# 2010–11 in Scottish football

The 2010–11 season was the 114th season of competitive football in Scotland.

## Overview

* Rangers won the SPL title, pipping rivals Celtic on the final day of the season, their third title in a row and their 54th Scottish league championship. It was Walter Smith's final season as manager of Rangers.
* Inverness Caledonian Thistle are competing in the Scottish Premier League for the sixth time, their last season in the top-flight since the 2008–09 season, after being promoted as First Division champions last season.
* Stirling Albion are competing in the First Division after being promoted as Second Division champions.
* Arbroath won the Third Division, the first title in the club's 133-year history.

## League Competitions
### Scottish Premier League

| Pos | Teamvte | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification or relegation |
| 1 | Rangers (C) | 38 | 30 | 3 | 5 | 88 | 29 | +59 | 93 | Qualification for the Champions League third qualifying round |
| 2 | Celtic | 38 | 29 | 5 | 4 | 85 | 22 | +63 | 92 | Qualification for the Europa League play-off round |
| 3 | Heart of Midlothian | 38 | 18 | 9 | 11 | 53 | 45 | +8 | 63 | Qualification for the Europa League third qualifying round |
| 4 | Dundee United | 38 | 17 | 10 | 11 | 55 | 50 | +5 | 61 | Qualification for the Europa League second qualifying round |
| 5 | Kilmarnock | 38 | 13 | 10 | 15 | 53 | 55 | −2 | 49 | |
| 6 | Motherwell | 38 | 13 | 7 | 18 | 40 | 60 | −20 | 46 | |
| 7 | Inverness Caledonian Thistle | 38 | 14 | 11 | 13 | 52 | 44 | +8 | 53 | |
| 8 | St Johnstone | 38 | 11 | 11 | 16 | 23 | 43 | −20 | 44 | |
| 9 | Aberdeen | 38 | 11 | 5 | 22 | 39 | 59 | −20 | 38 | |
| 10 | Hibernian | 38 | 10 | 7 | 21 | 39 | 61 | −22 | 37 | |
| 11 | St Mirren | 38 | 8 | 9 | 21 | 33 | 57 | −24 | 33 | |
| 12 | Hamilton Academical (R) | 38 | 5 | 11 | 22 | 24 | 59 | −35 | 26 | Relegation to the First Division |
* 1 2 Celtic entered the play-off round of the 2011–12 UEFA Europa League as they won the 2011 Scottish Cup Final. Due to this, Heart of Midlothian also moved up to the third qualifying round, whilst fourth-placed team Dundee United received the second qualifying round spot.

### Scottish First Division

| Pos | Teamvte | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Promotion, qualification or relegation |
| 1 | Dunfermline Athletic (C, P) | 36 | 20 | 10 | 6 | 66 | 31 | +35 | 70 | Promotion to the Premier League |
| 2 | Raith Rovers | 36 | 17 | 9 | 10 | 47 | 35 | +12 | 60 | |
| 3 | Falkirk | 36 | 17 | 7 | 12 | 57 | 41 | +16 | 58 | |
| 4 | Queen of the South | 36 | 14 | 7 | 15 | 54 | 53 | +1 | 49 | |
| 5 | Partick Thistle | 36 | 12 | 11 | 13 | 44 | 39 | +5 | 47 | |
| 6 | Dundee | 36 | 19 | 12 | 5 | 54 | 34 | +20 | 44 | |
| 7 | Greenock Morton | 36 | 11 | 10 | 15 | 39 | 43 | −4 | 43 | |
| 8 | Ross County | 36 | 9 | 14 | 13 | 30 | 34 | −4 | 41 | |
| 9 | Cowdenbeath (R) | 36 | 9 | 8 | 19 | 41 | 72 | −31 | 35 | Qualification for the First Division play-offs |
| 10 | Stirling Albion (R) | 36 | 4 | 8 | 24 | 32 | 82 | −50 | 20 | Relegation to the Second Division |
* ↑ Dundee were docked 25 points for entering administration. The deduction was temporarily lifted pending an appeal by the club, however the appeal failed and the deduction was reinstated.

