2018–19 Scottish Premiership
Football league in Scotland
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The 2018–19 Scottish Premiership (known as the Ladbrokes Premiership for sponsorship reasons) was the sixth season of the Scottish Premiership, the highest division of Scottish football. The fixtures were published on 15 June 2018 and the season began on 4 August 2018.[4]
6th Premiership title
50th Scottish title
| Season | 2018–19 |
|---|---|
| Dates | 4 August 2018 – 19 May 2019 |
| Champions | Celtic 6th Premiership title 50th Scottish title |
| Relegated | Dundee |
| Champions League | Celtic |
| Europa League | Rangers Kilmarnock Aberdeen |
| Matches | 228 |
| Goals | 578 (2.54 per match) |
| Top goalscorer | Alfredo Morelos (18 goals)[1][2] |
| Biggest home win | Hibernian 6–0 Hamilton Academical[3] (6 October 2018) Rangers 7–1 Motherwell[3] (11 November 2018) |
| Biggest away win | St Johnstone 0–6 Celtic[3] (7 October 2018) |
| Highest scoring | Rangers 7–1 Motherwell[3] (11 November 2018) |
| Longest winning run | 8 matches:[3] Celtic |
| Longest unbeaten run | 16 matches:[3] Celtic |
| Longest winless run | 12 matches:[3] St Mirren |
| Longest losing run | 10 matches:[3] Dundee |
| Highest attendance | 59,143[3] Celtic 1–0 Aberdeen (29 September 2018) |
| Lowest attendance | 1,022[3] Livingston 2–0 Hamilton Academical (3 April 2019) |
| Total attendance | 3,641,850[3] |
| Average attendance | 15,973 ( 41)[3] |
← 2017–18 2019–20 →
All statistics correct as of 19 May 2019. | |
Twelve teams contested the league: Aberdeen, Celtic, Dundee, Hamilton Academical, Heart of Midlothian, Hibernian, Kilmarnock, Livingston, Motherwell, Rangers, St Johnstone and St Mirren.
On 4 May 2019, Celtic won their eighth consecutive title and 50th overall after a 3–0 win over Aberdeen.[5]
Teams
To Premiership
St Mirren secured the Championship title and promotion to the Premiership on 14 April 2018 after a goalless draw with Livingston,[6] who were also promoted after winning the play-off final.[7]
To Championship
Ross County were relegated to the Championship on 12 May 2018 after a 1–1 draw with St Johnstone.[8] Partick Thistle were also relegated following a 3–1 aggregate defeat to Livingston in the play-off final.[7]
Stadia and locations
| Aberdeen | Celtic | Dundee | Hamilton Academical |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pittodrie Stadium | Celtic Park | Dens Park | New Douglas Park |
| Capacity: 20,866[9] | Capacity: 60,411[10] | Capacity: 11,775[11] | Capacity: 6,018[12] |
 |
 |
 |
 |
| Heart of Midlothian |  Location of teams in 2018–19 Premiership |
Hibernian | |
| Tynecastle Park | Easter Road | ||
| Capacity: 20,099[13] | Capacity: 20,421[14] | ||
 |
 | ||
| Kilmarnock | Livingston | ||
| Rugby Park | Almondvale Stadium | ||
| Capacity: 17,889[15] | Capacity: 9,512[16] | ||
 |
 | ||
| Motherwell | Rangers | St Johnstone | St Mirren |
| Fir Park | Ibrox Stadium | McDiarmid Park | St Mirren Park |
| Capacity: 13,677[17] | Capacity: 50,817[18] | Capacity: 10,696[19] | Capacity: 7,937[20] |
 |
 |
 |
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Personnel and kits
| Team | Manager | Captain | Kit manufacturer | Shirt sponsor |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Aberdeen |  Derek McInnes |
Graeme Shinnie |
Adidas | Saltire Energy |
| Celtic |  Neil Lennon (interim) |
Scott Brown |
New Balance | Dafabet |
| Dundee | James McPake (interim) |
Kenny Miller |
Puma | McEwan Fraser Legal |
| Hamilton Academical | Brian Rice |
Darian MacKinnon |
