| Season | 2012–13 |
|---|---|
| Dates | 4 August 2012 – 19 May 2013 |
| Champions | Celtic 8thPremier League title 44thScottish title |
| Relegated | Dundee |
| Champions League | Celtic |
| Europa League | Motherwell St Johnstone Hibernian |
| Matches | 228 |
| Goals | 623 (2.73 per match) |
| Top goalscorer | Michael Higdon (26 goals) |
| Biggest home win | Celtic 5–0Dundee (24 February 2013) |
| Biggest away win | St Mirren 0–5Celtic (20 October 2012) |
| Highest scoring | St Mirren 5–4Ross County (29 September 2012) |
| Longest winning run | 6 games[1] Celtic |
| Longest unbeaten run | 11 games[1] Ross County |
| Longest winless run | 14 games[1] Dundee |
| Longest losing run | 6 games[1] Dundee St Mirren |
| Highest attendance | 57,000[2] Celtic 4–0St Johnstone |
| Lowest attendance | 2,167[2] St Johnstone 3–1Aberdeen |
| Average attendance | 9,871 ( 3,990)[1] |
2013–14 → | |
The2012–13 Scottish Premier League was the fifteenth and final season of theScottish Premier League, the highest division ofScottish football, since its inception in 1998. The season began on 4 August 2012[3] and ended on 19 May 2013.[4]
Twelve teams contested the league.Ross County (champions) andDundee (runners-up) were promoted from the2011–12 First Division, replacingDunfermline (relegated) andRangers (entered administration and new entity formed). After the SPL clubs voted against the new Rangers replacing the old Rangers in the league,[5] the club were accepted into thefourth tier of Scottish football,[6] with Dundee taking their place in the SPL.[7]
On 21 April, Celtic retained their title after a 4–1 home win againstInverness Caledonian Thistle atCeltic Park.[8][9]
This was the final season of the Scottish Premier League before it was abolished in June 2013, when the SPL and SFL merged to form the newScottish Professional Football League,[10] with its top division being known as theScottish Premiership.
Dunfermline were relegated from the 2011–12 Scottish Premier League.Ross County, who won the2011–12 Scottish First Division, were promoted. The 2012–13 season marks the top-flight debut for the Highland team.[11]
After failing to exit administration by an agreed CVA,Rangers was replaced with the term "Club 12" when the fixture list was published on 18 June 2012.[12][13] The transfer of the club's membership share of the SPL to the new company that had bought Rangers was dependent on a vote by the remaining SPL clubs.[12] Eight clubs publicly declared that they would oppose the membership transfer, which would mean that they could not play in the SPL.[14] The vote took place on 4 July 2012, and Rangers were refused re-entry to the SPL by a 10-1 majority.[15][16]Dundee, who had finished second in the 2011–12 Scottish First Division, were invited to replace Rangers.[16][17]
| Team | Stadium | Capacity |
|---|---|---|
| Aberdeen F.C. | Pittodrie | 22,199 |
| Celtic F.C. | Celtic Park | 60,832 |
| Dundee United | Tannadice Park | 14,223 |
| Heart of Midlothian F.C. | Tynecastle Stadium | 17,420 |
| Hibernian F.C. | Easter Road | 20,241 |
| Inverness Caledonian Thistle | Caledonian Stadium | 7,800 |
| Kilmarnock F.C. | Rugby Park | 18,182 |
| Motherwell F.C. | Fir Park | 13,742 |
| Ross County F.C. | Victoria Park | 6,541 |
| St Johnstone F.C. | McDiarmid Park | 10,740 |
| St Mirren F.C. | St Mirren Park | 8,023 |
| Dundee F.C. | Dens Park | 11,500 |
Note: Flags indicate national team as has been defined underFIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.