### Scottish Second Division

| Pos | Teamvte | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Promotion, qualification or relegation |
| 1 | Livingston (C, P) | 36 | 25 | 7 | 4 | 79 | 33 | +46 | 82 | Promotion to the First Division |
| 2 | Ayr United (O, P) | 36 | 18 | 5 | 13 | 62 | 55 | +7 | 59 | Qualification for the First Division play-offs |
| 3 | Forfar Athletic | 36 | 17 | 8 | 11 | 50 | 48 | +2 | 59 | Qualification for the First Division play-offs |
| 4 | Brechin City | 36 | 15 | 12 | 9 | 63 | 45 | +18 | 57 | Qualification for the First Division play-offs |
| 5 | East Fife | 36 | 14 | 10 | 12 | 77 | 60 | +17 | 52 | |
| 6 | Airdrie United | 36 | 13 | 9 | 14 | 52 | 60 | −8 | 48 | |
| 7 | Dumbarton | 36 | 11 | 7 | 18 | 52 | 70 | −18 | 40 | |
| 8 | Stenhousemuir | 36 | 10 | 8 | 18 | 46 | 59 | −13 | 38 | |
| 9 | Alloa Athletic (R) | 36 | 9 | 9 | 18 | 49 | 71 | −22 | 36 | Qualification for the Second Division play-offs |
| 10 | Peterhead (R) | 36 | 5 | 11 | 20 | 47 | 76 | −29 | 26 | Relegation to the Third Division |

### Scottish Third Division

| Pos | Teamvte | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Promotion or qualification |
| 1 | Arbroath (C, P) | 36 | 20 | 6 | 10 | 80 | 61 | +19 | 66 | Promotion to the Second Division |
| 2 | Albion Rovers (O, P) | 36 | 17 | 10 | 9 | 56 | 40 | +16 | 61 | Qualification for the Second Division Play-offs |
| 3 | Queen's Park | 36 | 18 | 5 | 13 | 57 | 43 | +14 | 59 | Qualification for the Second Division Play-offs |
| 4 | Annan Athletic | 36 | 16 | 11 | 9 | 58 | 45 | +13 | 59 | Qualification for the Second Division Play-offs |
| 5 | Stranraer | 36 | 15 | 12 | 9 | 72 | 57 | +15 | 57 | |
| 6 | Berwick Rangers | 36 | 12 | 13 | 11 | 62 | 56 | +6 | 49 | |
| 7 | Elgin City | 36 | 13 | 6 | 17 | 53 | 63 | −10 | 45 | |
| 8 | Montrose | 36 | 10 | 7 | 19 | 47 | 61 | −14 | 37 | |
| 9 | East Stirlingshire | 36 | 10 | 4 | 22 | 33 | 62 | −29 | 34 | |
| 10 | Clyde | 36 | 8 | 8 | 20 | 37 | 67 | −30 | 32 | |

### Scottish Premier Under-19 League

| Pos | Teamvte | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts |
| 1 | Celtic (C) | 22 | 17 | 3 | 2 | 74 | 16 | +58 | 54 |
| 2 | Heart of Midlothian | 22 | 17 | 1 | 4 | 53 | 23 | +30 | 52 |
| 3 | Rangers | 22 | 14 | 3 | 5 | 48 | 26 | +22 | 45 |
| 4 | Aberdeen | 22 | 12 | 5 | 5 | 40 | 32 | +8 | 41 |
| 5 | Hibernian | 22 | 8 | 5 | 9 | 32 | 34 | −2 | 29 |
| 6 | Motherwell | 22 | 8 | 3 | 11 | 27 | 43 | −16 | 27 |
| 7 | St Johnstone | 22 | 7 | 7 | 8 | 27 | 28 | −1 | 28 |
| 8 | St Mirren | 22 | 8 | 4 | 10 | 22 | 39 | −17 | 28 |
| 9 | Dundee United | 22 | 5 | 5 | 12 | 24 | 37 | −13 | 20 |
| 10 | Kilmarnock | 22 | 6 | 2 | 14 | 32 | 61 | −29 | 20 |
| 11 | Hamilton Academical (R) | 22 | 5 | 3 | 14 | 31 | 43 | −12 | 18 |
| 12 | Inverness Caledonian Thistle | 22 | 4 | 1 | 17 | 24 | 52 | −28 | 13 |

