The good, the bad: Celtic, Rangers, Aberdeen, Hearts and Premiership rivals' seasons rated out of 10

ABERDEEN

The good – The Dons ultimately achieved the goal of finishing best of the rest and securing third spot. It means they will now go into the Europa League play-off and be guaranteed group stage European football. To say the season was a rollercoaster is an understatement. While they struggled away from Pittodrie they saw third at the World Cup break ,they would soon hit the bottom of their trough with third looking unrealistic. Then, under Barry Robson, came the peak, culminating in a fantastic night in the Granite City, defeating St Mirren to claim third with a game to spare. Along the way, new heroes emerged. From Kelle Roos to Leighton Clarkson to Duk, of course, one of the most exciting players in the country.

The bad – There was talk of the week from hell which cost Jim Goodwin his job in January after defeats to Hearts, Hibs and Darvel over the space of ten days. They lost 5-0 and 6-0 in the Capital between being bundled out of the cup by a sixth tier side. But, in truth, it wasn’t great from the time they came back from the World Cup. They had two shots and none on target in a 1-0 loss at home to Celtic and then conceded two injury-time goals at home to Rangers to lose 3-2. Followed by losses at St Mirren and Kilmarnock. A torrid time.

The result: 8/10 – Third place, a semi-final and some exciting new fan favourites.

CELTIC

The good – Another dominant domestic campaign with the club winning a world record eighth domestic treble. While the gap at the end of the season was seven points to Rangers, in reality the gap was much bigger. They held a nine-point gap at the World Cup break and never looked back. Between the 2-0 loss to St Mirren on September 18 and the 3-0 defeat at Rangers after the split, they were unbeaten in domestic football, spanning 34 games. They won 32 of those. Across the season they scored three or more goals 26 times, including a 9-0 pumping of Dundee United. With Kyogo Furuhashi in electric form they were capable of blitzing teams.

The bad – If you put Ange Postecoglou’s departure and how it developed in the build up to the Scottish Cup final win to one side, Europe. Under the Australian Celtic won six of 20 games in continental competition. This season they were back in the Champions League group stage and despite a fine performance at home to Real Madrid they would have been hugely disappointed not winning any of their six games, especially when they faced beatable opposition, certainly at home, in RB Leipzig and Shakhtar Donetsk.

Celtic won a world record-breaking eighth domestic treble. (Photo by Craig Williamson / SNS Group)

The result: 9/10 – Perfect at home but lose a mark for European exploits.

DUNDEE UNITED

The good – This won’t take long! The win over AZ Alkmaar in their second game of the season. It was a superb night at a raucous Tannadice as a partisan crowd cheered the team onto a 1-0 win against the eventual Conference League semi-finalists. It wasn’t a smash and grab, it was a deserved victory. Fans queued overnight for tickets for the away leg, while United brought out a commemorative canvas after the win. It was all downhill from there, however...

The bad – Where do you even start? This was a season which was mismanaged so badly it resulted in a team which cost a lot to put together being relegated. The club went through three managers, they built a squad which lacked any sort of balance and then failed to address it in January, instead letting a goalkeeper and striker leave without any replacements. The sporting director was persona non grata amongst the club's support before departing the club. Their Australian international goalkeeper struggled throughout the campaign, as did other experienced players. They lost 9-0 to Celtic. They lost 7-0 to AZ Alkmaar. Just when they seemed to be getting out of relegation trouble they lost all five post-split fixtures. Absolutely rubbish.

Dundee United's high point came in August... it was all downhill after that. (Photo by Mark Scates / SNS Group)

Rating: 1/10 – A point for AZ win. Deserve little else.

HEARTS

The good – December 17 to February 10. Two months of football, 12 games and just one defeat. The Jam Tarts had gone into the league’s hiatus four points off third place, a situation many would have taken considering the injury issues and European commitments. After the break they started to motor and would take control of third place. The first win over St Johnstone at McDiarmid Park in the league in 12 years was secured, as were two 3-0 wins over Hibs, including in the Scottish Cup. Aberdeen were defeated 5-0. And it was during that time when Stephen Humphrys scored his goal from inside his own half against Dundee United.

