Money, or the lack of it, has been the big talking point during the close season in Scotland – Setanta’s collapse means that SKY and ESPN have taken over the SPL TV contract, paying far less than the Irish broadcaster. Livingston meanwhile are simply trying to stay in business. After breaching insolvency rules, they have been demoted from the First Division to the Third.
Even Rangers are not immune. Despite being league champions, with a guaranteed place in the group stages of the Champions League, Rangers have made no new signings. They are reportedly waiting to find out whether Celtic join them in the group stages. If their great rivals do qualify, then Rangers’ share of the prize fund will effectively be halved, greatly impacting on their ability to compete in the transfer market. Despite their financial plight, the question is can Rangers afford not to add to their limited squad?
39 year old David Weir is still a regular starter at centre back and despite some sterling performances, defensive cover is a must.
Midfield is where Rangers look strongest. Much will be expected of Pedro Mendes, who, after a bright start to his Ibrox career, faded badly in the second half of last season. Steven Davis was the driving force in the title run in, and with Kevin Thompson returning from injury, former captain Barry Ferguson’s departure to Birmingham City will have little impact.
Up front, Kris Boyd will continue to divide opinion. Despite scoring 27 league goals last season, some fans, and possibly his manager, remain unconvinced. This can be attributed to Boyd’s poor strike rate against Celtic and in European competition, as well as accusations that he does not work as hard as he should.
Despite this, there is nobody better at making the breakthrough when teams visit Ibrox and put 10 men behind the ball. If Boyd were to pick up an injury, it’s difficult to see where the goals would come from.
Regardless of how Rangers fare, this season may be Walter Smith’s last as manager. His cautious approach is not overly popular and his assistant, Ally McCoist, is being groomed to take over, having already taken charge of the team during last season’s Scottish Cup.
Over at Celtic, it’s all change. Tony Mowbray has replaced Gordon Strachan and he has taken steps to reshape the side, with the promise of an attractive passing game. The experienced Paul Hartley and the often injured Jan Vennegoor of Hesselink have moved on. Danny Fox has come in at left back, which could mean the end of Lee Naylor’s Celtic career.
Other newcomers are Cameroon international Landry N’Guemo (midfield), and striker Marc-Antoine Fortune. All three have started brightly in pre-season and join a squad which, on paper, appears marginally stronger than their ‘Old Firm’ rivals. However, the same could have been said last season, when Celtic held a 7 point advantage in January, only for Rangers to overtake them in the last few weeks of the campaign.
If Rangers do spend before the transfer deadline, the advantage could swing back towards Ibrox.
The battle for third place should also be interesting. Hearts finished behind Celtic and Rangers last season, and should be in there again. Csaba Laszlo had an impressive first year at Tynecastle, so much so, that he has encountered little interference from club owner, Vladimir Romanov. While new Bosman signings have been made, Andrew Driver and Laryea Kingston will be the key men for the Edinburgh side.
Hearts’ main rivals for third place will be Dundee Utd. Craig Levein’s young side finished fifth in each of the last two seasons, and are capable of more. United have regularly taken points from the ‘Old Firm’ during Levein’s time in charge, and Tannadice is becoming as intimidating a venue as it was during the glory days of the 1980’s. United have added former English Premier League players Nicky Weaver and Danny Cadamarteri to their squad during the close season.
The appointment of John Hughes as Hibernian manager appears, on the surface, to be a perfect match. Hughes likes his teams to keep the ball on the floor, and Hibs have probably been the best footballing side in Scotland over the last 5-10 years. They should finish in the top half.
Aberdeen fans always have high expectations and with former star Mark McGhee leaving Motherwell to take over, they will be expecting to at least match last season’s fourth place. However, confidence will be low after a heavy Europa League qualifying defeat to Sigma Olomouc and McGhee will have limited funds to bring in new faces. Those fans happy to see Jimmy Calderwood leave may realise in time just how good a manager he was for The Dons.
McGhee’s former club could present the biggest threat to his new one finishing in the top half. Motherwell have lost key players including top scorer David Clarkson, and a number of signings have been made from the English lower leagues. How quickly these players settle in could determine whether Motherwell make the top six.
Of the five remaining sides, any could find themselves in a relegation battle. However, newly promoted St Johnstone, managed by the highly rated Derek McInnes, are good enough to stay up. Likewise, Hamilton Accies should be able to overcome the loss of young midfielder James McCarthy, who has moved to Wigan in the English Premier League.
Falkirk and St Mirren were close to the drop last season, with the Bairns escaping thanks to a final day win at Inverness, and both may struggle again. Kilmarnock may also find themselves at the wrong end of the table. Jim Jeffries has performed minor miracles over the years, but Killie could be in for a long hard season.
Last season, the title winners and the side being relegated were not confirmed until the final day. The same could happen this season, and while the standard of the SPL is not as high as other leagues in Europe, it certainly won’t be dull.
Written by William Heaney