Adidas | Euro Mechanical Handling |
| Heart of Midlothian | Craig Levein |
Christophe Berra |
Umbro | Save the Children |
| Hibernian |  Paul Heckingbottom |
David Gray |
Macron | Marathonbet |
| Kilmarnock | Steve Clarke |
Kris Boyd |
Nike | QTS |
| Livingston | Gary Holt |
Craig Halkett |
FBT | Tony Macaroni |
| Motherwell | Stephen Robinson |
Peter Hartley |
Macron | BetPark |
| Rangers | Steven Gerrard |
James Tavernier |
Hummel | 32Red |
| St Johnstone | Tommy Wright |
 Joe Shaughnessy |
BLK | Binn Group |
| St Mirren | Oran Kearney |
Stephen McGinn |
Joma | Skyview Capital |
Managerial changes
| Team | Outgoing manager | Manner of departure | Date of vacancy | Position in table | Incoming manager | Date of appointment |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Rangers | Jimmy Nicholl |
End of interim | 13 May 2018[21] | Pre-season | Steven Gerrard |
1 June 2018[22] |
| St Mirren | Jack Ross |
Signed by Sunderland | 25 May 2018[23] | Alan Stubbs |
8 June 2018[24] | |
| Livingston | David Hopkin |
Contract expired | 31 May 2018[25] | Kenny Miller |
30 June 2018[26] | |
| Kenny Miller |
Mutual consent | 20 August 2018[27] | 9th | Gary Holt |
23 August 2018[28] | |
| St Mirren | Alan Stubbs |
Sacked | 3 September 2018[29] | 11th | Oran Kearney |
7 September 2018[30] |
| Dundee | Neil McCann |
16 October 2018[31] | 12th | Jim McIntyre |
17 October 2018[32] | |
| Hamilton Academical | Martin Canning |
Mutual consent | 29 January 2019[33] | 10th | Brian Rice |
31 January 2019[34] |
| Hibernian | Neil Lennon |
30 January 2019[35] | 8th | Eddie May (caretaker) |
30 January 2019[36] | |
| Eddie May |
End of caretaker spell | 13 February 2019[37] | 8th | Paul Heckingbottom |
13 February 2019[37] | |
| Celtic | Brendan Rodgers |
Signed by Leicester City | 26 February 2019[38] | 1st | Neil Lennon (interim) |
26 February 2019[39] |
| Dundee | Jim McIntyre |
Sacked | 12 May 2019[40] | 12th | James McPake |
13 May 2019[41] |
Format
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 every other team in their section once. The league attempts to balance the fixture list so that teams in the same section have played 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.
League summary
League table
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification or relegation[a] |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Celtic (C) | 38 | 27 | 6 | 5 | 77 | 20 | +57 | 87 | Qualification for the Champions League first qualifying round |
| 2 | Rangers | 38 | 23 | 9 | 6 | 82 | 27 | +55 | 78 | Qualification for the Europa League first qualifying round |
| 3 | Kilmarnock | 38 | 19 | 10 | 9 | 50 | 31 | +19 | 67 | |
| 4 | Aberdeen | 38 | 20 | 7 | 11 | 57 | 44 | +13 | 67 | |
| 5 | Hibernian | 38 | 14 | 12 | 12 | 51 | 39 | +12 | 54 | |
| 6 | Heart of Midlothian | 38 | 15 | 6 | 17 | 42 | 50 | −8 | 51 | |
| 7 | St Johnstone | 38 | 15 | 7 | 16 | 38 | 48 | −10 | 52 | |
| 8 | Motherwell | 38 | 15 | 6 | 17 | 46 | 56 | −10 | 51 | |
| 9 | Livingston | 38 | 11 | 11 | 16 | 42 | 44 | −2 | 44 | |
| 10 | Hamilton Academical | 38 | 9 | 6 | 23 | 28 | 75 | −47 | 33 | |
| 11 | St Mirren (O) | 38 | 8 | 8 | 22 | 34 | 66 | −32 | 32 | Qualification for the Premiership play-off final |
| 12 | Dundee (R) | 38 | 5 | 6 | 27 | 31 | 78 | −47 | 21 | Relegation to the 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).[42]
(C) Champions; (O) Play-off winners; (R) Relegated
Notes:
- Teams play each other three times (33 matches), before the league is split into two groups (the top six and the bottom six).
