Scottish Professional Football League preview

Celtic squad 2012-13

A new season starts tonight in Scotland, and with a new season, a new name! The Scottish Premier League (SPL) and Scottish Football League (SFL) are no more.

During the summer break, the two league bodies finally merged as part of the ongoing reforms in the Scottish game. In their place, the Scottish Professional Football League (SPFL) was born.

They’ve changed the naming systems too. The SPFL have copied the English league naming system, so the Scottish Premier League is now the Scottish Premiership, Division One is the Championship, and so on.

Aye, let’s copy the same naming system laughed at by all of Europe. As if our game isn’t laughed at enough…

Anyway, to the Premiership preview. Below, you’ll find my thoughts on all 12 teams taking part this season and a guess at what the league table will be at the end of the season. Of course, it’ll be completely wrong, so take my advice at your peril.

ABERDEEN

Derek McInnes enters his first full season as Dons manager after taking over from Craig Brown in March. Interesting fact about Aberdeen: they’re one of only two teams never relegated from Scotland’s top division (the other being Celtic).

After last season’s disastrous finish, seeing them drop from second place in November to the bottom six by the New Year on their way to an eighth place finish, McInnes has been busy in the transfer market during the summer stamping his own mark on the Aberdeen squad, signing top SPL level players like Barry Robson, Willo Flood and Gregg Wylde, while bringing in Calvin Zola and goalkeeper Nicky Weaver from English football. Gavin Rae, Isaac Osbourne and Rory Fallon were all shown the exit door after their contracts expired.

Their biggest coup this summer however is keeping hold of 21 goal striker Niall McGinn. Simply put, when McGinn wasn’t scoring, Aberdeen weren’t winning. A lot of Aberdeen fans expected the Northern Ireland international to move down south during the summer, but it seems McGinn is happy as he is, signing a new contract until 2016 in May.

League Prediction: 2nd – I can’t see Aberdeen falling away like they did last season. With McGinn’s goals along with some fantastic experienced signings to compliment some very talented youngsters, I expect Derek McInnes to ensure European qualification for Aberdeen.

CELTIC

They won last season’s SPL at a canter, barely playing at 50% sometimes. Against the odds, Celtic also made it to the last 16 of the Champions League, beating Barcelona at home in the group stages and finally winning away from home against Spartak Moscow along the way before Juventus taught the Bhoys a lesson in the knockout stages.

Neil Lennon has been as active as ever in the transfer market, strengthening his squad with Dutchmen Virgil van Dijk and Derk Boerrigter, Amido Balde and Steven Mouyokolo. Gary Hooper and Victor Wanyama both moved to the English Premiership for big money, while Thomas Rogne, Andre Blackman and flop Daryl Murphy all left on free transfers.

League Prediction: 1st – Winners, and with ease. Could have the title tied up by early March if they put their mind to it.

DUNDEE UTD

The Arabs are the only Dundee team left in the top division, after neighbours Dundee were rock bottom of last year’s SPL, going down in the process.

Jackie McNamara is another manager starting his first full season at his club, after joining from first division Partick Thistle in January. He’s signed nine players so far, the majority of them from the Scottish lower leagues. Youngsters Andrew Robertson and Aidan Connolly move from Queen’s Park while Brian Graham joins from Raith Rovers. McNamara also raided his old club, signing Paul Paton and Chris Erskine from Partick. The biggest signings however is tricky winger Nadir Ciftci and former Arab David Goodwillie, who joins on loan from Blackburn Rovers. Both players will be part of a new look attack as Jon Daly and Johnny Russell have left the club for pastures new.

Barry Douglas and Willo Flood also leave Tannadice, as Flood moves to Aberdeen while Douglas took an unusual route and signed for Polish side Lech Poznan.

League Prediction: 5th – Utd finished 6th last season, and I don’t see anything from their new signings to suggest they’ll massively improve upon that. McNamara knows the team’s strength is in attack, and Utd are definitely a team who’ll win games 4-3 rather than 1-0. If Jackie can strengthen at the back before the transfer window closes, they could rise up the league.

