The PFA Scotland Manager of the Year candidates have been announced and there’s no mention of either Brendan Rodgers or Philippe Clement…

Celtic v Kilmarnock – Brendan Rodgers right and Derek McInnes before the cinch Premiership match at Celtic Park, Saturday October 7, 2023. Photo Jane Barlow

The bosses of the big two have been snubbed for The PFA Scotland Manager of the Year nominations and that is something you can’t really disagree with at this time. However it is still possible that Brendan Rodgers could win the Scottish Premiership and also the Scottish Cup while theRangers boss could also win these two competitions which would give him a treble.

Today the PFA manager of the year award nominees were unveiled and both Brendan Rodgers and Philippe Clement will miss out on the honour despite the two chasing down the two top honours in the Scottish game.

17th April 2024 Dens Park, Dundee, Scotland Scottish Premiership Football, Dundee versus Rangers Dundee manager Tony Docherty hugs Luke McCowan at the end of the match. Photo ActionPlus David Young

The men battling it out for the award will be Kilmarnock’s Derek McInnes, Dundee’s Tony Docherty, and Falkirk’s John McGlynn who have admittedly all had fine seasons.

Historically the award usually goes to the man in charge of one of the Glasgow sides. Especially the one who lifts the most honours, and in that respect it’s been the man in charge of Celtic this past decade or so.

Even if either man doesn’t win, they are at least guaranteed to be on the shortlist, but this year and for first time in a long time, a manager from either Celtic or theRangers has failed to make the list of nominees.

John McGlynn, Celtic v Raith Rovers – Photo: Andrew Milligan

It’s something you can’t really complain about in all fairness. Despite Brendan Rodgers still on course for a double and Philippe Clement having already won a trophy you can’t argue with the three names battling it out for the accolade.

Celtic by our own standards have been poor, while theRangers have possibly been even poorer. It’s a slant on ourselves that we’ve given them a ray of hope in the title race.

You may dislike Derek McInnes, but you can’t deny he’s done brilliantly with an average Kilmarnock side on a small budget. They’ve already beaten us twice this season and took a point from Celtic Park. McInnes has made Rugby Park a place you don’t want to visit as an opposition player or supporter.

20th August 2023; Rugby Park, Kilmarnock, Scotland: Scottish Viaplay Cup Football, Kilmarnock versus Celtic; Marley Watkins of Kilmarnock celebrates after he scores and makes it 1-0 to Kilmarnock in the 59th minute

McInnes’s former assistant Tony Docherty has also worked wonders at Dundee this campaign which has seen them clinch a place in the top six and in contention for a European place. That is a miraculous job by Docherty, one that can only be admired.

It’ also worth noting that both managers brought their respective clubs up from the Championship over the past two seasons and both made the top six this season at the expense of the likes of Hibs, Motherwell and Aberdeen.

John McGlynn’s feat with Falkirk is just as admirable as he’s taken the Bairns to the league one title and is just one game from an unbeaten campaign. So you can’t really argue with the choice of nominees as they all throughly deserve to be on the shortlist.

Nor can you argue the exclusion of both Brendan Rodgers and Philippe Clement, despite their double or treble hopes. It’s been a strange sort of season in Scottish football.

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