Issue 3-1

SCOTZINE

The Scottish Football Magazine www.scotzine.com

£1.00

Vol.3 Issue 1 Jul/Aug 2011

Season Preview From the SPL to Division Three | Club by Club | Juniors | Scotland

Kenny Burns • De Toekomst • Takis Fyssas • Top Talent • Highland League

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The Dugout

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Kenny Burns

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Takis Fyssas

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Season Preview

The new issue is previewed Sean Graham interviews Nottingham Forest and Scotland legend Kenny Burns

Contents

Joel Sked profiles former Jambo and Greek God Takis Fyssas We preview all the clubs in the SPL and the SFL ahead of the new season

51 Highland League

Kevin McKenzie previews the Highland Football League and gives his predictions on who the winners and losers will be

52 Junior Football

Martin Young and Stephen Kennedy preview the new Junior season - West, East and North regions

55 Scotland

Craig Fowler previews the Scotland National side as he looks towards the friendly with Denmark and the EURO 2012 qualifiers

Takis Fyssas Page 7

56 Emerging Talent

Neil Murray takes a look at a number of young footballers who are tipped for great things this season

58 De Toekomst

Sean Graham interviews Ajax Assistant Head of Youth Edmond Claus as we get an insight into the Ajax Academy

60 A New Dawn?

Andy Muirhead takes a look back at last year’s events off the field and hopes that the new season will be all about the football rather than the scandals and controversies

“The youth teams are trained in exactly the same way as the first team then these boys are therefore already accustomed to Ajax’s style of play.”

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The Dugout

The third season of the Football Magazine that has no equals in the Scottish game....

FINALLY! The new Scottish Football season is upon us. It felt like ages, but it was actually the shortest preseason to date, with a few managers condemning the early start to the season.

Finally, we also announce a brand new feature for Scotzine.com from Tuesday 26th July as The Final Whistle Football Podcast show kicks off and will be available on itunes, the Scotzine website as well as PULSE 98.4FM Community Radio, who will air the show from 11pm on a Tuesday night.

The earlier start was to help our clubs in Europe and to deal with the horrendous weather that Scotland is hit with on a yearly basis in Winter.

However the early start failed to help out Dundee United who dropped out of Europe on away goals to Slask Wroclaw on Thursday night, despite winning 3-2 on the night.

That defeat will have a further impact on Scotland’s co-efficient and now leave Rangers, Celtic and Hearts with added pressure to produce the goods for Scottish Football.

Last season was overshadowed with the off the field issues surrounding Celtic, the SFA, referees and the vile attacks on Neil Lennon and other individuals linked with Celtic Football Club. Hopefully Season 2011-12 will be all about the football, and the quality that all fans hope for, will return to entertain us all.

SCOTZINE has had a bit of a revamp, at the end of last season we renamed our fanzine from The 12th Man to SCOTZINE. On top of that during the break, we asked you the readers for what they wanted and it became apparent that you wanted the fanzine to become a magazinestyled publication in A4 Full Colour.

As ever it will be available online via the Scotzine.com website, as well as through Magcloud - who can also print the issue out in a top quality format.

In this issue of the new season, SCOTZINE asks fans of EVERY senior club to preview their club ahead of Season 2011-12. From the SPL down to the Third Division, the Junior game and the Scotland national side.

On top of that we will produce podlight episodes for brief updates on transfers, rumours and major talking points through the week, which shall be published on the Scotzine website and via itunes at http://itunes.apple.com/gb/podcast/ scotzine/id445246502.

If that extensive coverage was not enough, Chief Features Writer Sean Graham interviews not one but TWO football personalities. First up is Nottingham Forest and Scotland legend Kenny Burns as he talks about the two European Cup wins under Brian Clough.

And Sean continues with his EXCLUSIVE interviews as he talks to Ajax Assistant Head of Youth, Edmond Claus about De Toekomst, the Ajax Academy.

Neil Murray looks at some of the young players tipped for great things this season in Europe, including Lille talisman Eden Hazard.

Joel Sked profiles former Jambo and Greek God Takis Fyssas, who helped guide the Tynecastle side to Scottish Cup glory in 2006 and also helped to split the Old Firm.

Our editor Andy Muirhead looks back at last season and hopes that this season starts a new era in the Scottish game, with changes forced through within the SFA.

In the coming issues, we shall cover numerous matches, bring you more exclusive interviews with football personalities and featured columns looking at the good, bad and the ugly of the Scottish game.

Remember you can comment on everything within the magazine via @scotzine on twitter, on facebook via http://www.facebook. com/scotzinecom or by email via scotzine@scotzine.com.

Until the next issue.

Ed

Kenny Burns FEATURE Interview

Sean Graham exclusively interviews Nottingham Forest and Scotland legend Kenny Burns

WHEN Kenny Burns signed for Nottingham Forest, he could never have imagined the success he would have under the legend that is Brian Clough.

Trophies and Cloughie went hand in hand during the glory years at Nottingham Forest and Kenny was to be a big part of the success the club would have.

From winning the League to the European adventures in both 1979 and 1980, Kenny speaks exclusively to Scotzine about his time at Forest and why he would love a crack at management in Scotland.

SG: Kenny, when you arrived at Forest from Birmingham, you had been playing as a striker after Bob Latchford left the club but Brian Clough converted you back to your normal position and you went on from strength to strength but which position did you actually prefer playing?

I was yes, to be fair even at a young age 4

I played up front, I made my debut at the back at Birmingham City, so that’s where I made it but then when they sold Bob Latchford the manager said to me, could you play up front? and I said aye but I could do it the way you do now running here there and everywhere, I could hold the ball up etc.

They sold Bob Latchford who could have been one of the best centre forwards to ever play for England, they sold him to Everton for ÂŁ300,000 and I played up front after that.

SG: Did Brian Clough change you back to your normal position straight away when you signed for Forest?

He never said anything to me about that!

I signed on the Sunday and went on the pitch to have our photographs taken on the Monday morning, individual pictures, team pictures and then we never saw Cloughie again after that as he went away on holiday with his family.

We had ten days of pre-season training, whereas nowadays they have something like six weeks but we had ten days that is all we had.

We had ten days pre-season training then we went on a tour, during those ten days we had two practice matches and he said to me, this team put the bibs on, Anderson, McGovern, Lloyd, and Burns and I thought, well I am playing at the back! The previous season I did score 20 goals in the First Division, which was the top Division in English football, so I thought I am playing at the back, so I played there, Jimmy Gordon obviously had his orders to play me there.

