SELECTING the outstanding Scottish manager of the season before the winners of most of the main prizes have been determined has proved a difficult business over the years.

 

A fair few of the decisions arrived at ahead of the Scottish title being won, the Scottish Cup held aloft and the European places available secured have been unfortunate.

A remarkable chain of events just 12 months ago highlighted the dangers inherent in choosing a Manager of the Year while a campaign is still ongoing.

Derek McInnes collected both the PFA Scotland and SFWA awards after leading Aberdeen to the League Cup with a penalty shoot-out win over Inverness Caledonian Thistle in the final at Celtic Park.

That was the first trophy the Pittodrie club had lifted since 1995 and few in our national game quibbled with the recipient. Before long, though, there were murmurings of discontent.

Aberdeen missed out on second spot in the SPL after losing 1-0 at home to Motherwell - albeit after a hotly-disputed Craig Reid goal in the third minute of injury time - in their final game.

It was the second season running Stuart McCall, who had lost the majority of his first team the summer before, had led the Fir Park club to the runners-up berth. Surely, it was then claimed, he was more deserving of recognition for that accomplishment?

Fast forward just six days and another outstanding candidate emerged. Tommy Wright orchestrated an inspired St. Johnstone performance over Dundee United in the Scottish Cup final at Parkhead.

The 2-0 victory meant the Perth club landed the first major trophy in their 130 year existence. Yet, the individual responsible for overseeing the historic achievement was overlooked for any personal accolade.

There have been many other questionable choices. Gordon Strachan picked up the PFA Scotland Manager of the Year award in the 2008/09 campaign due in no small part to his Celtic side defeating Rangers 2-0 after extra-time in a tense League Cup final at Hampden.

Csaba Laszlo, the wonderfully madcap Hungarian, was presented with the SFWA and SPL versions that term as a consequence of Hearts finishing third in the top flight and booking a place in the play-off round of the inaugural Europa League.

Walter Smith, however, promptly led Rangers to their first Scottish title in four years on the final day of the league season before overseeing a Scottish Cup triumph over Falkirk. His reward for doing the double? Nothing. Nada. Zilch.

So, when John Hughes stepped up on stage at the PFA Scotland Awards in the Glasgow Thistle hotel eight days ago to receive his crystal Manager of the Year statuette, some seasoned observers experienced a horrible sense of déjà vu.

Sure, "big Yogi" had done exceptionally with Caledonian Thistle. But with three league games remaining his side could be pipped to third place in the SPFL Premiership and miss out on the Europa League place that goes with it. The Scottish Cup final, too, could be lost. He could feasibly win nothing.

Meanwhile, Ronny Deila, who had plundered the League Cup and SPFL Premiership in his debut season in charge of Celtic and steered his side through to the knockout stages of the Europa League, had been ignored.

Of course, Inverness qualified for Europe, for the first time since two of the Highland League clubs in the city had amalgamated and joined the SFL in 1994, courtesy of a 1-0 win over Dundee at Dens Park on Saturday.

Yet, even if they had faltered and been overtaken by Dundee United or St. Johnstone in the league table, and even if they lose to Falkirk at Hampden at the end of this month and finish up empty-handed, Hughes deserves to be honoured ahead of Deila.

The Norwegian has, without doubt, excelled in Scotland. He has utilised the resources at his disposal shrewdly, ensured his charges have bought into his strict dietary and fitness regimes, overcome a horrendous start, recruited well and won round a sizeable number of sceptics in the support. Most importantly, he has got his side playing attractive and effective football.

But Deila's domestic deeds are, given the continuing struggles of Rangers, by no means exceptional for Celtic. His counterpart, in stark contrast, has presided over by far the most successful season Inverness have ever enjoyed. He has done so with limited resources in front of poor crowds while advocating a stylish brand of play.

Being fit, hard-working, uncompromising and well-organised are wrongly viewed by some in this country as acceptable compensation for a failure to exhibit technical ability, adventure and flair. Hughes has set his sights far higher and been rewarded for doing so. He has emphatically underlined it is possible to offer more than endeavour and still be competitive.

Inverness Caledonian Thistle are not a better side than Celtic despite winning two, drawing one and losing just one of their four games against opponents with a far greater budget in the last ten months. However, on their day, the fare they serve up is superior.

For that reason, John Hughes is a worthy Manager of the Year. No arguments.