Thursday 26 May 2011

SPL Preview 2011/2012

Darren McCann
SPL 2011/2012 campaign preview
Hello there and welcome to my first entry to the website.
In todays blog I will give a view of how I see the SPL campaign going in terms of each team.
First of all I will begin with Aberdeen
Aberdeen – They are a funny team who will turn up one week but then implode the following week.  They have the experienced management team of Craig Brown and Archie Knox who helped steady the ship following Mark Mcghees disasterous spell at the dons.  They have just let a number of first team players go and will need to bring in quality to replace players such as Zander Diamond and influential captain Paul Hartley.  I feel they will struggle a bit next season due to new players having to bed in to the team.  I predict they will finish around 8th in the league next season.
Celtic – Celtic have had a reasonably good season and a half under Neil Lennon. However Celtic need to get the winning mentality having been in pole position to win the league with 5 games to go in the season and losing the league.  A lot of new players entered the team and the likes of Izaguirre, Kayal and Hooper being instant successes.  So much so that there is already heavy speculation linking these players away from big money moves.   If celtic are to be successful next season an experienced goalkeeper is heavily needed and Shay Given seems to be keen on a move which would be an excellent move for a player of givens quality.  If they can add a goalkeeper and keep players like kayal, izaguirre and hooper they will be right up there again.  The one player who has not been mentioned who I feel may be the difference between 1st and 2nd next season for Celtic is Kris Commons.  Commons hit an amazing 28 goals from midfield for derby, Scotland and celtic and as this will be his first full season for celtic i feel he could well be the difference between the old firm.  Prediction – I think Celtic will stop 4 in a row for Rangers and win the league.
Dundee United – Dundee United had a reasonably successful season having qualified for the Europa league again in 4th position.  However massive players such as Craig Conway, Morgaro Gomis and Prince Buaben are definetly leaving and David Goodwillie is being linked with a move away from the club as well.  This could have a massive effect on the squad next season and I feel that Dundee United may struggle a bit next season and may just get into the top 6 due to having a fairly decent squad.  Prediction – hinges on Goodwillie staying but I predict a 6th place finish for the arabs.
Dunfermline – the pars are back in the SPL after a couple of years absence and were sorely missed with the likes of Hamilton not coming anywhere near the type of crowds you get at East End park.    Dunfermline have a decent squad of players and with a few additions should stay safely in the SPL.  The one concern I have is the fact that Jim Mcintyre is a fairly inexperienced manager and who may struggle but that remains to be seen. My prediction for the pars is to finish in 9th position quite comfortably and to make their presence in the SPL welcomed again.
Hearts – For the first half of the season last year Hearts were being talked up as genuine title contenders but fell away after successive midweek defeats to the old firm.  They have a decent squad with young talents such as David Templeton coming through.  I think Hearts will have a good season next season with Andrew Driver fully recovered from a serious injury now and already bringing players such as John Sutton, Jamie Hamill and Danny Grainger going to be good additions to their squad.  I think they may cut the gap on the old firm a bit more but will still fall short of a title challenge.  I predict they will finish 3rd again by quite a distance from 4th place.
Hibernian – Hibs have had a strange season with Colin Calderwood taking over from John Hughes half way through the season and they were at one point considered for relegation but finished a distance away.  Calderwood is making wholesale changes to the team and it will be interesting to see how they get on but Hibs are a decent team and will have a better season than last.  My prediction will be that they will finish in 5th place.
Inverness Caledonian Thistle – Inverness narrowly missed out on the top 6 last season and had a fantastic season being that it was their first season back in the SPL.  They have a good squad and a good manager in Terry Butcher and I see no problem with them staying in the league again.  However if they lose top scorer Adam Rooney they may struggle a bit but this remains to be seen.  I predict that this season they will storm the top 6 and finish in 4th position
Kilmarnock – Kilmarnock had a good season last year and finished in the top 6.  This was mainly attributed to the likes of Alexei Eremenko and Connor Sammon who have both left the club and they have also lost Jamie Hamill as well which are all major blows.  However the biggest blow to the team was losing their manager Mixu Paataleinen to the Finland national team 3 quarters of the way through the season.  Interim manager Kenny Shiels really struggled and it will be a big shock if he gets the job permanently.  I feel killie will struggle very much next season and have a feeling they will be involved in a relegation scrap.  I predict they will go down next season and finish in 12th position.
Motherwell –Scottish cup finalists and top 6 finish was a brilliant season for the well last year.  They have lost top scorer John Sutton but have a decent team.  They also have a good young manager in Stuart Mccoll and I feel they may not reach the heights of last season but may enjoy decent cup runs.  I reckon that Motherwell will finish in the bottom 6 in round about 7th position.
Rangers – 3 in a row SPL champions rangers won the league on the last day last year to seal a dream double for longtime legendary manager Walter Smith to bow out on.  He has passed on the reigns to long time assistant and club legend Ally McCoist.  Rangers should keep the majority of their squad but questions remain over the future of defender madjid bougherra and goalkeeper allan mcgregor.  I reckon rangers will again be close with Celtic all the way throughout the season but I reckon Celtic will pip them purely down to it being McCoists first season and it will be a learning experience for him as this season was for Neil Lennon.
St Johnstone – The perth side had a decent season finishing in mid table.  The problem they have is that they have no out and out goalscorer in their team and this has to be a priority for manager Derek McCinnes in the summer.  I reckon they will again be bottom 6 but should have enough experience to avoid relegation and I predict a similar season to the one they have just had.  My prediction is that St Johnstone will finish in 10th place.
St Mirren – The Paisley side were almost pulled into a relegation battle with relegated side Hamilton towards the end of last season but escaped with a game to spare.  I feel they will be involved once more in  a relegation battle but will use experience to stay up like they have done in previous years.  I cannot see any difference in their position either and predict another 11th place finish.



Final Table prediction
Celtic
Rangers
Hearts
Inverness
Hibernian
Dundee United
Motherwell
Aberdeen
Dunfermline
St Johnstone
St Mirren
Kilmarnock