SWFA Nomination for James McPake

JM - “Just to be mentioned along with those names gives me a lot of pride and I think that is a bit of recognition for the full football club.”

James McPake is one of four nominees for the Scottish Football Writers’ Association’s Manager of the Year award. The other nominees are all Premierleague managers - Celtic’s Ange Postecoglou, St Mirren’s Stephen Robinson and Aberdeen’s Barry Robson.

Ange Postecoglou has already been named the Scottish PFA Manager of the Year this season and having achieved the domestic league and League Cup double is on course to do the treble if they can get around Inverness Caley Thistle in the Scottish Cup final.

Steve Robinson has achieved a top six place for St Mirren and their highest league placing since 1985. Barry Robson has transformed Aberdeen since taking over as interim manager back in January. From languishing in seventh place Robson has steered them to third with European football back on the agenda.

The final candidate for the award is Dunfermline manager James McPake who helped guide the Pars to promotion and the League One title.

James added only three players to a squad of 14 that suffered relegation the previous season - Kyle Benedictus, Chris Hamilton and back up keeper, Max Little.

He also made good use of the loan market to create a team that went the whole season undefeated at home and lost only one league game on the road. A great many club records were broken in the process including most points won in a season and for the number of shutouts.

Speaking about his nomination James told the website that he woke up this morning to the news in a message and claimed that it is testament to the full football club:-

“I genuinely do mean that it is not just for me. Without the Board, without the staff and certainly without the players then I wouldn’t be getting recognised for anything and I might have been sitting in my house.

“I’m delighted though and there are three fantastic other candidates. Obviously Ange Postecoglou’s speaks for itself - his record since coming to Scottish football and the humility of the man and just what he is like. Stephen Robinson has done a fantastic job at St Mirren and Barry Robson, I know that he has not been in for the full season, but what a job he has done at Aberdeen. It has been his first job but he has gone into that club, taken over and got them going. I coached against him when he took the Aberdeen Under 18s and he was on the Pro Licence with me as well, so I know that he is good.

“Just to be mentioned along with those names gives me a lot of pride and I think that is a bit of recognition for the full football club.”

The winner of the William Hill Manager of the Year prize will receive their trophy at the Scottish Football Writers’ Association’s dinner on Sunday 28th May at the DoubleTree by Hilton Hotel in Glasgow.

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