After those matches, we went on tour to Germany and Cloughie was behind the reception giving the room keys out with his family! From those matches I played at that back for Forest and that was it.

SG: You obviously relished your defensive duties as you were voted Footballer of the Year, did this personal

award give you a great sense of pride?

I signed on the Sunday and pre-season started on the Monday and that season we went on to win the League Championship and the League Cup that year, personal honours for myself, I got the Sportswriters award, Player of the Year Award, I had a great season.

I have never looked for individual awards, I just loved to play the game of football!

If I was trying to stop someone scoring goals or trying to score goals if I went up for a corner, I used to just think that I was a team player rather than an individual.

SG: The club would go on to a European adventure that would take them near and far, how did you feel when you where drawn against Liverpool?

We all wanted Real Madrid, Benfica, AC Milan, Inter Milan Juventus, we wanted one of them, I went out and bought myself a passport and everything and who did we get - Liverpool! You don’t need a passport to go to Liverpool!

We didn’t mind drawing Liverpool, Liverpool didn’t want us cause we could beat Liverpool and they knew that, we knew that we could score goals, we had goals all over the team.

Players like Garry Birtles,Tony Woodcock, John Robertson, Ian Bowyer, Martin O’Neill, myself, Larry Lloyd, all players who could score goals and one thing we could do was to keep a clean sheet, that’s what we were good at.

We all just played our part as a team, we never spoke about it, once you have a job you just do it, every player knew just what he had to do!

SG: Do you think the Anfield club underestimated Forest in the first leg?

The first season they probably thought that the bubble was going to burst but it didn’t.

SG: Going into the second leg with a 2-0 lead most folk had still written you off and Liverpool would over turn the two goal deficit, how sweet was it to not only keep a clean sheet with a great defensive performance but to prove the critics wrong?

You know these are games where you are always doing something!

We went there after beating them 2-0 at the City Ground with Garry Birtles and Colin Barrett scoring the goals and we knew that they couldn’t score two goals against us.

We had Shilton in goals and we never had

any worries about them, I think they were more worried about us!

SG: Do you think that those two games were the cornerstone of the success that was to come?

Oh yes definitely! Cloughie always said, if you keep a clean sheet then you will always have a chance of winning.

SG: This win was to see you embark on a fantastic run in Europe, did the players believe after beating Liverpool they could go all the way?

We never ever spoke about any future matches, we never ever spoke about money at all, anything like that, and we just went out and played.

We never looked at it saying we are going to get X amount of pounds today if we get a result here, we never ever spoke that way at all.

You look at nowadays where teams like Man City are getting £3000 a point, I am sure they don’t check their wage slips, we checked our wage slips to make sure we got our bonuses from the previous week.

Every Friday we used to go round to a cafe, maybe 12 or 13 of us. We went to have a chip butty and we would maybe have 6 pints of milk, 5 cups of tea and 3 coffees, teams wouldn’t do things like that nowadays, but that’s the way we done it.

SG: When you looked around the dressing room on those European nights and saw just what talent you had at Forest in those days, you must have felt you had a chance of beating anyone?

We feared nobody! We feared nobody!

SG: After beating AEK Athens, Grasshoppers Zurich, the club faced Cologne in the semi-finals but things did not go to plan in the first leg at the City Ground as Forest had to come from 2 goals down to finally draw the match 3-3, did you feel you had blown your chance of appearing in the final?

On that game, I had done my cartilage at Goodison Park and I missed the Cologne game, it came probably a week or ten days too early for me, so I was on the bench, we got it back to 3-3 and knowing we could always score goals, that was the beauty of that Nottingham Forest side, we could always score goals.

At 3-3 many folk thought we had blown it but Peter Taylor was adamant that we were going to win!

Pete had always gone to Germany to see his Daughter over there and he had seen Cologne play several times and he was adamant that we would win the game.

We all knew that we could keep a clean sheet, we all knew that we had players who could score and that’s exactly what we did, we kept a clean sheet and Ian Bowyer scored and we won 1-0.

SG: Did the fact that Cologne were over confident, booking their hotel and printing their tickets for the final, give you an extra will to win that second leg?

We read in the programme how the Cologne fans could get tickets etc, they were really cocksure about themselves, thinking that’s it we have cracked it now we are through….but we just made sure they didn’t get there.

Sometimes teams have to surpass themselves in big matches and they probably done just that the night they played us at the City Ground.

We were like a Rolls Royce of a team! It was very, very easy for us as we did the right things.

Cloughie always used to say, football is an easy game, its players who make it difficult!

When you think about it, its players who make it easy, you pass the ball ten yards to your own player and that’s it!

SG: Trevor started in place of Martin O’Neill that night, while many may have been wondering if this was a gamble, the final result proved that it was another masterstroke by the manager as Trevor scored the winning goal in a 1-0 win for Forest, what did that feel like to win the European Cup for the first time in the clubs history?

He brought Trevor Francis in and he couldn’t play in the European Cup at the start but the first time he could play was the final.

Brian Clough said at the time it was probably one of his hardest and toughest decisions that he had ever made, dropping Martin O’Neill.

Martin had played in every game leading up to the final but then Cloughie dropped him for the final.

I know Trevor scored the goal and Cloughie being a proud and loyal man to his players, I would say that this was the first time that he wasn’t loyal to his players.

He asked both Martin and Archie how they were feeling before the final as both of them had been carrying knocks in the lead up to the game.

Both of them told the boss that they had been receiving treatment but now they had both recovered.

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I am delighted for you both…you are on the bench!

Both players where furious with that reply and I think that was the first time that the gaffer was not loyal to his players, after all these had been the guys that had got the club to the final in the first place!

Trevor played and scored the winner, that’s a fact but for these two guys that, was the biggest game of their lives and they had to settle for a place on the bench!

Ok Martin played in one the following year against Hamburg and we won it, but Archie never got the chance again as he had moved on by then.

Frank Gray gave away a penalty and they scored but then late on we got a corner which big Larry Lloyd flicked on and as the ball came to me I scored, it is always nice to score and put us 2-1 up on the away goals rule. It was a bonus that was the goal to give us the Super Cup! SG: This kind of thing is the stuff that dreams are made of but Nottingham Forest were kings of Europe and they were determined to hang on to their crown, could you dream of retaining your crown?

To win the European Cup once was like a dream come true but to do it twice, you couldn’t imagine it would be possible!

But that was Cloughie, he stood by his decision on that night and it paid off, he may not have been popular with Martin and Archie at the time but he won the European Cup for the club for the first time in their history and that was all that mattered!