Craig Beattie of Hearts

HEARTS

Oh dear. A poor 10th place finish last season as financial mismanagement finally took its toll on the Tynecastle side, although the only positive was a League Cup Final appearance against Paisley side St Mirren. Several players would be released or sold as the season progressed

After finally entering administration weeks ago, they start this season with -15 points, which should see them relegated before we even kick off. After all, in the last 10 seasons, only Gretna went down with a gap of more than 15 points, and that was because they went bust. John Sutton, Darren Barr and Fraser Mullen have left the club during the summer while Danny Wilson signed on a permanent deal from Liverpool after his loan spell, but the club will be playing youth more often than not, and are in for a long season.

League Prediction: 12th – Hearts are going down.

HIBS

The other Edinburgh side didn’t really fare much better last season, as Leigh Griffiths dragged the Hibees to 7th place and a Scottish Cup Final appearance, which took Hibs into the Europa League qualifiers, where they were embarrassed by Swedish side Malmo 9-0 on aggregate with a 7-0 thumping at home.

Pat Fenlon seems to have done some good business in the summer, signing Fraser Mullen, Owain Tudor-Jones and Rowan Vine from fellow SPL sides and bringing former Kilmarnock player Michael Nelson and Swindon striker James Collins up to Scotland. Losing Gary Deegan and David Wotherspoon though as well as Griffiths returning back to Wolves after his loan spell will hurt the side however, and I don’t see anything else in the current squad to suggest his 28 goal haul last season will not be missed.

League Prediction: 9th – Leigh Griffiths made a weak side look a lot better than it was last season, and they’ll really struggle without him.

INVERNESS CALEDONIAN THISTLE

Last season’s surprise package were expected to be in a relegation battle with Dundee. Instead, the Caley finished in an outstanding 4th place, only denied a European place on the last day of the season at Perth side St Johnstone.

Terry Butcher’s journeymen and youngsters looked poor on paper, but the form of Andrew Shinnie and Antonio Reguero alongside the 23 league goals of striker Billy McKay saw the side fly up the league. They were good value for it as well, as they outplayed most of the league and beat Celtic at Parkhead for the first time in the league in their history.

Reguero has left the club to move to Kilmarnock, when Owain Tudor-Jones has left for Hibs while Scotland international Shinnie will try his luck down south with BirminghamCity. Torbjørn Agdestein and Carl Tremarco have recently joined the club from English football, while seven players signed at the beginning of June. The biggest ‘name’ of these would be reality TV star and winger Ben Greenhalgh, who signed from Ebbsfleet Utd.

League Prediction: 6th – and only just. Caley finished as the best Highland team last team and I expect them to do so again, but I feel Scottish defences have worked out how to defend against McKay and he won’t score 20+ goals again. Also, Andy Shinnie really made the team tick and Reguero saved them a few times last season.

Kilmarnock players celebrate after beating Celtic 1-0 in the Scottish Communities League Cup Final between Celtic and Kilmarnock at Hampden Park on March 18, 2012 in Glasgow

KILMARNOCK

A 9th place finish completed a season to forget for Killie. Poor throughout the majority of the season, the outspoken Kenny Shiels had the team playing some good football, but not always with an end product. The signing of Kris Boyd seemed to unbalance the team and it took him a while to find his way, although he did come onto a run of form towards April.

Killie and Shiels parted ways during the summer, and Allan Johnson stepped into the hot seat from Second Division champions Queen of the South. He joins a club who are basically in dire financial peril but were still busy in the transfer window. Darren Barr joins from Hearts, while goalkeepers Reguero and St Mirren’s Craig Samson join the club. Perhaps their biggest signing however was keeping Kris Boyd on a new contract.

A big loss however was Scotland goalkeeper Cammy Bell moving to Rangers while striker Cillian Sheridan moves to Cyprus and APOEL Nicosia.

League Prediction: 8th – Killie have a lot of talented youngsters at the club, and a season of SPL experience will only help them push on this season. Johnston likes his teams to play a passing game that’s easy on the eye, similar to his predecessor. I don’t expect much from Kilmarnock but a season of consolidation.

MOTHERWELL

Runners-up last season and favourite to do so again, but expect the gap between them and Celtic to increase.

The FirPark side’s attack was glorious to watch at times last season, especially with the signing of club legend James McFadden in January. Defensively, they could be poor but relied heavily on goalkeeper Darren Randolph to save them some points on more than one occasion.

Motherwell are yet another side who have seen massive changes in personnel during the summer break. Stephen McManus, John Sutton and Iain Vigurs are probably the biggest signings, while Faroese goalkeeper Gunnar Nielsen will replace Randolph goals as he’s moved to Birmingham.

