +19 | 65 | |
4 | St Johnstone | 38 | 16 | 8 | 14 | 58 | 55 | +3 | 56 | |
5 | Motherwell | 38 | 15 | 5 | 18 | 47 | 63 | −16 | 50 | |
6 | Ross County | 38 | 14 | 6 | 18 | 55 | 61 | −6 | 48 | |
7 | Inverness Caledonian Thistle | 38 | 14 | 10 | 14 | 54 | 48 | +6 | 52 | |
8 | Dundee | 38 | 11 | 15 | 12 | 53 | 57 | −4 | 48 | |
9 | Partick Thistle | 38 | 12 | 10 | 16 | 41 | 50 | −9 | 46 | |
10 | Hamilton Academical | 38 | 11 | 10 | 17 | 42 | 63 | −21 | 43 | |
11 | Kilmarnock (O) | 38 | 9 | 9 | 20 | 41 | 64 | −23 | 36 | Qualification for the Premiership play-off final |
12 | Dundee United[lower-alpha 2] (R) | 38 | 8 | 7 | 23 | 45 | 70 | −25 | 28 | Relegation to the Scottish Championship |
Rules for classification: 1) Points; 2) Goal difference; 3) Goals scored; 4) Play-off (only if deciding champion, UEFA competitions qualification and second stage group allocation).[26]
(C) Champion; (O) Play-off winner; (R) Relegated.
Notes:
Results
Matches 1–22
Teams play each other twice, once at home and once away.
Home ╲ Away | ABE | CEL | DND | DUN | HAM | HOM | INV | KIL | MOT | PAR | ROS | STJ |
Aberdeen | 2–1 | 2–0 | 2–0 | 1–0 | 1–0 | 2–2 | 2–0 | 1–1 | 0–0 | 3–1 | 1–5 | |
Celtic | 3–1 | 6–0 | 5–0 | 8–1 | 0–0 | 4–2 | 0–0 | 1–2 | 1–0 | 2–0 | 3–1 | |
Dundee | 0–2 | 0–0 | 2–1 | 4–0 | 1–2 | 1–1 | 1–2 | 2–1 | 1–1 | 3–3 | 2–1 | |
Dundee United | 0–1 | 1–3 | 2–2 | 1–2 | 0–1 | 1–1 | 1–2 | 0–3 | 0–1 | 1–0 | 1–2 | |
Hamilton Academical | 1–1 | 1–2 | 1–1 | 4–0 | 3–2 | 3–4 | 0–1 | 1–0 | 0–0 | 1–3 | 2–4 | |
Heart of Midlothian | 1–3 | 2–2 | 1–1 | 3–2 | 2–0 | 2–0 | 1–1 | 2–0 | 3–0 | 2–0 | 4–3 | |
Inverness Caledonian Thistle | 2–1 | 1–3 | 1–1 | 2–2 | 0–2 | 2–0 | 2–1 | 0–1 | 0–0 | 2–0 | 0–1 | |
Kilmarnock | 0–4 | 2–2 | 0–4 | 1–1 | 1–2 | 2–2 | 2–0 | 0–1 | 2–5 | 0–4 | 2–1 | |
Motherwell | 1–2 | 0–1 | 3–1 | 0–2 | 3–3 | 2–2 | 1–3 | 1–0 | 2–1 | 1–1 | 2–0 | |
Partick Thistle | 0–2 | 0–2 | 0–1 | 3–0 | 1–1 | 0–4 | 2–1 | 2–2 | 1–0 | 1–0 | 2–0 | |
Ross County | 2–0 | 1–4 | 5–2 | 2–1 | 2–0 | 1–2 | 1–2 | 3–2 | 3–0 | 1–0 | 2–3 | |
St Johnstone | 3–4 | 0–3 | 1–1 | 2–1 | 4–1 | 0–0 | 1–1 | 2–1 | 2–1 | 1–2 | 1–1 |
Source: Scottish Premiership
1 ^ The home team is listed in the left-hand column.
Colours: Blue = home team win; Yellow = draw; Red = away team win.