Positions by round
The table lists the positions of teams after each week of matches. In order to preserve chronological progress, any postponed matches are not included in the round at which they were originally scheduled but added to the full round they were played immediately afterwards. For example, if a match is scheduled for matchday 13, but then postponed and played between days 16 and 17, it will be added to the standings for day 16.
| Team \ Round | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | 19 | 20 | 21 | 22 | 23 | 24 | 25 | 26 | 27 | 28 | 29 | 30 | 31 | 32 | 33 | 34 | 35 | 36 | 37 | 38 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Celtic | 3 | 6 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 6 | 5 | 3 | 2 | 3 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 |
| Rangers | 7 | 3 | 4 | 7 | 4 | 2 | 6 | 6 | 5 | 5 | 4 | 3 | 3 | 2 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 3 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 |
| Kilmarnock | 4 | 4 | 6 | 3 | 7 | 5 | 4 | 4 | 3 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 3 | 1 | 3 | 3 | 4 | 3 | 3 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 4 | 4 | 3 | 3 | 3 |
| Aberdeen | 6 | 5 | 5 | 8 | 8 | 7 | 7 | 7 | 7 | 8 | 8 | 7 | 6 | 6 | 7 | 6 | 6 | 4 | 3 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 3 | 3 | 4 | 4 | 4 |
| Hibernian | 2 | 2 | 3 | 6 | 5 | 3 | 2 | 2 | 6 | 6 | 5 | 6 | 8 | 7 | 8 | 8 | 8 | 8 | 7 | 8 | 8 | 8 | 7 | 7 | 8 | 8 | 6 | 6 | 6 | 6 | 6 | 6 | 5 | 5 | 5 | 5 | 5 | 5 |
| Hearts | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 5 | 5 | 5 | 5 | 6 | 5 | 5 | 5 | 5 | 5 | 5 | 5 | 5 | 5 | 5 | 6 | 6 | 6 | 6 | 6 | 6 |
| St Johnstone | 10 | 10 | 8 | 5 | 6 | 8 | 8 | 8 | 8 | 7 | 7 | 5 | 5 | 5 | 5 | 5 | 5 | 7 | 8 | 6 | 6 | 5 | 6 | 6 | 6 | 6 | 7 | 7 | 8 | 7 | 8 | 7 | 7 | 7 | 7 | 7 | 7 | 7 |
| Motherwell | 12 | 12 | 11 | 9 | 9 | 10 | 10 | 10 | 10 | 10 | 9 | 9 | 9 | 9 | 9 | 9 | 9 | 9 | 9 | 9 | 9 | 9 | 9 | 9 | 7 | 7 | 8 | 8 | 7 | 8 | 7 | 8 | 8 | 8 | 8 | 8 | 8 | 8 |
| Livingston | 9 | 9 | 7 | 4 | 3 | 4 | 3 | 5 | 4 | 4 | 6 | 8 | 7 | 8 | 6 | 7 | 7 | 6 | 6 | 7 | 7 | 7 | 8 | 8 | 9 | 9 | 9 | 9 | 9 | 9 | 9 | 9 | 9 | 9 | 9 | 9 | 9 | 9 |
| Hamilton Academical | 11 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 9 | 9 | 9 | 9 | 9 | 10 | 10 | 10 | 10 | 10 | 10 | 10 | 10 | 10 | 10 | 10 | 10 | 10 | 10 | 10 | 11 | 11 | 10 | 10 | 10 | 10 | 10 | 10 | 10 | 10 | 10 | 10 | 10 |
| St Mirren | 5 | 7 | 10 | 11 | 10 | 11 | 11 | 11 | 11 | 11 | 11 | 11 | 11 | 11 | 11 | 11 | 12 | 11 | 11 | 11 | 11 | 12 | 12 | 12 | 12 | 12 | 12 | 12 | 12 | 12 | 11 | 11 | 11 | 11 | 11 | 11 | 11 | 11 |
| Dundee | 8 | 11 | 12 | 12 | 12 | 12 | 12 | 12 | 12 | 12 | 12 | 12 | 12 | 12 | 12 | 12 | 11 | 12 | 12 | 12 | 12 | 11 | 11 | 11 | 11 | 10 | 10 | 11 | 11 | 11 | 12 | 12 | 12 | 12 | 12 | 12 | 12 | 12 |
Updated: 19 May 2019
Results
Matches 1–22
Teams play each other twice, once at home and once away.