## Honours
### Cup honours

| Competition | Winner | Score | Runner-up | Match report |
| 2010–11 Scottish Cup | Celtic | 3 – 0 | Motherwell | BBC Sport |
| 2010–11 League Cup | Rangers | 2 – 1 | Celtic | BBC Sport |
| 2010–11 Challenge Cup | Ross County | 2 – 0 | Queen of the South | BBC Sport |
| 2010–11 Youth Cup | Celtic | 2 – 1 | Rangers | BBC Sport |
| 2010–11 Junior Cup | Auchinleck Talbot | 2 – 1 (after extra time) | Musselburgh Athletic | BBC Sport |

### Non-league honours
#### Senior

| Competition | Winner |
| 2010–11 Highland League | Buckie Thistle |
| East of Scotland League | Spartans |
| South of Scotland League | Threave Rovers |

#### Junior

West Region
| Division | Winner |
| 2010–11 Premier Division | Irvine Meadow |
| Division One | Ashfield |
| Ayrshire League | Ardrossan Winton Rovers |
| Central League Division One | Kilsyth Rangers |
| Central League Division Two | Yoker Athletic |
East Region
| Division | Winner |
| 2010–11 Superleague | Bo'ness United |
| Premier League | St Andrews United |
| North Division | Downfield |
| Central Division | Oakley United |
| South Division | Sauchie Juniors |
North Region
| Division | Winner |
| 2010–11 Superleague | Culter |
| Division One | Inverness City |
| Division Two | Parkvale |

### Individual honours
#### PFA Scotland awards

| Award | Winner | Team |
| Players' Player of the Year | Emilio Izaguirre | Celtic |
| Young Player of the Year | David Goodwillie | Dundee United |
| Manager of the Year | John McGlynn | Raith Rovers |
| First Division Player | John Baird | Raith Rovers |
| Second Division Player | Rory McAllister | Brechin City |
| Third Division Player | Gavin Swankie | Arbroath |

#### SFWA awards

| Award | Winner | Team |
| Footballer of the Year | Emilio Izaguirre | Celtic |
| Young Player of the Year | David Goodwillie | Dundee United |
| Manager of the Year | Mixu Paatelainen | Kilmarnock |
| International Player of the Year | Allan McGregor | Rangers |

## Scottish clubs in Europe
### Summary

| Club | Competitions | Final round | Coef. | Top Scorer |
| Rangers | UEFA Champions League UEFA Europa League | Group Stage Round of 16 | 12.0 | Maurice Edu, 2 |
| Celtic | UEFA Champions League UEFA Europa League | Third qualifying round Play-off round | 2.0 | Efraín Juárez, 2 |
| Dundee United | UEFA Europa League | Play-off round | 0.5 | Jon Daly, 1 |
| Hibernian | UEFA Europa League | Third qualifying round | 0.0 | Edwin de Graaf, 2 |
| Motherwell | UEFA Europa League | Play-off round | 3.5 | Jamie Murphy, 3 |
| Total | Total | Total | 18.0 |
| Average | Average | Average | 3.6 |
* All teams had been eliminated.
* Current UEFA coefficients: Ranking

