Players to watch in Scotland 2011-12

Here’s a few players plying their trade in Scottish football who, for one reason or another, are worth keeping an eye out for this season:

Shaun Hutchinson (Motherwell)

The 20 year-old central defender was brought to Fir Park by Jim Gannon but was frozen out during Craig Brown’s time in charge.

Under Stuart McCall, Hutchinson has now established himself as a regular starter and was arguably Motherwell’s best performer in their cup final defeat to Celtic.

Murray Davidson (St Johnstone)

All-action midfielder Davidson has impressed since joining St Johnstone from Livingston in 2009, even earning a call-up from Craig Levein to the Scotland squad for the friendly against Brazil last season.

As well as having a robust style of play which allows him to cope with the demands of the SPL, Davidson also has the ability to play at a higher level. He has already been linked with English Premier League clubs including Everton and Wolves, and Davidson was also the subject of a recent bid from Rangers.

John Sutton (Hearts)

Sutton left Motherwell for Hearts during the summer and had no shortage of offers after an impressive last few months of 2010/11. Physically strong and holds the ball up well, he found the net 17 times in all competitions last season.

It will be interesting to see whether Hearts try to play him up front with Kevin Kyle and if Sutton is able to replicate his form of earlier this year. Or was he simply playing for a move?

Gregory Tade (Inverness Caley Thistle)

The French striker seems to divide fans’ opinions but attracted the interest of SPL clubs after an impressive season with first division Raith Rovers, as they narrowly missed out on promotion. Tade opted for Inverness and while not technically gifted (to the point of being clumsy), his pace and power should trouble SPL defences.

Tade is likely to miss the start of the season due to an Achilles problem, but when fit, is he good enough to handle the step-up in class?

Rory McAllister (Peterhead)

The former Aberdeen trainee and Inverness Caledonian Thistle striker scored 29 goals for Second Division Brechin City last season, making him one of the most sought after players in the country. Despite St Mirren and his two former employers being keen to give McAllister top-flight football, he surprised most observers by instead joining Third Division Peterhead.

McAllister lives in Aberdeen (less than 30 miles from Peterhead) and is in the process of completing a plumbing apprenticeship, hence his desire to remain part-time. While there will be suggestions of a lack of ambition, perhaps McAllister deserves some credit for thinking beyond his playing career.

William Heaney is a Scottish football correspondent for Just Football and can also be found at his own blog Football Futbol Fitba.

Gregory Tade, Heart of Midlothian, John Sutton, Motherwell, Rory McAllister, Scottish Premier League, Shaun Hutchinson