This close season has been a bit of a damp squib. No disrespect to Graeme Smith, the only summer signing so far, but people don’t flock back to see a new reserve goalie. He seems like a worthwhile and certainly very necessary addition but he’s not one to set the heather on fire. Even last season we had a new pitch installed we were looking forward to seeing wing wizard Jim ‘Stepover’ Paterson in action!
Sunset at Stenhousemuir....
The friendlies are fairly dull as well. Southampton were relegated last season and whilst Everton have some appeal due to McFadden’s possible return, the thought of Premiership players strolling around Fir Park (even earlier in their build up than us) does not overly excite.
There is one good away trip. We have not made the journey down to
Taking on Queen’s Park on a public pitch is a long way from our last game – denying Celtic the title in the last three minutes of the league campaign.
Maybe it’s just me, maybe I’m getting more selective in my old age but this pre-season seems to be the worst in a long time. Looking forward to the new season is fun because it will fill this huge void on a Saturday afternoon but at the same time, it’s not that exciting.
At the minute it’s just looking like another season and in all likelihood it will be one where we fail to meet the expectations of last time. A third top six finish would be a miraculous achievement but other teams are strengthening whilst we are – at best - standing still and with several key players another year older, possibly going backwards.
So perhaps that’s the feeling this year – not one of boredom at the annoyance of a dull close season but one of apathy towards next season. We’re not going down, we’re not going to go any further up the league. The season will have some great moments, that’s certain, but they will be fleeting. And at the minute, they seem so far away.