### Rangers

2010–11 UEFA Champions League
2010–11 UEFA Europa League

### Celtic

2010–11 UEFA Champions League
2010–11 UEFA Europa League

### Dundee United

2010–11 UEFA Europa League

### Hibernian

2010–11 UEFA Europa League

### Motherwell

2010–11 UEFA Europa League

## National teams
### Scotland national team

| Date | Venue | Opponents | Score | Competition | Scotland scorers | Report |
| 11 August 2010 | Råsunda Stadium, Stockholm (A) | Sweden | 0–3 | Friendly | | BBC Sport |
| 3 September 2010 | S.Darius and S.Girėnas Stadium, Kaunas (A) | Lithuania | 0–0 | Euro 2012 Q | | BBC Sport |
| 7 September 2010 | Hampden Park, Glasgow (H) | Liechtenstein | 2–1 | Euro 2012 Q | Miller, McManus | BBC Sport |
| 8 October 2010 | Stadion Letná, Prague (A) | Czech Republic | 0–1 | Euro 2012 Q | | BBC Sport |
| 12 October 2010 | Hampden Park, Glasgow (H) | Spain | 2–3 | Euro 2012 Q | Naismith, Pique (o.g.) | BBC Sport |
| 16 November 2010 | Pittodrie Stadium, Aberdeen (H) | Faroe Islands | 3–0 | Friendly | Wilson, Commons, Mackie | BBC Sport |
| 9 February 2011 | Aviva Stadium, Dublin (N) | Northern Ireland | 3–0 | 2011 Nations Cup | Miller, McArthur, Commons | BBC Sport |
| 27 March 2011 | Emirates Stadium, London (N) | Brazil | 0–2 | Friendly | | BBC Sport |
| 25 May 2011 | Aviva Stadium, Dublin (N) | Wales | 3–1 | 2011 Nations Cup | Morrison, Miller, Berra | BBC Sport |
| 29 May 2011 | Aviva Stadium, Dublin (A) | Republic of Ireland | 0–1 | 2011 Nations Cup | | BBC Sport |

### Scotland Under-21 team

| Date | Venue | Opponents | Score | Competition | Scotland scorers | Report |
| 11 August 2010 | New St Mirren Park, Paisley (H) | Sweden | 1–1 | Friendly | Wotherspoon | Scottish FA |
| 3 September 2010 | Haradzki Stadium, Barysaw (A) | Belarus | 1–1 | 2011 Under-21 Championship Q | Maguire | Scottish FA |
| 7 September 2010 | Pittodrie Stadium, Aberdeen (H) | Austria | 2–1 | 2011 Under-21 Championship Q | Bannan, Maguire | Scottish FA |
| 7 October 2010 | Laugardalsvöllur, Reykjavík (A) | Iceland | 1–2 | 2011 Under-21 Championship Q | Murphy | Scottish FA |
| 11 October 2010 | Easter Road, Edinburgh (H) | Iceland | 1–2 | 2011 Under-21 Championship Q | Maguire | Scottish FA |
| 17 November 2010 | Firhill Stadium, Glasgow (H) | Northern Ireland | 3–1 | Friendly | Griffiths, Hanlon, Ross | Scottish FA Archived 14 June 2011 at the Wayback Machine |

## Deaths

* 29 July – Alex Wilson, 76, Portsmouth and Scotland defender.
* 2 September – Jackie Sinclair, 67, Dunfermline and Scotland winger.
* 30 October – John Benson, 67, Manchester City, Torquay United, Bournemouth, Exeter City and Norwich City defender; Bournemouth, Manchester City, Burnley and Wigan Athletic manager.
* 10 November – Jim Farry, 56, Scottish Football League secretary (1979–1990) and Scottish Football Association chief executive (1990–1999).
* 18 November – Jim Cruickshank, 69, Queen's Park, Hearts, Dumbarton and Scotland goalkeeper.
* 28 December – Avi Cohen, 54, Rangers defender.
* 24 January – Alec Boden, 85, Celtic and Ayr United defender.
* 27 January – Svein Mathisen, 58, Norwegian player who made three appearances for Hibernian in 1978.
* 10 March – Danny Paton, 75, Hearts forward.
* 4 April – John Niven, 89, East Fife and Kilmarnock goalkeeper.
* 6 April – Jim Blair, 64, St Mirren and Hibs forward.
* 11 April – Jimmy Briggs, 74, Dundee United defender.
* 12 April – Ronnie Coyle, 46, Raith Rovers, Celtic, Ayr United, Clyde, East Fife and Queen's Park defender.
* 20 April – Allan Brown, 84, East Fife and Scotland forward.
* 28 April – Willie O'Neill, 70, Celtic defender.
* 30 April – Eddie Turnbull, 88, Hibernian and Scotland player; manager of Queen's Park, Aberdeen and Hibernian.
* 5 May – Dougie McCracken, 46, Ayr United, Dumbarton and East Fife player.
* 5 May – Tommy Wright, 83, Partick Thistle, East Fife and Scotland winger.
* 14 May – Ernie Walker, 83, Secretary of the Scottish Football Association from 1977 to 1990.
* 30 May – Eddie Morrison, 63, Kilmarnock and Morton forward; Kilmarnock manager.