Scotland's top flight is passing more than ever — and going long less

Scotland's top flight is keeping the ball like never before.

Teams in the Scottish Premiership are averaging 886 passes per game this season. That is 58 more than last season and well up on the 795 recorded five years ago, according to BBC Sport.

The accuracy is up too. Passes are finding a teammate 81% of the time, compared with 73% in 2023-24. Long passes now make up just 13% of all passes. That is the lowest share of the past five years.

The numbers come from a BBC Scotland analysis of Opta data, run after every club had played seven league matches. Celtic were top of the table at that point, with 18 points from seven games. They also sit joint-top of the possession chart, with 61% of the ball.

They share that lead with Motherwell. Motherwell finished fourth last season and have kept their patient style under new manager Alfred Johansson. Falkirk, who finished sixth last season, are another smaller club who have helped push the league towards a shorter game.

The biggest shift belongs to Dundee United. Their average possession has risen from 42% last season to 50% this time. Their accurate passes per match have jumped from 219 to 320.

Manager Jim Goodwin says the change came from watching Jens Berthel Askou at Motherwell. Askou, the former Motherwell boss now in charge of Toulouse in France's Ligue 1, inspired Goodwin to rethink his approach after more than 15 years as a player and manager in Scotland.

Not everyone has followed the same path. Hearts and Rangers play long passes more than any other teams in the division. Both are still near the top. Rangers were second on 16 points and Hearts third on 13 points, according to the SPFL table.

Dundee, fourth at that stage, showed there are different ways to win. They beat Motherwell 2-1 on 19 September.

What makes this stand out is the sound of it. Less launching it. More stroking it around. For fans, this means more touches, more build-up, and more of those shared groans and cheers when a move clicks or breaks down.

Seven games is early. Styles may change when winter pitches heavy up and points grow precious. For now, Scotland is passing.