Celtic double makes Manager of the Year decision impossible to ignore

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Derek McInnes deserved huge credit for Hearts’ season. Nobody can seriously argue otherwise. Taking Hearts to within touching distance of the title and securing Champions League qualification was an outstanding achievement.

But the Manager of the Year awards still feel difficult to justify when Martin O’Neill ended Celtic’s season with a domestic double.

If winning a double no longer outweighs finishing second without silverware, then the criteria has clearly changed.

• READ MORE: Martin O’Neill tells Celtic fans the crushing truth about Jota’s injury

Should Martin O’Neill have been nominated for the PFA Scotland manager of the year?

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McInnes absolutely earned recognition despite Celtic’s success

Hearts finishing second with 80 points, just two behind Celtic, was not remotely expected at the beginning of the campaign. McInnes built a side capable of pushing Celtic all the way into the closing weeks of the title race.

That deserves enormous praise. It also explains why he swept the major managerial awards across Scottish football.

The issue is not McInnes winning one award. The issue is him winning all of them while O’Neill delivered a domestic double.

Celtic won the league and Scottish Cup under massive pressure and expectation. That is still the hardest thing to achieve in Scottish football, regardless of budget arguments.

The club also secured its 22nd domestic double, which makes the complete lack of recognition even more surprising.

Manager of the Year loses credibility after Celtic double

Scottish football has always valued overachievement. That is fair. A manager massively outperforming expectations should always be in the conversation.

But historically, double-winning Celtic managers were usually seen as the benchmark for these awards. This season, it felt like trophies became secondary to narrative.

That is where the debate starts. O’Neill also took Celtic to another cup final, which only strengthens the argument that his season deserved greater recognition.

McInnes had an excellent season and deserved recognition for it. Nothing about that should be dismissed.

But sweeping every major award over a manager who won two trophies inevitably damages the credibility of the process. Awards only really matter when the standards behind them feel consistent from one season to the next.