# 1986–87 in Scottish football

The 1986–87 season was the 90th season of competitive football in Scotland.
In the first full season under the management of player-manager Graeme Souness, Rangers won their first league title since 1978, and also won the League Cup. The title winning side featured two English players enjoying their first season north of the border - defender Terry Butcher and goalkeeper Chris Woods.
Celtic manager David Hay paid the price for a trophyless season and was sacked after four years, paving the way for the return of Billy McNeill, the man he had succeeded in 1983.
Aberdeen manager Alex Ferguson moved south of the border on 6 November to manage Manchester United. He was succeeded at Pittodrie by Ian Porterfield. At the end of the season, Ferguson brought Celtic's top scorer Brian McClair to United, while McClair's strike-partner Mo Johnston moved to France to sign for Nantes.
St Mirren won the Scottish Cup with a 1–0 win over Dundee United in the final. Dundee United also lost to IFK Goteborg of Sweden in the UEFA Cup final.

## Scottish Premier Division

| Pos | Teamvte | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification or relegation |
| 1 | Rangers (C) | 44 | 31 | 7 | 6 | 85 | 23 | +62 | 69 | Qualification for the European Cup first round |
| 2 | Celtic | 44 | 27 | 9 | 8 | 90 | 41 | +49 | 63 | Qualification for the UEFA Cup first round |
| 3 | Dundee United | 44 | 24 | 12 | 8 | 85 | 34 | +51 | 60 | Qualification for the UEFA Cup first round |
| 4 | Aberdeen | 44 | 21 | 16 | 7 | 63 | 29 | +34 | 58 | Qualification for the UEFA Cup first round |
| 5 | Heart of Midlothian | 44 | 21 | 14 | 9 | 64 | 43 | +21 | 56 | |
| 6 | Dundee | 44 | 18 | 12 | 14 | 74 | 57 | +17 | 48 | |
| 7 | St Mirren | 44 | 12 | 12 | 20 | 36 | 51 | −15 | 36 | Qualification for the Cup Winners' Cup first round |
| 8 | Motherwell | 44 | 11 | 12 | 21 | 43 | 64 | −21 | 34 | |
| 9 | Hibernian | 44 | 10 | 13 | 21 | 44 | 70 | −26 | 33 | |
| 10 | Falkirk | 44 | 8 | 10 | 26 | 31 | 70 | −39 | 26 | |
| 11 | Clydebank (R) | 44 | 6 | 12 | 26 | 35 | 93 | −58 | 24 | Relegation to the 1987–88 Scottish First Division |
| 12 | Hamilton Academical (R) | 44 | 6 | 9 | 29 | 39 | 93 | −54 | 21 | Relegation to the 1987–88 Scottish First Division |
Champions: Rangers
Relegated: Clydebank, Hamilton Academical

## Scottish League Division One

| Pos | Teamvte | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Promotion or relegation |
| 1 | Morton (C, P) | 44 | 24 | 9 | 11 | 88 | 56 | +32 | 57 | Promotion to the Premier Division |
| 2 | Dunfermline Athletic (P) | 44 | 23 | 10 | 11 | 61 | 41 | +20 | 56 | Promotion to the Premier Division |
| 3 | Dumbarton | 44 | 23 | 7 | 14 | 67 | 52 | +15 | 53 | |
| 4 | East Fife | 44 | 15 | 21 | 8 | 68 | 55 | +13 | 51 | |
| 5 | Airdrieonians | 44 | 20 | 11 | 13 | 58 | 46 | +12 | 51 | |
| 6 | Kilmarnock | 44 | 17 | 11 | 16 | 62 | 53 | +9 | 45 | |
| 7 | Forfar Athletic | 44 | 14 | 15 | 15 | 61 | 63 | −2 | 43 | |
| 8 | Partick Thistle | 44 | 12 | 15 | 17 | 49 | 54 | −5 | 39 | |
| 9 | Clyde | 44 | 11 | 16 | 17 | 48 | 56 | −8 | 38 | |
| 10 | Queen of the South | 44 | 11 | 12 | 21 | 50 | 71 | −21 | 34 | |
| 11 | Brechin City (R) | 44 | 11 | 10 | 23 | 44 | 72 | −28 | 32 | Relegation to the Second Division |
| 12 | Montrose (R) | 44 | 9 | 11 | 24 | 37 | 74 | −37 | 29 | Relegation to the Second Division |
Promoted: Morton, Dunfermline Athletic Relegated: Brechin City, Montrose

