1986–87 in Scottish football
| 1986–87 in Scottish football | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Premier Division champions | |
| Rangers | |
| Division One champions | |
| Morton | |
| Division Two champions | |
| Meadowbank Thistle | |
| Scottish Cup winners | |
| St Mirren | |
| League Cup winners | |
| Rangers | |
| Junior Cup winners | |
| Auchinleck Talbot | |
| Teams in Europe | |
| Aberdeen, Celtic, Dundee United, Heart of Midlothian, Rangers | |
| Scotland national team | |
| UEFA Euro 1988 qualifying, Rous Cup | |
| ← 1985–86 1987–88 → |
The 1986–87 season was the 90th season of competitive football in Scotland.[1]
In the first full season under the management of player-manager Graeme Souness, Rangers won their first league title since 1978, and also won the League Cup. The title winning side featured two English players enjoying their first season north of the border - defender Terry Butcher and goalkeeper Chris Woods.
Celtic manager David Hay paid the price for a trophyless season and was sacked after four years, paving the way for the return of Billy McNeill, the man he had succeeded in 1983.[2]
Aberdeen manager Alex Ferguson moved south of the border on 6 November to manage Manchester United.[3] He was succeeded at Pittodrie by Ian Porterfield. At the end of the season, Ferguson brought Celtic's top scorer Brian McClair to United, while McClair's strike-partner Mo Johnston moved to France to sign for Nantes.
St Mirren won the Scottish Cup with a 1–0 win over Dundee United in the final. Dundee United also lost to IFK Goteborg of Sweden in the UEFA Cup final.
Scottish Premier Division[]
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification or relegation |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Rangers (C) | 44 | 31 | 7 | 6 | 85 | 23 | +62 | 69 | Qualification for the European Cup first round |
| 2 | Celtic | 44 | 27 | 9 | 8 | 90 | 41 | +49 | 63 | Qualification for the UEFA Cup first round |
| 3 | Dundee United | 44 | 24 | 12 | 8 | 85 | 34 | +51 | 60 | |
| 4 | Aberdeen | 44 | 21 | 16 | 7 | 63 | 29 | +34 | 58 | |
| 5 | Heart of Midlothian | 44 | 21 | 14 | 9 | 64 | 43 | +21 | 56 | |
| 6 | Dundee | 44 | 18 | 12 | 14 | 74 | 57 | +17 | 48 | |
| 7 | St Mirren | 44 | 12 | 12 | 20 | 36 | 51 | −15 | 36 | Qualification for the Cup Winners' Cup first round |
| 8 | Motherwell | 44 | 11 | 12 | 21 | 43 | 64 | −21 | 34 | |
| 9 | Hibernian | 44 | 10 | 13 | 21 | 44 | 70 | −26 | 33 | |
| 10 | Falkirk | 44 | 8 | 10 | 26 | 31 | 70 | −39 | 26 | |
| 11 | Clydebank (R) | 44 | 6 | 12 | 26 | 35 | 93 | −58 | 24 | Relegation to the 1987–88 Scottish First Division |
| 12 | Hamilton Academical (R) | 44 | 6 | 9 | 29 | 39 | 93 | −54 | 21 |
Rules for classification: 1) points; 2) goal difference; 3) number of goals scored.
(C) Champion; (R) Relegated
Champions: Rangers
Relegated: Clydebank, Hamilton Academical
Scottish League Division One[]
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Promotion or relegation |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Morton (C, P) | 44 | 24 | 9 | 11 | 88 | 56 | +32 | 57 | Promotion to Premier Division |
| 2 | Dunfermline Athletic (P) | 44 | 23 | 10 | 11 | 61 | 41 | +20 | 56 | |
| 3 | Dumbarton | 44 | 23 | 7 | 14 | 67 | 52 | +15 | 53 | |
| 4 | East Fife | 44 | 15 | 21 | 8 | 68 | 55 | +13 | 51 | |
| 5 | Airdrieonians | 44 | 20 | 11 | 13 | 58 | 46 | +12 | 51 | |
| 6 | Kilmarnock | 44 | 17 | 11 | 16 | 62 | 53 | +9 | 45 | |
| 7 | Forfar Athletic | 44 | 14 | 15 | 15 | 61 | 63 | −2 | 43 | |
| 8 | Partick Thistle | 44 | 12 | 15 | 17 | 49 | 54 | −5 | 39 | |
| 9 | Clyde | 44 | 11 | 16 | 17 | 48 | 56 | −8 | 38 | |
| 10 | Queen of the South | 44 | 11 | 12 | 21 | 50 | 71 | −21 | 34 | |
| 11 | Brechin City (R) | 44 | 11 | 10 | 23 | 44 | 72 | −28 | 32 | Relegation to Second Division |
| 12 | Montrose (R) | 44 | 9 | 11 | 24 | 37 | 74 | −37 | 29 |
Rules for classification: 1) points; 2) goal difference; 3) number of goals scored.