| Team | Manager | Captain | Kit manufacturer | Shirt sponsor |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Aberdeen | Derek McInnes | Russell Anderson | Adidas | Team Recruitment |
| Celtic | Neil Lennon | Scott Brown | Nike | Tennents |
| Dundee | John Brown | Stephen O'Donnell | Puma | Kilmac Energy |
| Dundee United | Jackie McNamara | Jon Daly | Nike | Calor |
| Heart of Midlothian | Gary Locke | Marius Žaliūkas | Adidas | Wonga.com |
| Hibernian | Pat Fenlon | James McPake | Puma | Crabbie's |
| Inverness Caledonian Thistle | Terry Butcher | Richie Foran | Erreà | Orion Group |
| Kilmarnock | Kenny Shiels | Manuel Pascali | Killie 1869 | QTS |
| Motherwell | Stuart McCall | Keith Lasley | Puma | Cash Converters |
| Ross County | Derek Adams | Richard Brittain | Diadora | Stanley CRC Evans Offshore |
| St Johnstone | Steve Lomas | Dave Mackay | Joma | GS Brown Construction |
| St Mirren | Danny Lennon | Jim Goodwin | Diadora | Diadora |
| Team | Outgoing manager | Manner of departure | Date of vacancy | Position in table | Incoming manager | Date of appointment |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Heart of Midlothian | Paulo Sérgio | End of contract[18] | 7 June 2012 | Pre-season | John McGlynn[19] | 26 June 2012 |
| Dundee United | Peter Houston | Mutual consent[20] | 28 January 2013 | 7th | Jackie McNamara[21] | 30 January 2013 |
| Dundee | Barry Smith | Mutual consent[22] | 20 February 2013 | 12th | John Brown[23] | 23 February 2013 |
| Heart of Midlothian | John McGlynn | Contract terminated[24] | 28 February 2013 | 11th | Gary Locke[24] | 28 February 2013 |
| Aberdeen | Craig Brown | Retired[25] | 14 March 2013 | 9th | Derek McInnes[26] | 25 March 2013 |
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification or relegation |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Celtic(C) | 38 | 24 | 7 | 7 | 92 | 35 | +57 | 79 | Qualification for theChampions League second qualifying round |
| 2 | Motherwell | 38 | 18 | 9 | 11 | 67 | 51 | +16 | 63 | Qualification for theEuropa League third qualifying round |
| 3 | St Johnstone | 38 | 14 | 14 | 10 | 45 | 44 | +1 | 56 | Qualification for theEuropa League second qualifying round |
| 4 | Inverness Caledonian Thistle | 38 | 13 | 15 | 10 | 64 | 60 | +4 | 54 | |
| 5 | Ross County | 38 | 13 | 14 | 11 | 47 | 48 | −1 | 53 | |
| 6 | Dundee United | 38 | 11 | 14 | 13 | 51 | 62 | −11 | 47[a] | |
| 7 | Hibernian | 38 | 13 | 12 | 13 | 49 | 52 | −3 | 51[a] | Qualification for theEuropa League second qualifying round[b] |
| 8 | Aberdeen | 38 | 11 | 15 | 12 | 41 | 43 | −2 | 48[a] | |
| 9 | Kilmarnock | 38 | 11 | 12 | 15 | 52 | 53 | −1 | 45 | |
| 10 | Heart of Midlothian | 38 | 11 | 11 | 16 | 40 | 49 | −9 | 44 | |
| 11 | St Mirren | 38 | 9 | 14 | 15 | 47 | 60 | −13 | 41 | |
| 12 | Dundee(R) | 38 | 7 | 9 | 22 | 28 | 66 | −38 | 30 | Relegation to theChampionship |
Teams play each other twice, once at home, once away
| Home \ Away | ABE | CEL | DND | DUN | HOM | HIB | INV | KIL | MOT | ROS | STJ | STM |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Aberdeen | 0–2 | 2–0 | 2–2 | 0–0 | 2–1 | 2–3 | 0–2 | 3–3 | 0–0 | 2–0 | 0–0 | |
| Celtic | 1–0 | 2–0 | 4–0 | 1–0 | 2–2 | 0–1 | 0–2 | 1–0 | 4–0 | 1–1 | 2–0 | |
| Dundee | 1–3 | 0–2 | 0–3 | 1–0 | 3–1 | 1–4 | 0–0 | 1–2 | 0–1 | 1–3 | 0–2 | |
| Dundee United | 1–1 | 2–2 | 3–0 | 0–3 | 3–0 | 4–4 | 3–3 | 1–2 | 0–0 | 1–1 | 3–4 | |
| Heart of Midlothian | 2–0 | 0–4 | 0–1 | 2–1 | 0–0 | 2–2 | 1–3 | 1–0 | 2–2 | 2–0 | 1–0 | |
