THE STARS OF THE SHOW

Who has made our Premiership Team of the Season?

ON Thursday, the SPFL expects the green light from UEFA to call a halt to the Premiership season.

There will be no fanfare, no trophy presentations, no laps of honour.

That’s not to say the achievements of those players who have illuminated the Scottish top flight since last August should have their highly impressive contributions ignored.

In the interests of restoring a little sparkle to this flat end to the curtailed campaign, The Mail on Sunday’s GRAEME CROSER invited former Scotland striker

BILLY DODDS to produce an audit of the league’s top performers.

Dodds’ role as a radio and television summariser has seen him tour the grounds and lockdown has afforded him the time to carefully consider his Premiership select of the season.

As an appendix, he has chosen his respective Player and Young Player of the Year. Readers should feel free to provide their own asterisks.

GOALKEEPER — JOE LEWIS (Aberdeen)

The most impressive keeper in the country and just a standardsetter for Aberdeen. Not many goalkeepers are made captain but you can understand why Derek McInnes made that choice — Lewis is a leader.

He has the height and presence, he comes and takes crosses. All keepers should be good shot-stoppers but he has made impressive saves at important times when his team has really needed him. And he has done it all season.

Aberdeen are fourth. Outfield, they have not been the finished article and Lewis has been busier than you might expect. They have been wobbly and they have relied on him to help put points on the board. His saves have maybe got them another eight points. NEARLY MEN… ALLAN McGREGOR has been fine for Rangers, the same goes for FRASER FORSTER across the city. They’ve made saves when called upon but they haven’t been worked as often as some of the other keepers in the league. MARK GILLESPIE deserves credit for helping Motherwell climb the table and I was also tempted by VACLAV HLADKY at St Mirren.

RIGHT-BACK — JEREMIE FRIMPONG (Celtic)

I actually struggled with this position more than any other because there has not really been a consistent, stand-out performer in the league. Wee Frimpong gets it purely because he has made such an impact.

There are a lot of steady full-backs out there but Frimpong has been sensational at times. He is still young and has to learn to defend better but, just through impact, he gets the nod.

He was unheralded as a signing but he has grabbed his chance and been really good when he’s played. NEARLY MEN...

STEPHEN O’DONNELL has steadied after a bad start. There was talk of him moving but he has got his head down and worked away. He’s also scored a few goals. I also like LIAM GRIMSHAW at Motherwell. He’s a flying machine, but has not always been in the team.

CENTRE-BACK — DECLAN GALLAGHER (Motherwell)

I love people who can take a knock and come back better. Gallagher was at Dundee, had all his off-field problems and dropped down the divisions with Livingston.

He went away, worked hard at his game and has risen to a level that has seen him capped by Scotland. He got his move to Motherwell and has grabbed that chance with both hands. He is a big reason why they are sitting in third place.

Nothing fazes him and that comes from his growing belief. How high can he go? I’m not sure because he still has loads to work on but over the season he has been tremendous. NEARLY MEN...

ASH TAYLOR has done well since he came back into the Aberdeen team. Celtic’s CHRISTOPHER JULLIEN has scored some big goals but doesn’t get in simply because I don’t think he is over-worked at Premiership level.

CENTRE-BACK — JON GUTHRIE (Livingston)

I’ve seen him three or four times in the flesh and each time I’ve thought he’s been excellent. He’s quick, aggressive and wins his headers, an old-fashioned defender who keeps it basic.

People credit Livingston’s success to the artificial pitch but they have good players too. They lost

Craig Halkett and Declan Gallagher last summer and the Livvy fans would have worried about that.

I know I tipped them to go down but Guthrie has come in and

kept that defence solid. He cruises with his pace, gets in good positions, clears when he needs to.

He’s been at Crewe and Walsall and is 27, so is not a young boy. A lot of English players come up here expecting it to be easy but struggle and end up back down the road. We had a few like that at Ross County. Guthrie has really taken to it. He has been outstanding. NEARLY MEN...

People might wonder why I’ve not gone for SCOTT McKENNA but he has had a patchy season. I don’t think he’s played as well as he can. The same with KRISTOFFER AJER.

It might sound harsh but Celtic are top of the league because of what they do in attack.

LEFT-BACK — BORNA BARISIC (below, Rangers)

The only Rangers player to get in the team. I was at St Mirren earlier in the season and he was toiling, he took cramp because he hadn’t been playing and there was talk of Rangers getting rid. But he scored that day and, from then to now, the turnaround has been dramatic.

He has got fitter, adapted to the pace and has been really good all season. He needed to get his mindset right and really kicked on to the point that clubs from abroad are watching him.

He has been top drawer and the fact he has taken the same level of performance into Europe says it all about him. NEARLY MEN...

A mention for LEWIS STEVENSON who sticks in and does a job for Hibs. When he’s not been injured or suspended, Motherwell’s JAKE CARROLL has done well too.

CENTRE MIDFIELD — SCOTT BROWN (Celtic)

It has to be Scott Brown. Going into the break, Celtic were under serious pressure from Rangers but once again Brown rallied his team.