Stuart McCall has lost the 26 goal Michael Higdon to NEC in Holland, while Chris Humphrey has moved to Preston and Steven Saunders moves on to Dingwall, signing for Ross County.

League Prediction: 3rd – While the Steelmen will do well again this season, they’ll massively miss Higdon and Randolph more than they think. McCall has signed some good replacements and did well to sign McFadden to another contract for the season, but they won’t quite be the same team this season.Gunnar Nielsen will be hoping the Motherwell do a better job than his international side, letting in the first of six goals against Austria in March. Courtesy of Steindy

PARTICK THISTLE

The Jags return to the top flight for the first time since the 2003/04 season after waltzing to the Scottish First Division title last year.

Manager Alan Archibald has prepared for the long season by signing the likes of Mark Kerr, ex-Barcelona youth Simon Dominguez and Isaac Osbourne to strengthen their midfield, with the SPL experience of Hugh Murray sure to come in handy as the season progresses. Mexican Gabriel Rojo de la Vega Piccolo signs from Rayo Vallecano B to keep things tight at the back.

Paul Paton and Chris Erskine followed previous manager Jackie McNamara to Dundee Utd, while Steven Craig moves down south to sign for Wycombe Wanderers.

League Prediction: 11th – A season of survival and nothing else for Thistle.

ROSS COUNTY

The Dingwall side shocked the SPL with a 5th place finish in their first season in the Scottish top leagues. While most observers certainly expected the side to stay up, no one expected them to be involved in a European battle for the majority of the season! With a crisp attacking style of football, we’re looking for more of the same this season.

Manager Derek Adams has lost Iain Vigurs to Motherwell and nomadic midfielder Mark Forthingham is on his way down south for a spell with NottsCounty. Richard Brittain had agreed a pre-contract deal with St Johnstone, but will now stay in Dingwall after some wrangling saw his deal terminated for family reasons.

Apart from that, Adams has done extremely well to keep the majority of the squad together for the 2013/14 season. He’s built on last season’s success with the signings of defenders Brian McLean and Steven Saunders, while winger Graham Carey joins from St Mirren and Dutch striker Darren Maatsen joins from Excelsior. Derek also seems hopeful of completing a loan deal for Grasshopper Zurich striker Orhan Mustafi.

League Prediction: 7th – Teams will have a better idea of how to play against The Staggies this season, and I don’t see them in the top six again as a result. However, they won’t be involved in a relegation battle either, and will be comfortable ahead of the likes of Kilmarnock and St Mirren.

ST JOHNSTONE

The Saints are currently making waves in European football after a quiet run at the end of the season saw the Perth side finish in 3rd place. They just knocked out Norwegian giants Rosenborg in the last round of Europa League qualification.

New manager Tommy Wright has picked up where Steve Lomas left off, and has signed the likes of David Wotherspoon, Brian Easton and Rory Fallon for the season ahead, while the only real loss to the squad was Rowan Vine. Goalkeeper Alan Mannus will need to be in great form again to help the Perth side stay in the top six this season.

League Prediction: 4th – While I don’t see the Perth side flying quite as high this season, they’ll still do well this season. The teams around them seem to have strengthened well, which leads me to think St Johnstone will slide back a little bit.

ST MIRREN

The Buddies slumped to an 11th place finish last season when most observers really expected them to push on towards a top six place. Despite a beautiful passing game which would bamboozle defences, there weren’t enough goals in the team and if it hadn’t been for talisman Steven Thompson, there would have been a real relegation battle.

Danny Lennon has a struggle on his hands this season, as I previously discussed over at Scotzine. A staggering nine players left the club during the summer, ripping the heart out of the League Cup winning side. Gary Harkins joins from relegated Dundee to add an extra bit of class in midfield, while Danny Grainger will replace Paul Dummett at left back.

Goalkeepers David Cornell and Christopher Dilo replace Craig Samson and Grant Adam. Kealan Dillon joins from HullCity and Lennon is hoping to sign some youngsters on loan from Newcastle after the successes of Conor Newton and Dummett last season.

League Prediction: 10th – A season of consolidation ahead for the Paisley side as they rebuild after the League Cup victory and subsequent destruction of that squad.