Here was a boy who used to play his football in the street on the Peat Road in Glasgow and as a kid you always used to pretend that you were Di Stefano, Puskas and these kind of guys and to actually have won these finals and lift the trophies that those guys did was unbelievable.

SG: What was the atmosphere like afterwards in the dressing room?

SG: After overcoming Oesters Vaxjo, Arges Pitesti, Dynamo Berlin and beating Ajax in the semi-final, your performance and your goalkeeper Peter Shilton, made sure that Forest would meet Kevin Keegan’s Hamburg in the final?

We came into the dressing room and Cloughie said, right, put all your medals on the table ... I put mine away and thought nobody is getting that!

I don’t think Colin Barrett got a medal and he scored one of the goals that knocked Liverpool out and put us on our way to eventually winning the trophy!

Every medal that I have, even five a side ones, all mean something to me, from cups that people call Mickey Mouse cups to the biggest cup in the world, I still have my medals because I won them and they all mean something to me.

I was just looking at a medal that I won with a five a side team recently, it was all ex-players, John O Hare, John Hollins,Kenny Sansom all had teams but my team made the final against Kenny Sansom’s team.

Kenny’s team had better players but we still won and that means a lot to me.

SG: Not content with winning the European Cup, the club also captured the Super Cup and a certain Mr Burns scored the vital away goal in a 1-1 draw after beating the Spanish giants 1-0 at the City Ground, what do you remember of those matches?

We played Barcelona at the City Ground and we won 1-0 with Charlie George scoring the goal, so we had to go there with 80,000 fans against us and they had a chapel in the stadium, everything.

I remember the roar as we came out, it was unbelievable.

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We never spoke about the opposition!

We all knew that Keegan played for them and that was it really. Robbo gave us a bit of chat saying I have this Manny Kaltz and he is a German full back that I am up against but I had never heard of him until that night!

We all knew that Felix Magath was also in the team and he was a great midfielder but we just kept our heads and done our jobs and we kept a clean sheet and won the game 1-0.

SG: Forest went into this final as underdogs but again they came out on top with a goal from John Robertson but again both you and Larry Lloyd stood firm to make sure they would not pass, was this win just as sweet as the first win?

as they were together. It was a case of good cop, bad cop and they were really funny.

When you could play the game with a smile on your face, that was a good thing and you could always do that in a Brian Clough team.

SG: What are you up to these days Kenny and would you like to be involved in the game again?

At the moment I am doing after dinner speaking and hospitality on match days at Forest, I really enjoy it.

Would I like to get back into the game?

Yes! I would like to think that somebody would like to have a crack at me. I would love to be involved in the game today and if I had the chance to go to a lower league club in Scotland, I would consider it and I guarantee if I did, I would improve any team that I went to.

If they could learn one thing from me, which would be one thing more than they will have learned before.

I think you have to be a great believer in your own ability and I am a great believer in my own ability.

I would love to come up the road and get a job, I did enquire about the Morton job about two years ago but nothing back, I would be interested in anything that came up in Scotland.

I would tell them just go out and play with a smile on your face and enjoy it! You see loads of coaches today who play 4-4-2 or 3-5-2 and all these different systems but what they have to remember is that football is a physical game.

Even from a throw-in you have to get yard away from the attacker, I would tell people how to play in defence, what positions they should be in and how to play the game so that they don’t lose their man etc,all these kinds of things.

I don’t believe that Man Utd or any of the top teams actually get coached, simply because they are expected to know it!

It felt great! It wasn’t the greatest of games and they were not the greatest of teams but they got there on merit and they still had to be beaten.

I know for a fact that some clubs don’t like smaller players, I know a lot of clubs gave up on Archie Gemmill because of his size!

SG: You had a magnificent management team in Brian Clough and Peter Taylor, can you tell me just what made them tick as a management team?

I was with someone only the other week, Nobby Styles, he was blind, couldn’t tackle. but he had a job to do and he did it.

Their management unbelievable!

skills

were

When things went against them and they went their separate ways, they were never the same, they were never as good apart

Takis Fyssas Joel Sked profiles the Greek defender who sang his way into Jambos folklore as Hearts split the Old Firm and lifted the Scottish Cup

FEATURE Legend Profile

Smyrni, participate in the Greek Super League with sporadic trips into Europe.

The Kyanerythri (Blue-reds) have not enjoyed anywhere near the same success as their more illustrious neighbours Olympiakos, Panathinaikos and AEK Athens; winning a modest two Greek cups.

The second of which was achieved in 1998 with Takis in the squad. It was to be a fitting end to his career at the club who introduced him to the professional game as he moved to Greek giants Panathinaikos.

It was with the Greens where his career started to blossom and the left-back’s stock immediately rose as he was called into the Greek national team for the first of his 60 caps; appearing in a friendly against Finland.

Despite the step-up to the Greek Giants Takis was not able to add to his single Greek Cup in his 4 and a half seasons at Pana. During the trophy drought however Fyssas was part of the squad that reached the quarter-finals of the Champions League in 01-02. Panathinaikos topped the first group stage thanks to their indomitable form at their raucous and intimidating Apostolos Nikoliadis Stadium; a group which included Arsenal and Schalke.

In the second group stage they would finish behind eventual winners Real Madrid, setting up a two-legged quarterfinal tie with Barcelona. Undeterred by their prestigious opponents Pana won the home leg 1-0 before taking an early lead in the Nou Camp only to leave heartbroken after a memorable comeback from the Catalan giants.

However it would prove to be valuable experience for Fyssas.

MAY 3 2006 was a momentous day in Heart of Midlothian’s history. It was the day that the Tynecastle faithful saw their side split the Old Firm and reach the promised land of the Champions League.

It was also the day that Panagiotis “Takis” Fyssas wrote his name into Gorgie folklore. As celebrations were in full swing Fyssas grabbed the microphone from stadium announcer Scott Wilson and led the fervent home crowd, packed into Tynecastle, into an impromptu, and slightly off-beat, sing-a-long, rejoicing in the achievement of breaking the Old Firm stranglehold at the top of the SPL. The Greek left-back possessed a certain elegance that the moment was out of keeping with what Hearts fans had come to expect from their defender.

More surprisingly was that Fyssas did

not possess the Sinatra-like voice to go along with his football ability.

The surprise of him commandeering the microphone only further endeared the Greek to the fans. A year previously they had no inclination that they would bear witness to a European Championship winner still in his prime marauding up and down the left wing, repelling opposition attacks with all the class you would expect from an international leftback while providing width higher up the pitch.