Matches 23–33
Teams play every other team once (either at home or away).
Home ╲ Away | ABE | CEL | DND | DUN | HAM | HOM | INV | KIL | MOT | PAR | ROS | STJ |
Aberdeen | 2–1 | 1–0 | 3–0 | 2–1 | 1–1 | |||||||
Celtic | 0–0 | 3–1 | 3–0 | 2–0 | 3–1 | |||||||
Dundee | 0–1 | 1–1 | 2–2 | 5–2 | 2–0 | |||||||
Dundee United | 0–1 | 1–4 | 2–2 | 2–1 | 0–2 | 5–1 | ||||||
Hamilton Academical | 1–1 | 2–1 | 0–0 | 0–0 | 0–1 | 1–2 | ||||||
Heart of Midlothian | 2–1 | 1–0 | 6–0 | 1–0 | 0–3 | |||||||
Inverness Caledonian Thistle | 3–1 | 0–1 | 0–0 | 1–2 | 0–0 | |||||||
Kilmarnock | 0–1 | 0–0 | 0–1 | 2–1 | 0–2 | 3–0 | ||||||
Motherwell | 2–1 | 1–2 | 2–1 | 0–2 | 3–1 | 1–2 | ||||||
Partick Thistle | 1–2 | 1–2 | 2–4 | 1–0 | 0–0 | |||||||
Ross County | 2–3 | 0–3 | 2–1 | 0–3 | 0–3 | 1–0 | ||||||
St Johnstone | 0–1 | 0–0 | 1–0 | 2–1 | 1–2 | 1–1 |
Source: Scottish Premiership
1 ^ The home team is listed in the left-hand column.
Colours: Blue = home team win; Yellow = draw; Red = away team win.
Matches 34–38
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.
Top six
Updated to games played on 15 May 2016. |
Bottom six
Updated to games played on 14 May 2016. |
Top scorers
Rank | Player | Club | Goals |
---|---|---|---|
1 | Leigh Griffiths | Celtic | 31 |
2 | Kane Hemmings | Dundee | 21 |
3 | Adam Rooney | Aberdeen | 20 |
4 | Louis Moult | Motherwell | 15 |
Liam Boyce | Ross County | ||
6 | Kris Doolan | Partick Thistle | 14 |
Steven MacLean | St Johnstone | ||
8 | Billy Mckay | Dundee United | 12 |
Juanma | Hearts | ||
10 | Miles Storey | Inverness CT | 11 |
Awards
Month | Manager of the Month | Player of the Month | Ref. | ||
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Manager | Club | Player | Club | ||
August | Derek McInnes | Aberdeen | Leigh Griffiths | Celtic | [28] |
September | Derek McInnes | Aberdeen | Niall McGinn | Aberdeen | |
October | Ronny Deila | Celtic | Leigh Griffiths | Celtic | |
November | Alan Archibald | Partick Thistle | Michael O'Halloran | St Johnstone | |
December | Mark McGhee | Motherwell | Liam Boyce | Ross County | |
January | Ronny Deila | Celtic | Kane Hemmings | Dundee | |
February | Mixu Paatelainen | Dundee United | Paul Paton | Dundee United | |
March | Mark McGhee | Motherwell | Jackson Irvine | Ross County | |
April | John Hughes | Inverness CT | Patrick Roberts | Celtic |
Premiership play-offs
The quarter-finals were contested between the 3rd and 4th placed teams in the Scottish Championship; Hibernian and Raith Rovers. Hibernian, the winners, advanced to the semi-finals to face the 2nd placed team in the Championship; Falkirk. Falkirk, the winners, advanced to the final to play-off against the 11th placed team in the Premiership, Kilmarnock, with the winners securing a place in the 2016–17 Scottish Premiership.
