Aberdeen
The Dons are about to enter their second season with Mark McGhee at the helm. His long-term ambition of taking charge at Parkhead suffered a severe dent with Aberdeen’s poor showing last season. The whining and moaning at the lack of finance and promises of new and exciting times soon to arrive are all too familiar to Motherwell fans and many of the Pittodrie faithful are anxious as to future prospects.
Celtic
Neil Lennon had his photo call following his appointment a fortnight ago and said, “I want that passion and noise from the crowd and I want my players to go to war every time they go out on the pitch”. There was a time when Celtic were admired for their ability to play an entertaining passing game. With those comments it seems that a full scale assault on the opposition will be the style adopted by his team. Alan Thompson has been drafted in from his job in charge of Newcastle reserves and he echoed that the thinking. Inexperience abounds at Parkhead.
Dundee Utd
Peter Houston’s temporary appointment was made permanent a month ago. Their success in the Scottish Cup surely removed any doubt that he would get the job. He stepped up following Levein’s promotion to Hampden last December and they finished in third place in the league. If he can keep their squad together they may do well this season.
Hamilton
Billy Reid has been in charge of the Accies since 2005, a long time by SPL standards. His fine achievement in winning promotion to the SPL has been eclipsed by keeping them in the top flight. He has demonstrated an ability to alter the squad’s style as necessary and seems able to produce a team that performs above the level of the individuals within it. Can they keep him for another season or will he be tempted by a better offer?
Hearts
Jim Jeffries returned to his spiritual home at the end of January. His 500+ games in maroon and his earlier five-year spell in charge mean that he is more than familiar with Tynecastle. The difference this time round is that he has to work under a remote foreign owner. What effect that will have on JJ’s stuffy tactics remains to be seen.
Hibernian
John Hughes left Falkirk to take charge of Hibs last summer. His “dream job” led to an impressive start. Hibs were riding high in the table in first half of the season and they attracted much praise for their style. Some even suggested that they might be capable of splitting the Old Firm. They stumbled badly in the second half of the season and eventually finished a point ahead of us.
Inverness CT
Butcher and Malpas are well known to Motherwell fans. There remains a deal of goodwill to them for the excellent service they gave to the club when we were in interim administration. The enthusiasm that Terry will bring back to the SPL will be welcome but he will surely struggle with the current ICT squad.
Kilmarnock
The latest arrival to the roll call of SPL managers is Mixu Paatelainen. After a year out of the game he has signed a two year deal at Rugby Park. His players will return for pre-season training in a few weeks and he’ll have a busy time building a squad before the season starts on 14 August. Money will be tight and he’ll have to perform wonders if Killie are to compete for a top six finish.
Motherwell
Craig Brown’s stop gap appointment has blossomed into something more permanent and we look forward to the new campaign with some stability. With Archie Knox at his side, the pair offer unrivalled experience and they have earned the full support of the fans for the turnaround in fortunes that followed their arrival at the turn of the year.
Rangers
It looks like Walter Smith is going to have one more year to tutor his chosen successor for the Ibrox hot seat. He has received much praise for leading what is generally accepted to be the poorest Rangers team for many years to the title last season. Perhaps that is a comment on the standard of the rest of the SPL.
St Johnstone
Derek McInness has been in charge of the Perth team since November 2007 and saw them promoted in May 2009. They beat the odds last season by some way and finished in 8th place, an excellent performance. He manages to deliver an efficient team from a squad short on big names and similar season will encourage others to make him an offer he can’t refuse.
St Mirren
The Buddies sacked Gus McPherson at the end of last season and it is easy to see why. Though they were not relegated, they have been in a battle every year since they were promoted with the exception of 2008 – when Gretna gave everyone a freebie. Danny Lennon has done well in the lower leagues but he will have to adapt quickly to top flight football. With a small budget to work with, it would not be a surprise if he struggles.