For Fyssas, now 38, it all began in the Panionios youth academy in the 1980’s where he progressed to the full team in 1990.

Panionios, one of the lesser-known Athens teams based in the suburb, Nea

In the winter of 2003 Takis Fyssas would swap one great European City for another with Lisbon becoming his new home. The defender could not have asked for a better start to life in Portugal helping the Eagles to the Portuguese Cup in May 2004, scoring in a 2-1 win over rivals Porto.

To the surprise of millions it would not be the last trophy Fyssas would get his hands on that summer. With the 2004 European Championship being held in Portugal un-fancied Greece would shock world football and pick up the Henri Delaunay Trophy.

Fyssas would play a major part in Greece’s, and his, finest moment in football; all the sweeter with the final being held in his home ground, the Estadio da Luz. A 2-1 win against Portugal in the opening match announced the Greeks at 7

the tournament. But a draw and defeat to Spain and Russia respectively meant they scraped through to the quarterfinals where they grew in strength as their defence proved impenetrable.

First they saw off France 1-0 and then the Czech Republic; the only goal of the game coming in extra time.

The final would be a repeat of the tournament opener as the hosts came up against the underdogs. Bloodied and bruised from the battles but not yet broken.

Lambasted as negative, boring and defensive Greece stuck to their strengths; solid defensive foundations tied with efficiency in front of goal.

A vital component in Otto Rehagel’s strategies was his starring left-back/ wing-back Takis Fyssas. Charged with providing width on the left Fyssas combined his dual duties of pushing forward while remaining a part of the tight backline to a high standard proving to be one of the best players at the tournament.

And he was there again in the Estadio da Luz for the final playing a more defensive full-back role nullifying the threats of a certain Luis Figo and Cristiano Ronaldo.

The Greeks would score through an Angelos Charisteas header and remain solid for the whole match as if taking up the motto ‘thou shall not pass”. And Portugal did not, giving Greece their first ever football title.

Success continued on the field for the Greek defender as his last year in Lisbon finished with a Portuguese league title before a somewhat surprising move.

A year after being part of Greece’s unbreakable foundation Takis Fyssas would move to Edinburgh to join the ‘Romanov Revolution’ at Tynecastle.

A criticism labelled at Hearts owner Vladimir Romanov is his purchasing of players over the managers head.

However even George Burley could not complain about having players of the calibre of Takis Fyssas and Lithuanian striker Edgaras Jankuaskas foisted upon him.

Fyssas signed after the season had started a new look and vastly improved Hearts side. The defender fitted in to the back four seamlessly forming a formidable backline. Adding panache and international experience to the qualities already put in place by Craig Gordon, Robbie Neilson, Andy Webster and Steven Pressley.

The back five would be a terrifying barrier for opposition attackers as they laid the bedrock for the Jambos high-tempo football as they raced to the top of the 8

league on the back of 8 straight wins.

Craig Gordon, Rudi Skacel and Paul Hartley drew the plaudits but the coup de grace was the player in the leftback position. At 32 Fyssas controlled the left wing. Box to box. Rudi Skacel in front of him enjoyed drifting from the wing linking up with Hartley and getting beyond the front two as he took advantage of a flick-on or through ball.

And he couldn’t stop scoring.

It therefore left Fyssas to look after himself. And he did so with distinction.

He carried out his duties with a certain allure. Everything was made to look easy.

He perfected the art of slide tackling; not only winning the ball but keeping it in one motion before striding off into the distance. He even had a trick or two to bamboozle the opposition.

As things worsened off the pitch Fyssas was one of the leaders of the team, along with Pressley and Hartley, who kept the team moving forward to the targets of Champions League football.

“There are only three things that matter in my life: My family, Panathinaikos and Hearts.”

- Takis Fyssas

On field his worst personal moment came when he received a red card on New Years Day 2006 in a crucial league match against Celtic. With Hearts playing some of their best football and on course to close the gap at the top Takis was controversially sent-off for a foul on Shaun Maloney. In keeping with his genial character he handled himself with dignity and did not argue with the referee.

It was that demeanour that meant he was so well liked around Tynecastle and amongst Hearts fans.

On the 13th of May 2006 he took part in an event that means he will forever be welcome at Tynecastle. He played the full 120 minutes as Hearts lifted the Scottish Cup after a hard slog against Gretna.

However he would have been the only

one wearing maroon that had a slight tinge of disappointment in the penalty shoot-out success; something which he has admitted. He was Hearts’ 5th penalty taker. If Gavin Skelton had not struck the bar with his spot-kick Fyssas would have been given the opportunity to be the true hero of the day.

There wouldn’t have been a more deserving hero.

The defender found himself back in his homeland as part of Hearts’ squad for the Champions League qualifier against AEK Athens. However a 5-1 aggregate defeat was the start of a slow downward spiral at Tynecastle as off-field issues surrounded the club while injuries affected his participation on-field.

As players spoke out to the media against the way the club was being run Fyssas remained a quieter presence. Arguably more accustomed to the continental way of football ownership the Greek strived for an understanding between players and owner. A resolution was brokered but the team started to break, in spirit and personnel, over the season and Fyssas decided his future lay away from Gorgie despite overtures from Romanov for him to stay and continue to help the development of promising left-backs Jose Goncalves and Lee Wallace.

He opted for a return to Panathinaikos with the thinking that he would lose his place in the Greece national team if he was a bit part player at Hearts.

However his return to Athens was not what he hoped as he struggled with injuries, eventually deciding to hang up his boots in 2008.

Now he brings his intelligence to the Greece international team as a staff member for the football federation as Technical Director; acting as the link between players and manager Fernando Santos.

As Lee Wallace continues to career up and down the left wing from his full-back position you get the sense that there is still a bit of Takis Fyssas playing week in week out for Heart of Midlothian. And even when Wallace leaves he will still be remembered fondly by the fans who were lucky to witness arguably the best left-back the club has ever seen.

A feeling that is mutual.

SCOTTISH PREMIER LEAGUE

Season Preview

The Scottish Football Fans - the people that really care give us their views on their club ahead of the new season.

From the Scottish Premier League to the Scottish Football League, the Junior Leagues and the Scotland National side.

MANY question, as ever, will be asked before a ball is even kicked. Will the Old Firm have a title challenger this season? Will the Old Firm be split? Can Dunfermline beat the bookies and stay up? Can Scotland secure qualification to the European Championships?

