There has been heated debate and even some consternation in the press and on social media this week about the Manager of the Year nominations from PFA Scotland.

There were four nominees; Brendan Rodgers of Celtic, Aberdeen’s Derek McInnes, Alan Archibald of Partick Thistle and the only candidate from outside the top flight, Morton’s Jim Duffy.

Now for me, there is no question that Brendan Rodgers has undoubtedly been the best manager in Scotland this season, hence the reason why so many of his fellow gaffers voted for him last night, so his award, presented at a splendid bash in Glasgow, was well deserved.

Read more: Celtic dominate PFA awards with Brendan Rodgers, Scott Sinclair, Kieran Tierney and Moussa Dembele recognised

The way he has transformed basically the same squad, with the exception of Moussa Dembele and Scott Sinclair, from the unit that made life so difficult for itself under Ronny Delia, has been nothing short of astonishing. Celtic are on course to go through a whole season unbeaten and win the domestic treble, so the award Rodgers collected last night was entirely justified and can’t really be questioned.

However, what has been equally astonishing for me are questions being asked by some in football and media about my old gaffer, Jim Duffy, and his inclusion in the nominations.

In my opinion, the job Duffy has done at Morton has been just about the best in the country, just behind Rodgers. However, the differences in resources makes the season and results attained this term, unsurpassed.

He had to totally rebuild his squad in the summer ahead of the new campaign, when all the young loan players he had begged, borrowed and stolen returned to their parent clubs. His whole front four attacking line disappeared. His squad was decimated.

I watched them in pre-season and they were, to put it mildly, a shambles, odds-on – in my opinion – bottom-two material and I even said as much on radio and in conversation.

Incidentally I also fancied St Mirren for promotion – I got that one right, didn’t I?

But seriously, if you would have told me last July that Morton’s bunch of free transfers and loanees would get to the semi-final of the League Cup, beating Kilmarnock and Hamilton Accies along the way, and by the end of March, head off to Easter Road to face eventual champions Hibs as their closest title contenders, I would have had you carted away.

Ultimately, they ran out of steam over the last six weeks, understandable perhaps given the down-to-the-bone pool of players Duffy has at his disposal.

This is a squad whose four main strikers this season comprises of two 21-year-olds, one at 20 and a teenager. No old grizzled veteran striker like Grant Holt or Lee Miller to take all the dunts and hammerings and talk everyone through games. For the Morton boys, this has been on-the-job training the hard way.

Read more: Celtic dominate PFA awards with Brendan Rodgers, Scott Sinclair, Kieran Tierney and Moussa Dembele recognised

This is a squad that operates with just half a dozen experienced pros. Morton's oldest outfield player is Ross Forbes, at 28. This is a club with a budget a fraction of what Hibs and Dundee United will have at their disposal. Morton have average home gates just over the 2000 mark. They have no money.

Yet Duffy has moulded all these young guys into a very good team and put them in a position, unbelievably, where they could yet get promotion to the Premiership.

Forget Manager of the Year. If Jim Duffy pulls that off, they should build a statue of him and mount it outside Cappielow.

Meanwhile on Saturday, the Hearts fans bade a fond farewell to the old main stand at Tynecastle.

My own memories of the place can be filed under the "mixed bag" category. I certainly had one of the best and worst moments of my career sitting after a game in that stand.

I made my first ever start for Hibs against Hearts at Tynecastle in the last game of the 1999/2000 season. A nice easy starter for me. I can vividly remember sitting in that away dressing room and shaking like a leaf before the game. Watching Yogi Hughes going round every player and screaming into their faces what this game meant to him as a "Leither".

When he finally worked his way around to me, he pointed his finger and said that if I hid during the game, he would batter me about that old wooden dressing room like a rag doll afterwards.

After that encouraging piece of man-management, I got the man of the match award, albeit in a 2-1 defeat. But it was to be a rare personal triumph.

Read more: Celtic dominate PFA awards with Brendan Rodgers, Scott Sinclair, Kieran Tierney and Moussa Dembele recognised

Fast forward to January 2003, and as my number goes up on the board in the 89th minute, I totter slowly and very smugly towards that old main stand which was heaving with seething Jambos. At 4-2 up, my Tynecastle hoodoo was over.

I had scored my first goal in an Edinburgh derby and the night ahead celebrating with the Hibees was already being planned in my head. The game was in the bag. What happened next I still can't believe 14 years on.

By the time I had got my boots and shin pads off it was 4-4, and I was lying sprawled out on the track with the dugout roof caved in by ecstatic Hearts fans. Which incidentally, would have been the same outcome suffered by the errant Yannick Zambernardi had Bobby Williamson connected flush on his head with a flying Predator boot.

So, goodbye to the Tynecastle stand, my old foe.