League Two Managers of the Year 2014/15
1. For me you don’t have to look much further than Gus MacPherson for the top spot in the League Two category. After last year’s disaster of a season this term could have followed on from that but the reality has been so much different. That is all down to MacPherson and his ability to shape a squad and get a team playing to win. His side play good attacking football but they also have a resilience at the back that has seen them concede the second fewest goals this campaign. You cannot forget that Queens Park finished rock bottom last term, a total collapse over the course of a year. Fast forward to the end of this season and a second place finish with a playoff to look forward to is just rewards for a manager who fell away from Scottish football for two years before taking on a really tough job. If they do get promoted it would be a fantastic achievement.
2. Guiding Albion Rovers to their first title in 25 years is what earns Darren Young a place on this list. As a club the Wee Rovers have gone through a very positive spell both on and off the pitch. Last year’s cup heroics resulted in a nice financial reward that means so much to a club the size of Albion Rovers. In June of last year when the board decided to part company with James Ward and replace him with a rookie manager they were taking a gamble but it that has paid off in impressive fashion. The perfect balance between a tight defence and prolific attack has guaranteed that Rovers were always going to be challengers in this division but Young has pushed the team to go a step further to secure that league title. For the manager, the club and the fans the attention will now turn to League One and the possibility of making a name for themselves in 2015/16.
3. For the very last manager in these awards I actually decided to change my mind at the last-minute. Looking through the teams in this league there was a sense of a few teams underperforming. I originally planned to talk about Gary Naysmith but in actual fact his side probably fell quite a bit short. Instead I go back to what I had in my preview post and I will promote Jim Weir of Elgin on to the winner’s podium. Although he has only been in charge for a short few months he has hauled his side off the bottom of the table and has been in charge during a very impressive run of form. Elgin finished the season in mid-table but they possibly could have been challenging for more if Weir had been appointed earlier. Is his appointment a long-term thing or will it just be a short-term fix? Given Weir’s managerial record it is unsure, but he has at least been the saviour of the Black and Whites this year.