As ever Celtic and Rangers are expected to fight it out for the title, while Hearts, Dundee United and Aberdeen fight for that third spot. It may do the others club an injustice, but in reality I cannot see past the clubs mentioned already. The rest will make up the remaining spots in the

league, with Kilmarnock, St.Mirren and Dunfermline battling it out to escape relegation.

In the First Division, will be a close affair as ever, with at least FIVE clubs battling it out for the title and the allimportant promotion to the Scottish Premier League. Raith Rovers and Falkirk came close last season, only to fall by the wayside as Dunfermline stretched their lead and took top spot.

Relegated Hamilton may be considered the favourites, however given the number of departures from

New Douglas Park I cannot see them go straight back up. For my money I would go with Raith Rovers or as an outside bet Livingston. They may have just been promoted as Second Division champions but they could surprise many and take the title. Ayr United will almost certainly be my favourite to go down.

Into the Second and given their start in pre-season, I would place my chips on Cowdenbeath securing the title, while Albion Rovers are my dead certs for relegation.

The Third Division should be a way in the park for Peterhead who have splashed the cash by snapping up Rory McAllister, which shocked many people in the game.

As for Scotland, Craig Levein has already blown it with his 4-6-0 tactics against the Czech Republic. Scotland should win their remaining games except for the Spain away game, and as ever it will be a case of so close and yet so far.

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Aberdeen Seb Gevers from Insideleft.net gives us his views on the coming season in the Aberdeen Season Preview.

Who do you think will win the league this season?

My money is on Celtic this season.

For all his character flaws (and he has quite a few) Lennon will motivate and push and drag that team across the finishing line.

Other than your side, what club will you be watching closely?

There’s two teams I’ll be watching closely. It’s going to be interesting to see just how Ally McCoist does in his first season in charge at Ibrox. Between the expectations from the fans, having to live up to the legacy of Smith and the never-ending saga in the Boardroom he’s got his work cut out for him. The other team worth keeping an eye out for were last year’s surprise package 10

Kilmarnock. I had them down as relegation battlers (in which there were replaced by Aberdeen. Oh, the irony) but against all the odds Mixu and the boys fairly mixed it up last year to produce a fine campaign. Pity about that 5-1 pumping on the final day of the season, but let’s not dwell eh?

Who do you think will be bottom of the league/destined for the drop?

I’ve said it two years in a row now, so here’s to third time lucky: St Mirren.

This has got to be your year. Danny Lennon has managed to bring in some new faces, but there’s just something so grim about that team. Perhaps it’s the black and white. Perhaps it’s Paisley. Perhaps it’s the dour football.

I dunno. In any case, I’m tripling my stake at the bookies this year to make up for all the money lost so far. That’s a full 3 quid on St Mirren to go down!

Where do you think your club will finish in the league?

There was little to take from the final few games of the season as the Brox revolution I often mentioned excitedly to non-believers in the canteen at work fizzled off into the ether. A new season and the dead wood is gone, and providing we can remain injuryfree, perhaps we can push into the top half of the table. Much will depend on the summer signings, but for now a top half finish in the bottom half of the table would not surprise or disappoint me. It’s improvement, but I think there’s a lot of work that needs

to be done at the club (both on and off the field) before we can start seriously competing again. Rome wasn’t built in a day, so I’m prepared to wait provided I see effort put into every game.

Who is the club’s key player?

Well, it was Sone Aluko but now that he’s decided he wants to swap the Northern Lights of Old Aberdeen for some club in Englandshire (he’s “homesick” apparently) we’re going to have to find someone else. Thankfully the offers for him are not storming in, a fringe benefit of playing for the mighty Aberdeen. So with Maguire already gone and assuming Aluko doesn’t stay on (the fact we’ve signed or are about to sign a raft of midfielders would suggest he’s not), then Scott Vernon will be key. A proper poacher, he’ll get us the goals - as long as the recurring hernia injury that scuttled his season last year doesn’t, like, recur.

Hopes for the coming season?

For Aberdeen: consistency - the ability to put together a string of results (preferably ones were we win). Last season’s sad statistic saw Aberdeen rack up the longest losing run (seven games). That’s got to change, otherwise we can look forward to another long, long season. We made 2 semi-finals last year losing to Celtic on both occasions (aye ok, shipping eight goals in the process) so while we’re not going to win the league any time soon, a(nother) good Cup run should be achievable.

For Scottish football as a whole: excitement, good football, competition and the rise of a new force in the game.

While good football is not always on show, there’s plenty of excitement still to be found in the Scottish game. It’s such a shame that so much of it takes place away the big green grassy bit with the lines on it. If it’s not referees on strike it’s parcel bombs, sectarian nonsense and financial woes, none of which exactly puts Scottish football in a good light.

Fears for the coming season?

For Aberdeen: I doubt very much that it’s going to happen again, but no more heavy defeats please. I can’t stand the embarrassment. For the game in general: well, football is not just a game of two halves, it’s also a competition so here’s hoping that the

league won’t be over by the time the winter weather stops the season in its tracks.

What player was the biggest waste of money from last season? And where is he now?

Oh, easiest question so far: Jerel Ifil.

Technically not a new player to the side, the fact we continued to pay him qualifies him in my opinion. A deeply terrible player that started out badly and grew steadily worse as the season wore on. Last seen down Bristol Rovers’ way, though I hear he’s been released there also. Which says it all really.

Other fans think our club is....

An easy three points. Very far away.

A shadow of its former self. Moving to a new stadium they’ll never fill. I could go on.

What opposition player would you want to play for your club?

This is hypothetical, so I’ll let my imagination run free here: as a former keeper myself I’d have gone for Alan McGregor. With Langfield out for most of the season while he recovers from his seizure we could use a good solid keeper to shore up the defence and instil some confidence where it is much needed. New boy David Gonzalez (GK) comes with good recommendations but I don’t think he’s played a competitive game since 2008. If his interviews are anything to go by he’s a rather confident young man, who reckons his strengths are “everything”. I hope so: we’ve no time to fanny about while he gets used to the SPL.

‘new manager’ effect wore off. The injuries didn’t help, but the fisty-cuffs with John Boyle was class (not that I condone violence of course) and showed he has plenty of fight in him - if appropriately stimulated. Perhaps a good 9-0 defeat on the opening day against St Johnstone will do the job and start us on the road to European football. The move to appoint Richard Foster has divided opinion as to the man’s sanity, but personally I’d give him a six out of ten. “Wee Craig shows promise, but must do better”. I reckon most Aberdeen fans will agree.

What team would you select for the opening season for your club?

No idea. Much depends on the summer signings. There’s lots of trailists on display at the moment so who knows what the opening day will bring.