Matches 23–33
Teams play each other once.
Matches 34–38
After 33 matches, the league splits into two sections of six teams i.e. the top six and the bottom six, with the teams playing every other team in their section once (either at home or away). The exact matches are determined by the position of the teams in the league table at the time of the split.[43]
Top six |
Bottom six
|
Season statistics
Scoring
Top scorers
| Rank | Player | Club | Goals |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |  Alfredo Morelos |
Rangers | 18 |
| 2 | Sam Cosgrove |
Aberdeen | 17 |
| 3 |  Odsonne Édouard |
Celtic | 15 |
| David Turnbull |
Motherwell | ||
| 5 | James Tavernier |
Rangers | 14 |
| 6 | James Forrest |
Celtic | 11 |
| Eamonn Brophy |
Kilmarnock | ||
 Scott Arfield |
Rangers | ||
| 9 | Steven Naismith |
Heart of Midlothian | 10 |
Hat-tricks
| Player | For | Against | Score | Date |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Steven Naismith |
Hearts | St Mirren | 4–1 (H) | 1 September 2018 |
| James Forrest4 |
Celtic | St Johnstone | 0–6 (A) | 7 October 2018 |
| Kenny Miller |
Dundee | Hamilton Academical | 4–0 (H) | 5 December 2018 |
| Scott Sinclair |
Celtic | Aberdeen | 3–4 (A) | 26 December 2018 |
| Scott Arfield |
Rangers | Motherwell | 0–3 (A) | 7 April 2019 |
| Cody Cooke |
St Mirren | Dundee | 2–3 (A) | 18 May 2019 |
Note
4 Player scored four goals; (H) = Home, (A) = Away
Attendances
These are the average attendances of the teams.
| Pos | Team | Total | High | Low | Average | Change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Celtic | 1,097,782 | 59,143 | 54,563 | 57,778 | +0.1% |
| 2 | Rangers | 941,720 | 50,130 | 48,729 | 49,564 | +0.8% |
| 3 | Hibernian | 337,078 | 20,200 | 15,096 | 17,740 | −2.1% |
| 4 | Heart of Midlothian | 333,724 | 19,967 | 15,147 | 17,564 | −4.7% |
| 5 | Aberdeen | 283,567 | 20,027 | 12,252 | 14,924 | −5.4% |
| 6 | Kilmarnock | 130,999 | 12,374 | 4,143 | 6,894 | +27.9% |
| 7 | Dundee | 114,469 | 8,578 | 4,426 | 6,024 | +1.3% |
| 8 | Motherwell | 103,518 | 9,545 | 3,662 | 5,448 | 0.0% |
| 9 | St Mirren[a] | 101,680 | 7,288 | 4,001 | 5,351 | +20.3% |
| 10 | St Johnstone | 73,937 | 7,086 | 1,946 | 3,891 | +2.2% |
| 11 | Livingston[a] | 69,616 | 9,246 | 1,022 | 3,664 | +171.8% |
| 12 | Hamilton Academical | 53,760 | 5,827 | 1,135 | 2,829 | −8.6% |
| League total | 3,641,850 | 59,143 | 1,022 | 15,973 | +0.3% |
Updated to games played on 19 May 2019
Source: [3][44]
[45]
[46]
[47]
[48]
[49][50]
[51][52]
[53]
[54]
[55]
- Club was playing in the Scottish Championship in the previous season.
