Sky Sports have announced the shortlist for the Scottish Football Writers’ Young Player of the Year award with Rangers own Nathan Patterson lining up alongside Josh Doig, Lewis Ferguson and David Turnbull.
Patterson will no doubt be hampered by the “he’s not played enough games” brigade and although Doig should be rewarded for a fine season, Turnbull will probably get the nod – they have to give them something don’t they?
He might not win that award but what he has done is dominate Vital Rangers own poll for Young Player of the Year coming out on top with a staggering 64% of the vote ahead of Ianis Hagi with 31%, the Romanian international has had a successful first full season at Ibrox but his recent form might have affected the vote.
It’s been an eventful year for Patterson to say the least, promoted to the first-team squad with the departures of Jon Flanagan and Matt Polster meaning that he is now the undisputed deputy to James Tavernier at right-back, there has been plenty of debate about whether or not he should be going out on loan to progress but his impact when the skipper was out injured suggests that he is better off staying where he is.
Then there was the “Covid-5” gathering, a night in with team-mates, who live in the same block seemed harmless enough until someone reported them to the police, earning him a two-week club suspension and a four game SFA ban as well.
Vital Rangers Goal of the Season
Defoe v Livingston
Roofe v Standard Liege
Jack v Kilmarnock
Tavernier v Dundee United
The lengthen appeal process allowed him to get a run of games that he hadn’t been afforded to him until now, with assured displays in the Europa League and Old Firm derbies, he has more than done enough to suggest that he should be on the plane with Scotland to the European Championships in the summer but I won’t hold my breath.
Next season Steven Gerrard will know that he can trust Patterson to deputise so that Tavernier isn’t having to play the same volume of games, especially if we qualify for the group stages of the Champions League, the captain might have signed a new deal but there is no doubting where the future of the position lies, in the hands of Vital Rangers Young Player of the Year – Nathan Patterson.