Having the likes of Fyvie and Pawlett back is good news (providing the latter can stay injury free). Osbourne is a good addition, so in midfield I think we have options. Time will tell what our new goalkeeper will be like and ideally we need a full-back, two central defenders and a creative midfielder.

What opposition player would you love to see fail miserably?

Not so much player as players: the entire Heart of Midlothian squad can go take a running jump into the Firth of Forth as far as I am concerned.

And while they’re at it I hope they won’t forget to take their sour-pussed manager and their frankly starkraving certifiably mad owner with them. Everybody wave. Byeeeee!

Your manager’s popularity out of 10 with the fans?

Not sure. I think he started out alright, but the final few weeks of the season were tough going as the 11

Hopes for the coming season?

I hope that Celtic will win the title this season and make it a resounding victory to silence the hordes of Rangers fans who have been gloating for the past three years, yet forgetting that they didn’t win the title for three years previous to that. And with Neil Lennon managing the side to the title, it will make the win even more sweeter and leave the Rangers fans seething.

Another hope is that Neil Lennon is left to get on with his job, rather than being on the receiving end of bombs, bullets, being assaulted and the level of abuse that should see fans arrested.

Fears for the coming season?

Celtic Andy Lamont from the 67 Fanzine gives us his views on Celtic ahead of the new season.

Who do you think will win the league this season?

Celtic obviously. Neil Lennon still has to do a wee bit of strengthening on top of the signings he has made already, but not wholesale changes like last season.

Other than your side, what club will you be watching closely?

Dunfermline will be the Bookies bet, but I can see Kilmarnock struggling as they have lost a number of players to Hearts and the influential Eremenko also. Yes they have brought players in, but can’t say they are same quality or better than those who have left.

And I can’t see Kenny Shiels keeping his job if he continues his losing run, gone by Christmas, if that.

As ever it will be our rivals Rangers.

With Ally McCoist going solo and as a rookie manager despite what Derek Johnstone states, McCoist will be under huge pressure to continue the legacy left behind by Walter Smith.

Where do you think your club will finish in the league?

A wee eye will also be looking at the likes of Hearts to see what they do. They are always talking about splitting Celtic and Rangers, as ever I think it will be impossible for them to do it, but they are more than capable of taking points off both Celtic and Rangers

Beram Kayal is possibly the most important player in the Celtic team at the moment as he is the midfield lynch pin. After a lacklustre start, Kayal came into a great game just before Christmas and never looked back.

Who do you think will be bottom of the league/destined for the drop?

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Champions!

Who is the club’s key player?

The fact that a host of English Premier League clubs were keeping tabs on him says it all really.

That Neil Lennon will be targeted once more by the bigots and hatefilled fans in our game.

And that the team will choke at the last hurdle, like last season.

What player was the biggest waste of money from last season? And where is he now?

Freddie Ljungberg. Managed a few games - not as big a waste as Rangers’ Salim Kerkar, James Beattie or David Healy - but a waste of a wage and jersey all the time. Thankfully he has been released by Celtic, despite initial talks of an extension to his contract.

Other fans think our club is?

A team of choke merchants, failures despite the Scottish Cup win. Not to mention gloryhunters.

What opposition player would you want to play for your club?

Given Celtic’s failure to secure a quality keeper since Boruc and Forster to a certain extent, its a bit controversial given the club he plays for, but I would sign Allan McGregor in a heartbeat.

He has won Rangers games by his saves alone - including that dodgy Samaras penalty from last season.

Although saying that Samaras did his best to miss it anyway.

What opposition player would you love to see fail miserably?

Obviously it has to be a Rangers player. In fact its got to be two players - Kyle Lafferty and Steven Naismith.

Kyle Lafferty is a cheat. Simple. Diving, faking injury to get players sent off and an arrogant fool to boot.

Also Steven Naismith because he just loves to dive in or around the penalty box.

Dundee Utd

I hate cheats and Lafferty & Naismith are two of the biggest in the Scottish game. And I would just love it if they fell flat on their face this season.

Christopher Bennison from the ArabTrust gives us his views on Dundee United ahead of the new season.

Your manager’s popularity out of 10 with the fans?

Who do you think will win the league this season?

to get that sorted, this should be Swanaldinho’s season.

Depends who you ask. The Celtic fans adore Neil Lennon and that was shown throughout the season, more so on the final day of the season against Motherwell at Celtic Park.

Hopes for the coming season?

As for opposition fans - they hate him for a variety of reasons. For Rangers fans they claim its because he is a hate-filled bigot, but in reality it is them who are hate-filled and bigoted.

I’d love to be able to put 4 or 5 names forward for my prediction but let’s face it, it comes down to 2. I feel Glasgow Celtic will do it this season and if this is the season to stay in touching distance of the top 2, this is the one. I say this because if the rumours are to be believed, the tax bill that Glasgow Rangers owe could well lead to a 10 point deduction meaning that staying 3rd this season is going to be of huge potential value.

What team would you select for the opening season for your club?

Other than your side, what club will you be watching closely?

Out of the current squad then it will be:

I’ll be watching Hibs with interest to see how they recover from finishing 10th last season. To me, Hibs are unique in that they look like a big club, have the support of a big club, have the stadium of a big club, the sponsorship of a big club - but it just doesn’t translate on the park for them. I’d like to see them do well because we’d be treated to some great Edinburgh derbies if they are both in a tight top 6.

Zaluska; Wilson, Majstorovic, K. Wilson, Izaguirre; Commons, Ki, Wanyama, Kayal; Stokes and Hooper.

Celtic need to bring in a goalkeeper, a defender and a striker, as soon as they can and before the transfer window shuts.

Who do you think will be bottom of the league/destined for the drop?

I thought they were a majorly impressive side in their first season back, but I think that St.Johnstone are going down. I hope I’m wrong because I wish David Robertson all the best.

I’d like to see a tight league with an ‘anybody can beat anybody’ atmosphere. I think the standard of refereeing will be better after the farce of last season. It would be nice to get balanced, fair and impartial reporting on the SPL from the media.

But, unless it’s Old Firm, they don’t tend to be interested which is sad. I’d like to see the Dundee derby back in one of the cup competitions. In fact, a Dundee derby final in the Scottish Cup would be a treat!

Fears for the coming season?

I worry that the new anti-sectarian laws will cause a lot of headlines. I want to see headlines about football, not about nonsense off of the park.

Other fans think our club is....

A threat to anybody anywhere, we’ve proved that. The biggest underachievers historically, in present day an attacking, creative side that play fair and that can match anybody for 90 minutes pound for pound.