Awards
| Month | Manager of the Month | Player of the Month | Ref. | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Manager | Club | Player | Club | ||
| August | Craig Levein |
Hearts | Tony Watt |
St Johnstone | [56] |
| September | Gary Holt |
Livingston | Steven Naismith |
Hearts | |
| October | Brendan Rodgers |
Celtic | James Forrest |
Celtic | |
| November | Tommy Wright |
St Johnstone | Ryan Christie |
Celtic | |
| December | Derek McInnes |
Aberdeen | Sam Cosgrove |
Aberdeen | |
| January | Winter Break | ||||
| February | Stephen Robinson |
Motherwell | Jake Hastie |
Motherwell | |
| March | Paul Heckingbottom |
Hibernian | Odsonne Édouard |
Celtic | |
| April | Steven Gerrard |
Rangers | Scott Arfield |
Rangers | |
Premiership play-offs
The quarter-final was contested by Ayr United and Inverness Caledonian Thistle, with Inverness Caledonian Thistle advancing to the semi-final where they lost to Dundee United. Dundee United faced St Mirren in the final, with the Saints securing the last place in the 2019–20 Premiership after victory in a penalty shoot-out.[57]
| Quarter-final | Semi-final | Final | |||||||||||||||||
| 1 | St. Mirren | 0 | 1 | 1 (2) | |||||||||||||||
| 2 | Dundee United | 1 | 3 | 4 | 2 | Dundee United | 0 | 1 | 1 (0) | ||||||||||
| 3 | Inverness Caledonian Thistle | 3 | 1 | 4 | 3 | Inverness Caledonian Thistle | 0 | 0 | 0 | ||||||||||
| 4 | Ayr United | 1 | 1 | 2 | |||||||||||||||
Quarter-final
First leg
| 7 May 2019 | Ayr United | 1–3 | Inverness Caledonian Thistle | Ayr |
| 19:45 | Rose  65' |
BBC Report | Trafford 33' White 51', 76' (pen.) |
Stadium: Somerset Park Attendance: 2,171 Referee: Alan Muir |
Second leg
| 11 May 2019 | Inverness Caledonian Thistle | 1–1 (4–2 agg.) | Ayr United | Inverness |
| 15:00 | Donaldson 79' |
BBC Report | McCowan 19' |
Stadium: Caledonian Stadium Attendance: 2,323 Referee: Steven McLean |
Semi-final
First leg
| 14 May 2019 | Inverness Caledonian Thistle | 0–1 | Dundee United | Inverness |
| 19:45 | Report | McMullan 78' |
Stadium: Caledonian Stadium Attendance: 2,604 Referee: Nick Walsh |
Second leg
| 17 May 2019 | Dundee United | 3–0 (4–0 agg.) | Inverness Caledonian Thistle | Dundee |
| 19:45 | Report | Stadium: Tannadice Park Attendance: 8,504 Referee: Kevin Clancy |
Final
First leg
| 23 May 2019 | Dundee United | 0–0 | St Mirren | Dundee |
| 19:45 | Report | Stadium: Tannadice Park Attendance: 11,062 Referee: Bobby Madden |
Second leg
Broadcasting
Live Matches
The SPFL allows Sky Sports and BT Sport to broadcast up to six live home matches (combined) for each club, although this is only four for Celtic and Rangers. The TV deal allows the broadcasters to show 30 games each (and the play-offs for BT Sport) and provides approximately £21m to the SPFL per season.[58]
Highlights
Sky Sports hold the rights to Saturday night highlights and show the Premiership goals on Sky Sports News in their Goals Express programme. Gaelic-language channel BBC Alba can broadcast in full the repeat of 38 Saturday 3pm matches "as live" at 5.30pm. The main Premiership highlights programme is BBC Scotland's Sportscene programme, which shows in-depth highlights of all six Premiership matches every weekend. STV show the goals on Monday nights during the Sport section of their News at Six programme. The SPFL also uploads the goals from every Premiership match onto its YouTube channel — available from 6pm on a Sunday for UK and Ireland viewers and 10pm on a Saturday for those worldwide.