Quarter-final
First leg
4 May 2016 | Raith Rovers | 1–0 | Hibernian | Stark's Park, Kirkcaldy |
---|---|---|---|---|
19:45 | Panayiotou 75' | BBC Report | Attendance: 5,330 Referee: Kevin Clancy |
Second leg
7 May 2016 | Hibernian | 2–0 (2–1 agg.) |
Raith Rovers | Easter Road, Edinburgh |
---|---|---|---|---|
12:30 | McGinn 8' McGregor 12' |
BBC Report | Attendance: 11,133 Referee: John McKendrick |
Semi-final
First leg
10 May 2016 | Hibernian | 2–2 | Falkirk | Easter Road, Edinburgh |
---|---|---|---|---|
19:45 | Henderson 57' McGregor 66' |
BBC Report | Miller 34' McHugh 80' |
Attendance: 11,830 Referee: Alan Muir |
Second leg
13 May 2016 | Falkirk | 3–2 (5–4 agg.) |
Hibernian | Falkirk Stadium, Falkirk |
---|---|---|---|---|
19:45 | Alston 13' Leahy 79' McHugh 90' |
BBC Report | Keatings 31' (pen), 34' | Attendance: 7,851 Referee: Craig Thomson |
Final
First leg
19 May 2016 | Falkirk | 1–0 | Kilmarnock | Falkirk Stadium, Falkirk |
---|---|---|---|---|
19:45 | Vaulks 90+1' | BBC Report | Attendance: 7,636 Referee: John Beaton |
Second leg
22 May 2016 | Kilmarnock | 4–0 (4–1 agg.) |
Falkirk | Rugby Park, Kilmarnock |
---|---|---|---|---|
15:00 | Kiltie 3', 62' Addison 8' Boyd 65' |
BBC Report | Attendance: 11,013 Referee: Willie Collum |
References
- 1 2 "2015–16 Scottish Premiership scorers". ESPN. Retrieved 9 November 2015.
- 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 "2015–16 Scottish Premiership performance". ESPN. Retrieved 9 November 2015.
- ↑ "Scottish Premiership 2015/16 campaign set for start on August 1". STV. 30 April 2015. Retrieved 30 April 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. Retrieved 11 November 2013.
- ↑ "Heart of Midlothian Football Club". Scottish Professional Football League. 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. 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.
- ↑ Andy McGilvray (19 June 2015). "Hamilton chairman Les Gray says signing a striker is the club's priority". dailyrecord.
- ↑ "Ian Baraclough: Motherwell part with manager after nine months". BBC Sport. BBC. 23 September 2015. Retrieved 23 September 2015.
- ↑ "Motherwell name Mark McGhee as manager for second spell". BBC Sport. BBC. 13 October 2015. Retrieved 13 October 2015.
- ↑ "Jackie McNamara: Dundee United confirm manager's exit". BBC Sport. BBC. 26 September 2015. Retrieved 26 September 2015.
- ↑ "Mixu Paatelainen: Dundee United appoint Finn as new manager". BBC Sport. BBC. 14 October 2015. Retrieved 14 October 2015.
- 1 2 "Kilmarnock manager Gary Locke resigns after Hamilton loss". BBC Sport. BBC. 30 January 2016. Retrieved 30 January 2016.
- 1 2 "Lee Clark: Kilmarnock appoint former Blackpool manager". BBC Sport. BBC. 15 February 2016. Retrieved 15 February 2016.
- ↑ "Dundee United: Mixu Paatelainen leaves as manager". BBC Sport. BBC. 4 May 2016. Retrieved 14 May 2016.
- ↑ "Dundee United caretaker boss Gordon Young insists there is plenty to play for at Kilmarnock". The Courier. DC Thomson. 14 May 2016. Retrieved 14 May 2016.
- ↑ "Dundee Utd docked points for fielding ineligible player Ali Coote v ICT". BBC Sport. 11 May 2016. Retrieved 11 May 2016.
- ↑ "Premiership 2015/2016 - Season rules". Scoresway. Retrieved 1 August 2015.
- ↑ "Scottish Premiership Top Scorers". BBC. Retrieved 23 September 2015.
- ↑ "SPFL monthly awards". www.spfl.co.uk. Scottish Professional Football League. 9 November 2015.