What opposition player would you want to play for your club?

Give me a fit Andy Webster back at Tannadice any day with Darren Randolph a close second if we needed a replacement for Pernis.

Where do you think your club will finish in the league?

Your manager’s popularity out of 10 with the fans?

If Glasgow Rangers are deducted 10 points, United will be 2nd. Otherwise 3rd.

In general, Houstie gets a 10 out of 10 - adored by Arabs.

Who is the club’s key player?

Danny Swanson - a massively creative flair player, a natural footballer, wants the ball and buzzes around being an utter nuisance. He scores highlight reel goals and is only getting better.

He’s having trouble with his back right now, but should he manage

What team would you select for the opening season for your club?

Pernis, Dixon,

Dillon, Kenneth, Severin, Robertson, Flood, Douglas.

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Dunfermline Greg Mitchell takes a look at Dunfermline as they are back in the SPL and previews the season ahead.

Who do you think will win the league this season?

Celtic will be a hard side to beat this season. They spent well last year, they strengthened key areas and these signing have now had a year to adapt.

Barring in mind they only just fell short last season.

Other than your side, what club will you be watching closely?

Apart from Dunfermline I’ll be keeping a close eye out for Hibs.

With the Edinburgh side you don’t what you’re going to get but I have a feeling it’s only a matter of time before they come good. As we all know Colin Calderwood’s future has been questioned following interest from Birmingham, this suggests that his role in management/coaching is well respected.

Who do you think will be bottom of the league/destined for the drop?

I believe St Mirren will struggle this season. They’ve been lucky over the past few years in that there’s been one side worse than them each season, this season their luck will run out.

Where do you think your club will finish in the league?

Realistically speaking the Pars will be in the bottom half of the split come the end of the season, however, I do believe we will hold our own, survive the drop and finish 8th.

Who is the club’s key player?

McIntyre has done well to get us out a very competitive First Division, he did spend in January and this helped us come the end of the season. The signing of Martin Hardie was pivotal in that it strengthened our side and gave us that goal threat from the midfield. If he can use his experience then that could be beneficial this season. Another player to keep your eyes on next season is Joe Cardle, a real talent who should relish the 14

challenge.

the ground.

What opposition player would you want to play for your club?

We could all say we want players from the Old Firm, Kayal would be a good start as would the goal threat of Jelavic and Hooper. A player that has come in and taken the league by storm and has now grabbed the attention of England’s top sides is Izaguiree. The left back is no nonsense and gives your a great deal going forward, he’d be a good asset to any side.

Hopes for the coming season?

What opposition player would you love to see fail miserably?

I hope that we can start the season where we left of in the First Division, playing attacking football and taking the game to the opposition. If we shirk away and give the opposition to much respect (something we have been guilty of in previous seasons) then we may struggle. I believe that we have the squad to hold our own in the league as well as going far in the cup competitions. We may just be a dark horse this season.

I’m not the biggest fan of Gregory Tade. Raith took a risk signing him, he was never the best and somehow speculation has gone straight to his head. He had no intention of staying at Stark’s Park once Inverness showed an interest, this was evident especially when they came to East End, a lackluster performance from someone who had a move in the bag, his side needed him to step up... he seemed to care nonetheless.

Fears for the coming season?

I don’t really have any fears this season, I just hope that the players believe in themselves and can play their natural game. McIntyre will be crucial in the whole context of the season, he has to be realistic in that we can take points of anyone at home and that mindset should be taken into the away games as well. Yes, playing at Parkhead and Ibrox will be extremely difficult but there’s no reason why we shouldn’t be able to go to places like Kilmarnock, Motherwell and Aberdeen and make a game of it.

What player was the biggest waste of money from last season? And where is he now?

The signing of James Beattie by Rangers was a strange one to say the least. At a time when money was scarce for the Glasgow club they thought Beattie was the answer, they already had a prolific goal-scorer in Jelavic and players like Naismith who were more than capable of playing a supporting role. I believe Beattie spent the end of last season warming the bench at Blackpool.

Other fans think our club is....

Opposition fans think our club is an easy three pointer, we’ve never really been given any credit even when we’ve made cup finals. In a way it’s a good thing as it keeps the players hungry and keeps their feet routed to

Your manager’s popularity out of 10 with the fans?

I think last season was a big popularity booster for McIntyre, we had struggled in previous years but this was down to his inexperience. He has learned a lot and the fans realise this. The fans have no problem with the manager and have been impressed with his desire to take the game to the opposition and play good attacking football. 8/10.

Heart of Midlothian Joel Sked takes a look at the new season and how Hearts will do as they look to challenge the Old Firm.

Who do you think will win the league this season?

Celtic. More success in the transfer window so far and I think McCoist could struggle in his first season.

Other than your side, what club will you be watching closely?

Obviously Hibernian since they are our rivals; looking to keep them at arms length. Also Aberdeen and Dundee United. Other teams who will have changed squads but will be looking to 3rd place.

Who do you think will be bottom of the league/destined for the drop?

Tough one this year as teams at the bottom have been quite active. St Mirren have made decent signings. I think it will be between Kilmarnock and Dunfermline. Neither sides signings are that of Eremenko last season for example. A lot of lower SPL and ‘unknown on how they will get on’ players.

Where do you think your club will finish in the league?

We finished 3rd last season and currently we have strengthened our team further in comparison to our rivals so it has to be 3rd again; hopefully with a cup run or two.

However I understand our club and a lot can change between now (even with all the off-field issues) and the end of the season. Losing Lee Wallace for example would be a big blow, especially if it is Danny Grainger who will replace him.

Who is the club’s key player?

At the moment it has to be Marian Kello. With Kello in goals you instantly feel confident. Safe pair of hands, tremendous shot-stopping ability,

focused, good command of his box and confident at collecting crosses. He is a perfectionist.

I can see, if he stays fit that is, Andy Webster being vital also.

good business we thought we had done by getting him on a free. Started of with promise but faded until he could be labelled as a bit of a bombscare at either full-back or centre-back. Once out the team we went on a great run and he did not get a look-in until the latter part of the season. Could prove dependable back-up if played alongside experience this season.

Other fans think our club is....

Hopes for the coming season?

A shambles.

First of all to put all the off-field issues behind us and concentrate on the team on the field such as continuing to build a solid team, as well as introducing the most promising talent from the youth academy. With that, closing the points gap to the Old Firm which will hopefully mean a finish of 3rd place. Something which hasn’t been done since Craig Levien was in charge.