The bad – Injuries to key players. Craig Gordon, Craig Halkett, Liam Boyce, Beni Baningime, Peter Haring and Stephen Kingsley missed 199 games between them over the course of the season. All six are key first-team players. That had a knock-on effect. The fact the team got into such a strong position to finish third and then let their lead slip, eventually finishing fourth, was of huge frustration amongst those inside the club and the team's support. The manner of how it unfolded with poor on-field performances, Robbie Neilson being relieved of his duties and Robert Snodgrass no longer being considered for selection made for a difficult few months.

Aberdeen players celebrate after finishing third. (Photo by Craig Foy / SNS Group)

Rating: 5/10 – On the grand scheme of things, fourth isn’t a terrible finish for the team. But it's how it ended which brought frustration. Another failure in the League Cup also contributed to such a middle of the road mark.

HIBS

The good – Hibs returned to Europe with a fifth placed-finish and ended their winless run in the Edinburgh derby with a deserved win at a raucous Easter Road. Few teams had as inconsistent a season as Lee Johnson’s men. They rebounded from a desperate League Cup campaign to start the season well before having another couple of good runs where they showed progress under the new manager. On their day they could play exciting football, including a 6-0 thrashing of Aberdeen, and new players came to prominence such as the exciting Elie Youan, devastating on his day, while others stepped up, including Joe Newell and Josh Campbell.

The bad – They exited the League Cup at the group stage and lost at home in the Scottish Cup to Hearts. It also took until the last day of the pre-split season to secure a top-six berth. There were moments during the campaign where it seemed Lee Johnson was under pressure. They missed an opportunity to finish fourth on the final day of the season at the expense of their city rivals.

Rating: 5/10 – Returned to Europe but scorecard reads ‘must improve’.

KILMARNOCK

St Mirren manager Stephen Robinson guided the Buddies to the top six. (Photo by Alan Harvey / SNS Group)

The good – Survival and consolidation. That's what this season seemed to be for Derek McInnes’ side. It was a lot of the same side which won promotion from the Championship and it seemed everyone knew that if they maintained their top-flight status it would allow for a rebuild. There were high points along the way, namely the run to the League Cup semi-final and the emergence of Dan Armstrong on the Premiership stage. A key to their finish in 10th was their home form.

The bad – Which leads onto their away form. Wretched is the only way to describe it. Two wins in 19 games. Eight points in total and just 11 goals. It took until the 33rd match day to get their first win away from Rugby Park in the league. Killie weren’t a fun team to watch, even if they produced some impressive performances, as they did in wins over Hearts and away to Dundee United. They were one of three teams who scored fewer goals than games they played. Supporters will also want to forget their defeat at Inverness CT in the Scottish Cup.

Rating: 5/10 – Pre-season objective achieved but more of a struggle than they would have hoped.

LIVINGSTON

The good – The way David Martindale’s men punched above their weight to get into a strong position to get European football. For a long period they appeared to be a team on the up with good squad depth. But it seemed that when Bruce Anderson and Joel Nouble didn’t play together in the team they lacked a cutting edge, scoring just 36 goals in the Premiership, the lowest of all 12 teams.

The bad – The way the season unravelled. On February 11, Livi sat fourth in the table, seven points from third but with a game in hand. Talk was very much of getting into Europe rather than simply finishing in the top six. Ultimately, they didn’t even finish in the top six. They won just three of their final 14 league games to end up in eighth. Plus, on February 11 they exited the Scottish Cup, losing 3-0 to Inverness at home.

Rating: 5/10 – Got themselves into a good position but tailed off and suffered huge disappointment in the Scottish Cup.

