Underlying numbers from the start of the Scottish Premiership season suggest a refreshed approach could be taking hold across the league. The success stories at Motherwell and Falkirk have clearly had an influence. Dundee United boss Jim Goodwin has said that Askou, now head coach at Toulouse in Ligue 1, inspired him to change his ways after more than 15 years as a player and manager in Scotland. Goodwin's side are one of a number of Premiership teams to have undergone a stylistic shift this term, reflected in the league's overall numbers, although the sample size remains small after just seven matches per club.
Passes per game have soared to 886, an increase of 58 on last term. Five years ago, the average was 795. Passing accuracy is also at a high of 81%, up from 73% in 2023-24. That is down to more short passing. The percentage of long passes across the league (13%) is now at its lowest level of the past five years. Perhaps surprisingly, Hearts and Rangers go long more than any other teams. Dundee United have gone from average possession of 42% last term to 50% this season, and their accurate passes per match have risen from 219 to 320. St Mirren under Craig Mc Leish and Kilmarnock under Neil Mc Cann show a similar story. League leaders Celtic and Motherwell, managed by Alfred Johansson, are level at the top of the possession chart on 61%.
The promotion of St Johnstone, replacing Livingston, adds another side who aim to play a more expansive style, and the recent appointment of Dutch head coach Marink Reedijk at Hibernian will only enhance that. Some argue that possession-based football can become stale, with fans preferring the ball moved quickly to forward players. Still, goals per game, at 2.5, are at their lowest since 2021-22, while shots per match (29) are higher than in any of the past five campaigns. Strikes from outside the box are threatening to drop to a new low, mirroring a pattern across the sport.
Supporters who lament the loss of individualism wonder how many long-range thunderbolts would be lost to the trend for passing. Yet many fans are happy to see players once seen only as hoofing aimless balls now punching passes through the lines. The Scottish game may be playing catch-up, but early 2026-27 data points towards a new wave of exciting football on the pitch.
Source: BBC Sport Football · Summarized by HeadlinesBriefing