(C) Champion; (P) Promoted; (R) Relegated
Promoted: Morton, Dunfermline Athletic
Relegated: Brechin City, Montrose
Scottish League Division Two[]
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Promotion or relegation |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Meadowbank Thistle | 39 | 23 | 9 | 7 | 69 | 38 | +31 | 55 | Promotion to the 1987–88 First Division |
| 2 | Raith Rovers | 39 | 16 | 20 | 3 | 73 | 44 | +29 | 52 | |
| 3 | Stirling Albion | 39 | 20 | 12 | 7 | 55 | 33 | +22 | 52 | |
| 4 | Ayr United | 39 | 22 | 8 | 9 | 70 | 49 | +21 | 52 | |
| 5 | St Johnstone | 39 | 16 | 13 | 10 | 59 | 49 | +10 | 45 | |
| 6 | Alloa Athletic | 39 | 17 | 7 | 15 | 48 | 50 | −2 | 41 | |
| 7 | Cowdenbeath | 39 | 16 | 8 | 15 | 59 | 55 | +4 | 40 | |
| 8 | Albion Rovers | 39 | 15 | 9 | 15 | 48 | 51 | −3 | 39 | |
| 9 | Queen's Park | 39 | 9 | 19 | 11 | 48 | 49 | −1 | 37 | |
| 10 | Stranraer | 39 | 9 | 11 | 19 | 41 | 59 | −18 | 29 | |
| 11 | Arbroath | 39 | 11 | 7 | 21 | 46 | 66 | −20 | 29 | |
| 12 | Stenhousemuir | 39 | 10 | 9 | 20 | 37 | 58 | −21 | 29 | |
| 13 | East Stirlingshire | 39 | 6 | 11 | 22 | 33 | 56 | −23 | 23 | |
| 14 | Berwick Rangers | 39 | 8 | 7 | 24 | 40 | 69 | −29 | 23 |
Promoted: Meadowbank Thistle, Raith Rovers
Other honours[]
Cup honours[]
| Competition | Winner | Score | Runner-up |
|---|---|---|---|
| Scottish Cup 1986–87 | St Mirren | 1 – 0 (a.e.t.) | Dundee United |
| League Cup 1986–87 | Rangers | 2 – 1 | Celtic |
| Youth Cup | Celtic | 2 – 1 | Motherwell |
| Junior Cup | Auchinleck Talbot | 1 – 0 (rep.) | Kilbirnie Ladeside |
Non-league honours[]
Senior[]
| Competition | Winner |
|---|---|
| Highland League 1986–87 | Inverness Thistle |
| East of Scotland League | Vale of Leithen |
| South of Scotland League | Annan Athletic |
Individual honours[]
| Award | Winner | Club |
|---|---|---|
| Footballer of the Year |  Brian McClair |
Celtic |
| Players' Player of the Year | Brian McClair |
Celtic |
| Young Player of the Year | Robert Fleck |
Rangers |
Scotland national team[]
| Date | Venue | Opponents | Score[5] | Competition | Scotland scorer(s) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 10 September | Hampden Park, Glasgow (H) |  Bulgaria
|
0–0 | ECQG7 | |
| 15 October | Lansdowne Road, Dublin (A) |  Republic of Ireland
|
0–0 | ECQG7 | |
| 12 November | Hampden Park, Glasgow (H) |  Luxembourg
|
3–0 | ECQG7 | Davie Cooper (2, 1 pen.), Maurice Johnston |
| 18 February | Hampden Park, Glasgow (H) | Republic of Ireland
|
0–1 | ECQG7 | |
| 1 April | Constant Vanden Stock Stadium, Brussels (A) |  Belgium
|
1–4 | ECQG7 | Paul McStay |
| 23 May | Hampden Park, Glasgow (H) |  England
|
0–0 | Rous Cup | |
| 26 May | Hampden Park, Glasgow (H) |  Brazil
|
0–2 | Rous Cup |
Key:
- (H) = Home match
- (A) = Away match
- ECQG7 = European Championship qualifying - Group 7
See also[]
Notes and references[]
- ^ 1986/87 - The Scottish Football League Archived 3 December 2012 at the Wayback Machine
- ^ McCarra, Kevin (3 April 2012). Celtic: A Biography in Nine Lives. Faber & Faber. ISBN 9780571275816.
- ^ "On This Day in 1986: Alex Ferguson agrees to Old Trafford move". Herald Scotland. Retrieved 3 September 2015.
- ^ "Scottish Division One 1986-1987 Season Summary". statto.com. Archived from the original on 20 December 2014. Retrieved 10 April 2012.
- ^ Scotland's score is shown first.
- 1986–87 in Scottish football
- Seasons in Scottish football