MOTHERWELL

The good – Kevin van Veen. The Dutchman had the season of his career. One of those individual campaigns that all Motherwell fans will remember. When it got to the end of the season, with the team safe from relegation, supporters could have been forgiven for thinking of enjoying Van Veen while he was still at Fir Park more than anything else. He scored in each of his final 11 league games, scoring 14 in total for a season tally of 29, earning him a place in the team of the season. Those goals were worth 20 points. Also, the promise of the team under the management of Stuart Kettlewell, only two defeats from 14 games.

The bad – Sligo Rovers. What a disastrous way to start the season. Seeded in the Europa Conference League qualifiers against Irish opposition, they lost both legs. Deservedly. It cost Graham Alexander his job. Club legend Stevie Hammell gave the team an initial lift but by the middle of February they very much looked like a team heading for the Championship. The loss to Raith Rovers in the Scottish Cup, in comical fashion, was the final straw.

Rating: 6/10 – A real mixed bag. Embarrassing European showing, league struggles but they managed to avoid relegation comfortable and finished the season strongly.

RANGERS

The good – The Govan side’s season peaked very early on when they reached the Champions League group stage, overcoming Union Saint-Gilloise and then PSV Eindhoven, Antonio Colak’s goal in the Netherlands securing progression. It was another step in the team’s European journey having done so well in the Europa League. It didn’t go so well when they got there...

The bad – Key players such as Alfredo Morelos and Ryan Kent didn't perform, the team lost heavily in the Champions League group stage, conceding three or more goals in five of their six games. Domestically, they were behind Celtic, losing to them in the League Cup final, Scottish Cup semi-final and not putting up much of a challenge in the league, the latter costing Giovanni van Bronckhorst before the World Cup break.

Rating: 3/10 – Qualifying for the Champions League was great but losing to rivals Celtic in all three domestic competitions was far from great.

ROSS COUNTY

The good – Maintained their Premiership status but there was little to get excited about aside from a couple of heavy home wins. The Premiership play-off comeback against Partick Thistle will live long in the memory however. From Simon Murray’s goal which gave them a chance to George Harmon’s injury-time equaliser then the tense penalty shootout with Ross Laidlaw and Josh Sims emerging as heroes.

The bad – An inability to score goals really hampered the side in the first half of the campaign. The addition of Eamonn Brophy and Murray as well as a change in formation gave the team a better balance. They had the worst home record in the league suggesting the Global Energy Stadium doesn’t fall into the ‘tough place to go’ category.

Rating: 3/10 – Stayed in the league but far from a memorable season.

ST JOHNSTONE

The good – A ninth place finish was positive after surviving through the play-off the previous season, aided by three post-split wins nuder Steven MacLean, two of which meant they went into the final two rounds safe from relegation.There wasn’t too much for Saints fans to shout about during the season but three successive league wins culminating in a 2-1 victory over Rangers which included James Brown's thunderbolt was a good moment.

The bad – Struggles in the League Cup group stage was a portent of what was to come. Callum Davidson just couldn't get the team out of a rut. Under Davidson, the team were too negative and too passive. They were too often out of games by half-time with really poor performances. Home fans were starved of excitement with just 18 goals and 19 points from their 19 games. In the end the club parted company with their double cup-winning manager. Also, the departure of David Wotherspoon has irritated supporters.

Rating: 4/10 – They survived in the end but it will go down as an instantly forgettable campaign.

ST MIRREN

The good – After 38 seasons, the Buddies finally finished in the top six of the Premiership. Stephen Robinson’s men were a force to be reckoned with in Paisley where they built a good home record. Under the former Motherwell man they had a clear identity which was aided by some very shrewd recruitment. There were a number of key performers throughout the season and they were one of only three Scottish teams to defeat Celtic.

The bad – The League Cup group stage. Going out heaped pressure on Robinson to start the season well after an underwhelming first few months in charge from the previous campaign. In a much better position at the end of the season, failing to win any of their final seven league games saw them fall short of European football.

Rating: 7/10 – Getting into the top six for the first time since the 1984/85 season was a great achievement.