## Scottish League Division Two

| Pos | Teamvte | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Promotion |
| 1 | Meadowbank Thistle (C, P) | 39 | 23 | 9 | 7 | 69 | 38 | +31 | 55 | Promotion to the First Division |
| 2 | Raith Rovers (P) | 39 | 16 | 20 | 3 | 73 | 44 | +29 | 52 | Promotion to the First Division |
| 3 | Stirling Albion | 39 | 20 | 12 | 7 | 55 | 33 | +22 | 52 | |
| 4 | Ayr United | 39 | 22 | 8 | 9 | 70 | 49 | +21 | 52 | |
| 5 | St Johnstone | 39 | 16 | 13 | 10 | 59 | 49 | +10 | 45 | |
| 6 | Alloa Athletic | 39 | 17 | 7 | 15 | 48 | 50 | −2 | 41 | |
| 7 | Cowdenbeath | 39 | 16 | 8 | 15 | 59 | 55 | +4 | 40 | |
| 8 | Albion Rovers | 39 | 15 | 9 | 15 | 48 | 51 | −3 | 39 | |
| 9 | Queen's Park | 39 | 9 | 19 | 11 | 48 | 49 | −1 | 37 | |
| 10 | Stranraer | 39 | 9 | 11 | 19 | 41 | 59 | −18 | 29 | |
| 11 | Arbroath | 39 | 11 | 7 | 21 | 46 | 66 | −20 | 29 | |
| 12 | Stenhousemuir | 39 | 10 | 9 | 20 | 37 | 58 | −21 | 29 | |
| 13 | East Stirlingshire | 39 | 6 | 11 | 22 | 33 | 56 | −23 | 23 | |
| 14 | Berwick Rangers | 39 | 8 | 7 | 24 | 40 | 69 | −29 | 23 | |
Promoted: Meadowbank Thistle, Raith Rovers

## Other honours
### Cup honours

| Competition | Winner | Score | Runner-up |
| Scottish Cup 1986–87 | St Mirren | 1 – 0 (a.e.t.) | Dundee United |
| League Cup 1986–87 | Rangers | 2 – 1 | Celtic |
| Youth Cup | Celtic | 2 – 1 | Motherwell |
| Junior Cup | Auchinleck Talbot | 1 – 0 (rep.) | Kilbirnie Ladeside |

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

| Competition | Winner |
| Highland League 1986–87 | Inverness Thistle |
| East of Scotland League | Vale of Leithen |
| South of Scotland League | Annan Athletic |

### Individual honours

| Award | Winner | Club |
| Footballer of the Year | Brian McClair | Celtic |
| Players' Player of the Year | Brian McClair | Celtic |
| Young Player of the Year | Robert Fleck | Rangers |

## Scotland national team

| Date | Venue | Opponents | Score | Competition | Scotland scorer(s) |
| 10 September | Hampden Park, Glasgow (H) | Bulgaria | 0–0 | ECQG7 | |
| 15 October | Lansdowne Road, Dublin (A) | Republic of Ireland | 0–0 | ECQG7 | |
| 12 November | Hampden Park, Glasgow (H) | Luxembourg | 3–0 | ECQG7 | Davie Cooper (2, 1 pen.), Maurice Johnston |
| 18 February | Hampden Park, Glasgow (H) | Republic of Ireland | 0–1 | ECQG7 | |
| 1 April | Constant Vanden Stock Stadium, Brussels (A) | Belgium | 1–4 | ECQG7 | Paul McStay |
| 23 May | Hampden Park, Glasgow (H) | England | 0–0 | Rous Cup | |
| 26 May | Hampden Park, Glasgow (H) | Brazil | 0–2 | Rous Cup | |
Key:
* (H) = Home match
* (A) = Away match
* ECQG7 = European Championship qualifying - Group 7