Season Preview 2003/4

Here’s a quick look at who we’ll be up against this season.

Rangers – the won the treble last year with one of the worst sides I can remember coming out of Ibrox. They are in deep financial trouble and have lost several high earners but have also brought in a few replacements. They’ll hammer us at Ibrox, but we have two cracks at them at Fir Park this year and we should pick up something on at least one occasion. The Ginger Judas is due for a big crash – a reversal in fortunes will see him pick up no pots.

Celtic – last March, they were in contention to win four trophies. They finished with the same as us. Laugh? I nearly bought a round. Another year older for everyone in their squad and with no incoming transfers, a good start will be essential for them to stop the fans getting restless. Cup winning Captain Tom Boyd has retired leaving Lambert as the only ex-Dosser on their books. Martin O’Neill will bounce back, picking up two out of three cups, although Euro success will evade them again.

Hearts – the Jambos are even smugger than usual. They were the third best team by a street last season although their small squad left them open to some freak results (I wonder what one springs to mind!). They did not lose anyone significant over the summer and brought in some more depth. Unless the curse of third strikes again, it is hard to see anyone challenging them for Europe. Craig Levein is a moaning git but grudgingly I have to admit to liking him as a manager. He may even guide the Gorgie Boys to within fifteen points of second this season.

Kilmarnock – possibly the dullest side in the history of football. However, they are supremely well organised and have no obvious weakness so another top six finish should be a safe bet. They looked hideously bad every time we played them last year but found consistency other mid-table sides lacked in other games. It will be interesting to see how they cope without the previous star Andy McLaren but Danny Invincible will be a hit in the headlines even if not on the park. We only have one definite visit to Rugby Park this year – a shame, since we have a great record there and it’s a good away day.

Dunfermline – enjoyed an excellent start last season but really struggled after Christmas. If there’s one team which looks set to plummet down the league this year, it could be the Pars. Jimmy Calderwood has done an excellent job in making the Pars a top six side but he probably cannot take them any further. Brewster is another year older and an injury, or even a loss of form, to Stevie Crawford could condemn the East End Parkers to a very long season indeed.

Dundee – enjoyed another top six finish and their first cup final in goodness knows how long season. This year will be make or break for their current squad. Can they consolidate their position and take the next steps up or were they just another average side who had a lucky year? They can certainly play good football at times but the ability to grind out points when the going gets tough might prevent them from progressing further. They’ll fancy their chances of an opening day win at Fir Park though.

Hibs – possibly the hardest side to predict this year. Bobby Williamson had a great record at Kilmarnock but has struggled to adapt to the higher expectations of a bigger club. Hibs were diabolical in our last visit to Easter Road but Dobbie and Murdock will help whilst the signing of Steven Glass may prove to be a masterstroke. They lost to Hearts in the Festival Cup last week and a poor start to the season, coupled with yet another derby defeat might have Bobby heading for the job centre. Worryingly, we have two visits to Easter Road this season – so that’s six points down the pan at that graveyard.

Aberdeen – relegation contenders till February last season before really picking up the pace. They had a very good record in the bottom six last year and the team seem to have united behind Stevie Paterson. They’ve made various signings over summer but their season might hinge on whether local boy returned Scott Booth can help their woeful strike force. The Dons might not make the top six but it would be surprising if they were in any danger of dropping a division.

Livingston – a team whose season could be decided by the first two games. A new Brazilian manager is a definite gamble and having struggled last season, the Franchise is one of the favourites to be in the relegation battle. However, six points from the opening games against Thistle and ourselves will set them up nicely while a pair of defeats would be an early disaster. They managed to pip us to sign John Paul McGovern from Celtic and while they will be down at the bottom, it would be surprising if they finished below both Thistle and ourselves.

Partick Thistle - quite a hard team to talk about given their transfer activity over the summer. They lost Archibald, Paterson, Burns and Craigan from their first team and brought in a number of untested replacements. Stuart Taylor should be an excellent signing but at the other end of the scale they also brought in Eddie Forrest?! A lot will depend on how they react to the loss of John Lambie. Gerry Collins was allegedly the reason why some people were eager to leave in the summer and a poor start will leave the Jags facing an uphill struggle.

Dundee United – if Dunfermline come sliding down the league, the Tannadice side have the potential to be their replacement in the top six. Ian McCall has not had a managerial failure yet and United seem to be one of the few sides who are still taking financial risks. Kerr, Robson and Samuel were amongst the top players in the First Division last season while Archibald and Paterson will keep them tight at the back. If this side clicks, they could make an impression. Even if they don’t, they still have enough individual talent to keep clear of the relegation skirmish.

So, that’s the opposition, how are we set to fair this season? Well, it all comes down to conjecture on how much we’ll have learned from last season. At the time of writing, we have lost no significant players and the squad has been strengthened. Craigan is a definite improvement on Vaughan and the addition of 17 goal Toastie could be enough to catapult us up the table. However, if we fail to play passing football and continually thump long balls to nobody, we shall struggle. The defence, while being better, is by no means rock solid. Our first choice ‘keeper is a 39 year old who wears the biggest leg strapping ever seen. The potential for disaster is high. Our opening could have been much worse. Home games with Dundee, Thistle and Killie along with a trip to Livingston will set the tone for our season. Eight points would be very acceptable, ten highly satisfactory but to be honest, less than six and we’ll probably be looking out the maps to Dingwall this time next year.

FPC Predicts:

1. Celtic
2. Rangers
3. Hearts
4. Dundee United
5. Kilmarnock
6. Hibs
7. Dundee
8. Aberdeen
9. Dunfermline
10. MOTHERWELL
11. Livingston
12. Partick Thistle

Scottish Cup: Celtic League Cup: Aberdeen

Do you want to see how bad the FPC Prediction was last year?