He’s everything you want in a captain and I wouldn’t have expected anything else. Each year the question is asked — is he finished? He keeps coming back for more. In Europe, you

would start to see if the legs have gone but he has just loved it. He’s at 50 appearances again.

I love watching him in the games where he is not playing well. He’s still there rallying everyone else around him. When the team is toiling, he’s the catalyst. A manager might want to coach a solution but sometimes you can’t beat on-field management. NEARLY MEN...

I know people may question the lack of Rangers players in this team but RYAN JACK was close. Going into the winter break, Rangers were nip and tuck with Celtic and, to that point, Jack had been as good as anybody. ALLAN CAMPBELL at Motherwell is my pick for Young Player of the Year, while

ALEX GOGIC has been key in helping Hamilton to some big results in that holding role.

CENTRE MIDFIELD — CALLUM McGREGOR

(Celtic)

You’d take him all day long. The fact he is never out of the Celtic team speaks for itself. He can play anywhere, he gets his team playing and he scores goals. Big questions were asked of Celtic coming out of the winter break but he and Brown have been the two to really provide some answers. Rangers might have dropped away but Celtic have been relentless and that’s down to those two setting the standard.

McGregor isn’t soft by any means but neither is he particularly aggressive. He just leads by example. No matter where he is on the pitch or how tight the space is he’s always demanding the ball. NEARLY MEN...

ALI McCANN at St Johnstone is really good, a bit like Scott Brown when he was younger. He doesn’t take prisoners or care about reputations. He’s right in about the opposition and has a big career in front of him.

ALAN POWER deserves a mention. He got a bit lost during the Angelo Alessio spell at Kilmarnock but he is a good player. He handles himself well but he is not just a stopper, he sees things and can play passes round corners.

RIGHT WING —

MARTIN BOYLE (Hibernian)

This one might surprise because he missed the first part of the season through injury but what an impact he has had since returning.

I love him and I think he has a big move in him. I understand why Celtic might want him.

He used to struggle with his end product. He always needed six

goes to get one decent cross in. But now, he believes and he delivers. The same with his finishing.

There is a real belief there and I think Neil Lennon gave him that. I know he worries the life out of the opposition. He’s played loads of different positions and I’m just gutted he’s declared for Australia. We’ve missed a trick there. NEALY MEN….

CHRIS BURKE is 36 now but he still has a burst of pace in him and has been producing for Kilmarnock. And I also think SCOTT ARFIELD deserves a shout.

He helped Rangers pile pressure on Celtic in the first half of the season but, more impressively, he was sticking out when the team started to struggle. He deserves a mention for keeping going as others around him fell away.

ATTACKING MIDFIELD — RYAN CHRISTIE

(Celtic)

Celtic have always relied on their strikers for goals but Christie’s goal ratio is incredible from that attackingmidfield area and he also delivers assists.

He was so thrilling to watch in those European games against Lazio and Rennes, too. It was all dynamism with added quality, he was just so desperate to do well on the big stage.

He is infectious. Tom Rogic has quality but does it at his own pace. Christie can be silky too but he is also energetic. He can play that slide-rule pass but he does it at speed. I like that. NEARLY MEN... LEWIS FERGUSON often plays as a sitter but he has been thrown forward into that hole at times. He does the dirty side of the game and is dogged but he also has quality as he showed with the winning goal in the cup at St Mirren. Aberdeen have toiled and yet he has been consistent, which is impressive for a young boy. If he stays, he is a future Aberdeen captain.

LEFT WING — JAMES FORREST

(Celtic)

Celtic terms He used of supporters end to frustrate product in but Rodgers under he went Brendan away and last worked couple of on seasons, it. In the wow.

He gives you goals, assists and he is pretty consistent for a winger. I know there have a couple of games where he hasn’t quite been at it but those days are very rare now. He’s a bit like McGregor in that he just plays every week and is versatile. He will guarantee you a certain number of goals and assists every season. NEARLY MATTY KENNEDY MEN... got his move to Aberdeen off a good spell for St Johnstone and, while we always say wingers are inconsistent, JERMAINE

HYLTON has kept his standards high for Motherwell.

STRIKER — ODSONNE EDOUARD

(Celtic)

For the full package, it’s got to be Edouard. He is skilful and sometimes centre-forwards like that are not the bravest. But Edouard is strong, he holds the ball up and he is quick.

He is not the most aggressive but he is never bullied and he uses his strength well. He also sees passes and then you add in the goals.

I’ve worked with Leigh Griffiths, who was brought up as a lone striker and who you would describe as a selfish player. Yet since January, Leigh has been playing in a two and bought into the idea of a partnership, maybe for the first time. That’s all down to Edouard. NEARLY MEN... SAM COSGROVE was excellent in the first half of the season, maintaining his scoring ratio for Aberdeen. LYNDON

DYKES has proved a real handful for both halves of the Old Firm. He could maybe score more but that might come if he gets a move to a bigger club. He has pace and aggression, as both both Rangers and Celtic have discovered.