| Hibernian | 0–1 | 1–0 | 3–0 | 2–1 | 1–1 | 2–2 | 2–1 | 2–3 | 0–1 | 2–0 | 2–1 | |
| Inverness Caledonian Thistle | 1–1 | 2–4 | 4–1 | 4–0 | 1–1 | 3–0 | 1–1 | 1–5 | 3–1 | 1–1 | 2–2 | |
| Kilmarnock | 1–3 | 1–3 | 0–0 | 3–1 | 1–0 | 1–1 | 1–2 | 1–2 | 3–0 | 1–2 | 3–1 | |
| Motherwell | 4–1 | 0–2 | 1–1 | 0–1 | 0–0 | 0–4 | 4–1 | 2–2 | 3–2 | 1–1 | 1–1 | |
| Ross County | 2–1 | 1–1 | 1–1 | 1–2 | 2–2 | 3–2 | 0–0 | 0–0 | 0–0 | 1–2 | 0–0 | |
| St Johnstone | 1–2 | 2–1 | 1–0 | 0–0 | 2–2 | 0–1 | 0–0 | 2–1 | 1–3 | 1–1 | 2–1 | |
| St Mirren | 1–4 | 0–5 | 3–1 | 0–1 | 2–0 | 1–2 | 2–2 | 1–1 | 2–1 | 5–4 | 1–1 |
Teams play every other team once (either at home or away)
| Home \ Away | ABE | CEL | DND | DUN | HOM | HIB | INV | KIL | MOT | ROS | STJ | STM |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Aberdeen | 1–0 | 2–0 | 0–0 | 0–0 | 0–1 | 0–0 | ||||||
| Celtic | 4–3 | 5–0 | 6–2 | 4–1 | 3–0 | 4–1 | ||||||
| Dundee | 1–1 | 0–3 | 0–2 | 2–2 | 2–1 | |||||||
| Dundee United | 1–0 | 1–1 | 3–1 | 2–2 | 1–1 | |||||||
| Heart of Midlothian | 1–0 | 2–3 | 0–3 | 1–2 | 4–2 | 2–0 | ||||||
| Hibernian | 1–1 | 0–0 | 1–2 | 2–2 | 1–3 | |||||||
| Inverness Caledonian Thistle | 3–0 | 1–3 | 0–0 | 1–1 | 2–1 | 0–0 | ||||||
| Kilmarnock | 1–1 | 1–2 | 2–3 | 2–0 | 1–1 | |||||||
| Motherwell | 2–1 | 0–1 | 4–1 | 3–0 | 3–2 | 2–2 | ||||||
| Ross County | 3–2 | 1–0 | 0–1 | 3–0 | 1–0 | |||||||
| St Johnstone | 3–1 | 1–1 | 1–1 | 2–0 | 1–0 | |||||||
| St Mirren | 1–1 | 0–0 | 2–0 | 0–1 | 2–1 | 1–4 |
After 33 matches, the league splits into two sections of six teams each, with teams playing every other team in their section once (either at home or away). The exact matches are determined upon the league table at the time of the split.
Top six[edit]
Source:BBC Sport Legend: Blue = home team win; Yellow = draw; Red = away team win. | Bottom six[edit]
|
Top scorers[edit]
| Assists[edit]
|
| Player | For | Against | Result | Date |
|---|---|---|---|---|
 Michael Higdon | Motherwell | Inverness CT | 4–1[29] | 1 September 2012 |
 Cillian Sheridan | Kilmarnock | Heart of Midlothian | 3–1[30] | 29 September 2012 |
 Billy McKay | Inverness CT | Dundee United | 4–4[31] | 15 December 2012 |
| Niall McGinn | Aberdeen | Dundee | 3–1[32] | 15 December 2012 |
 Johnny Russell | Dundee United | Kilmarnock | 3–2[33] | 19 January 2013 |
| Michael Higdon | Motherwell | St Johnstone | 3–2[34] | 20 January 2013 |
| Paul Heffernan | Kilmarnock | Heart of Midlothian | 3–0[35] | 16 February 2013 |
| Billy McKay | Inverness CT | Motherwell | 4–3[36] | 4 May 2013 |
| Month | Manager | Player | Young Player |
|---|---|---|---|
| August | Derek Adams (Ross County)[39] | Leigh Griffiths (Hibernian)[40] | Tony Watt (Celtic)[41] |
| September | Steve Lomas (St Johnstone)[42] | Michael Higdon (Motherwell)[43] | Ryan Fraser (Aberdeen)[44] |
| October | Craig Brown (Aberdeen)[45] | Niall McGinn (Aberdeen)[45] | Ryan Fraser (Aberdeen)[45] |
| November | Terry Butcher (Inverness CT)[46] | Billy McKay (Inverness CT)[46] | Aaron Doran (Inverness CT)[46] |
| December | Neil Lennon (Celtic)[47] | Jamie Murphy (Motherwell)[48] | Joe Shaughnessy (Aberdeen)[49] |
| January | Derek Adams (Ross County)[50] | Gary Hooper (Celtic)[51] |  Adam Matthews (Celtic)[52] |
| February | Derek Adams (Ross County)[53] | Leigh Griffiths (Hibernian)[54] | Stuart Armstrong (Dundee United) |
| March | Stuart McCall (Motherwell)[55] | Nicky Law (Motherwell)[56] | Josh Meekings (Inverness CT)[57] |
| April | John Brown (Dundee)[58] | Michael Higdon (Motherwell)[59] |  Henrik Ojamaa (Motherwell)[60] |
