Want the latest Scottish sport news sent straight to your inbox? Join thousands of others who have signed up to our Record Sport newsletter. Subscribe Thank you for subscribing We have more newsletters Show me See our privacy notice Invalid Email

ALEX NEIL started his year celebrating a win at St Johnstone’s McDiarmid Park.

In the middle of 2015, he was taking the acclaim at a packed Wembley Stadium.

And by the time the calendar was ready to come off the wall and get replaced by a 2016 version, Neil was sampling that winning feeling at Old Trafford.

If the Lanarkshire lad’s achievements at Hamilton were out of the ordinary, he has somehow managed to upstage even his own incredible highs over the past 12 months.

Scottish football has to take a long and lingering look these days when trying to find success stories.

On the international front, Scotland missed out on Euro 2016 when it seemed harder to fail than to qualify due to the expanded tournament.

In Europe, our teams did nothing. Again. Celtic’s desperate attempts in the Champions League and Europa League were a major letdown, although at least they played group-stage football.

The rest were out before the weans went back to school.

Neil, however, shines like a beacon for this little country with a proud football heritage and nothing to shout about nowadays.

There were more than a few eyebrows raised when Norwich made the call for Neil.

When Tony Andreu scored the winner in Perth to move Hamilton level on points with Celtic in the table and four points behind leaders Aberdeen, the 33-year-old could not have envisaged what would happen in the immediate aftermath of the match.

(Image: PA Wire)

Taking Accies into the top flight in the summer of 2014 was impressive and so was having them punch above their weight. But no one could seriously have suggested they automatically marked him down for a job in one of the top divisions in England.

Not that he was going to be staying in the second tier for long.

Neil took over at Norwich when they were sliding down the English Championship. The dream of going to the promised land was disappearing fast yet he grabbed the club by the scruff of the neck and what followed was fairytale stuff.

Having given his players their say, a heavy loss to Bournemouth was the moment when he said: “Right we’ve done it your way, now you’ll be doing it mine.”

By the time May arrived Norwich had just missed out on automatic promotion.

Yet perhaps it was scripted to be that way because that gave him the opportunity to do it in more dramatic and memorable circumstances.

It was a privilege to be at Wembley as Neil achieved promotion in style.

At Hamilton he was feted for the aggressive, attacking football and passing game. To see the way he transferred those ethics beautifully to Norwich at the home of English football was a joy.

Middlesbrough had possibly been the better team over the course of the season but they were simply blown away.

Norwich’s first-half display screamed Neil as they dragged and destroyed Boro.

The celebrations afterwards were simply incredible.

Suddenly, after all those days of Bill Shankly, Sir Matt Busby, Sir Alex Ferguson, Kenny Dalglish and George Graham ruling English football, he stood alone as the only Scot in a manager’s job at the highest level in England.

That achievement alone was something to cherish but Neil hasn’t stopped there.

This year was his story and he was not about to slink into the background with a job half done.

Yes it’s been hard going to Norwich since they went up to the top flight. That always going to be the case.

Millions were not going to be tossed around by the Carrow Road outfit and Neil has had to make it work with a lot of the players who served him well in the Championship.

But Neil has mixed it with the best and he’s not backing down.

There was the fascinating tactical battle at Anfield where he earned a 1-1 draw with Liverpool.

Surely the win at Old Trafford was the pinnacle so far though.

poll loading Is Alex Neil a future Scotland boss? 0+ VOTES SO FAR YES NO

The spotlight was on Louis van Gaal’s failings when the Canaries won at Man United six days before Christmas.

With Chelsea fans also staging their Jose Mourinho love-in and slaughtering their own players on the same day, Neil’s achievement was somewhat buried.

In a way, the boy from Bellshill would have preferred that.

He likes to get on with things quietly but he doesn’t mess around.

Neil put the locals in their place when they asked the obvious questions about coming from a tiny club like Hamilton.

His most famous comment since joining surely came as he built up for a game against Man City.

England’s media descended on him, with one guy asking if he had sampled some of club chief Deila Smith’s cooking.

Sharp as a tack, Neil retorted: “Do you think anyone has asked Louis van Gaal if he has been around to the Glazers for dinner?”

That’s Neil. He’s polite and charming but also ruthless and won’t suffer

fools gladly.

At a time when Scottish football is going through the mill and enduring another year to forget, he’s been a shining light.

And Neil’s star is showing no signs of dimming. He has been Scottish football’s No.1 success story of 2015.