What opposition player would you want to play for your club?

We didn’t fare to well in the cups last season so it would be good to get a day out at Hampden especially if it is the Scottish Cup so it is at the weekend. And of course we are in Europe where we need to get through two two-legged ties to reach the lucrative - for us anyway - group stage. It looks like we will be seeded for the first qualifying round we enter but unseeded for the play-off round.

So if we are not going to qualify for the group stages then it would be good to get a big team in the play-off round.

Fears for the coming season?

Internal implosion. Do I need to say anything more. If we are stable then we will grow and should be better than most. But behind the scenes you never know what’s going on. Of course losing your best players is always something you fear but in the main I don’t think it will make or break our season if we lost a big player.

Whose player was the biggest waste of money from last season?

Darren Barr did not turn out to be the

Since Alexei Eremenko has left these shores we are missing a quality central midfielder who would fit into a 4-5-1/4-2-3-1/4-4-2. At the moment we have a lot of energy and solidity in the midfield but we do not have a player who will get his foot on the ball and dictate play from deep, constantly keeping the ball and feeing our attacking players in the final third.

Beram Kayal would be perfect for our team and would take us onto another level. We have a good goalkeeper, back four and an attack with depth.

He would be the final piece and would bring it out the best in our attacking talent. Unfortunately we don’t have a spare £12m kicking about.

What opposition player would you love to see fail miserably?

It’s take your pick time. Ivan Sproule, Kyle Lafferty, Scott Brown but Garry O’Connor edges it. Had a great chance to make something of himself. But came home early from Russia, done very little in England and now back at Easter Road most likely out of shape.

Your manager’s popularity out of 10 with the fans?

That is quite difficult to gauge at Tynecastle as there are so many contrasting views but I don’t think there can be too many arguments with a 7.5. Forgetting his previous stint and a personal opinion of mine a critical 7.

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Hibernian Lauren Witherspoon covers the Hibernian preview as she hopes the Hibees can challenge at the right end of the table.

could give us the bit of oomph we have been lacking since the Scotty Brown days.

Hopes for the coming season?

All I want to see is us challenging at the right end of the table – maybe a wee cup run too.

Fears for the coming season?

We definitely need more players than we have just now. Last season was a shock wakeup call and I fear that wakeup call hasn’t reached the men that hold the pursestrings. Also, the length of time it’s taking to sort out Calderwood’s future is causing a bit of panic amongst the fans.

Whose player was the biggest waste of money from last season?

And where is he now?

Even though his team won the league, I would have like to see El Hadji Diouf do more on the pitch. He didn’t live up to the hype to be honest.

Other fans think our club is....

Weak with no spine – but hey they look good!

THE addition of Ivan Sproule, Gary O’Connor and Sean O’Hanlon pleases the majority of the Hibernian support, although it’s really about the need for more of this kind of quality. There are a decent few young prospects that could break through such as Sean Welsh Scott Taggart as well as further developing the one highlight of last season, Callum Booth.

Calderwood needs to make his decision quick so we can get more players in and put in place our plans for the new season. I don’t think I could face a repeat of last season.

Who do you think will win the league this season?

As it stands right now regarding transfers, Celtic.

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Other than your side, what club will you be watching closely?

What opposition player would you want to play for your club?

St Mirren have been very busy in the transfer market so it will be interesting to see how they start.

Hibs could really do with a player like Madjid Bougherra. His presence is immense.

Who do you think will be bottom of the league/destined for the drop?

What opposition player would you love to see fail miserably?

Aberdeen could be a shock relegation contender.

Where do you think your club will finish in the league?

4th Who is the club’s key player?

If Martin Scott can step up he could be a very important player for us. He

It’s always got to be a Jambo so …Ian Black.

Your manager’s popularity out of 10 with the fans?

Very split, I’d guess 6.

Inverness CT

to replace. As much as I love Foran, my biggest fear is that we are going to really struggle to score goals.

Whose player was the biggest waste of money from last season?

And where is he now?

Ian Rose takes a gander at Inverness Caley’s season while Terry Butcher rages at the early start

Money? It’s hard to waste money if you aren’t a big spender, and we’re nothing if not frugal at Caley Thistle.

I can’t think of anyone who sticks out as a waste of money.

Who do you think will win the league this season?

Other fans think our club is....

Small, poorly supported, and an away trip no team looks forward to. The first is true, the second is all too often true (although we had pretty decent attendances all things considered last season), and the third is a huge point of pride for us, especially against the Glasgow sides.

I’ve got no illusions about the way things go in the SPL title race - so I’ll flip a coin between the Glasgow sides and say Celtic. As a Caley fan, I’m really not that concerned with the title to be honest, but I prefer Celtic to Rangers and I’ll let that swing the vote this time.

What opposition player would you want to play for your club?

Other than your side, what club will you be watching closely?

I wouldn’t say no to getting Ian Black back from Hearts. I miss the little guy. I don’t think there’s anyone in Scotland who wouldn’t want Gary Hooper on their side, after what he did last season.

At the bottom, where a Caley supporter has to spend some attention, I’ll be curious to see how Dunfermline does back in the top tier, and whether St. Mirren will squeak by with survival one more time. At the top, Hearts seem to be the best hope of challenging the Old Firm, but as always, I wouldn’t bet on that.

Who do you think will be bottom of the league/destined for the drop?

Again, St. Mirren have lived on borrowed time for the past few seasons. They only finished 7 points ahead of a pretty dreadful Hamilton side last season, and were 3 points out of the drop the year before. Luck runs out eventually. That said, the promotion team always has a fight on their hands to stay up, and I don’t see Dunfermline doing as well at the task as Caley did in 2011.

Where do you think your club will finish in the league?

Really hard to say. There are a lot of new names around the club, and a lot of familiar names out. Adam Rooney was such a huge part of our success last season - it’s hard to see us doing as well unless another goal-scorer appears. My heart says we push for the top six, my head says 9th.

What opposition player would you love to see fail miserably?

Who is the club’s key player?

Again, with all the names in and out, I’m flying a little blind on the team and who will stand out. Richie Foran is the most important of the returning players - when he’s on, he can run an offense and get the ball forward regardless of who is playing striker.

Of the new players, Gregory Tade was good last season for Raith Rovers, so he has potential to step up.

Hopes for the coming season?

You never know with this team. My hopes are largely what they were this past season. #1 - Survive. Don’t go down. #2 - a decent cup run (meaning a quarterfinal). #3 - a win against each of the Old Firm, something that we often manage and does a lot for both the players and fans.

I wouldn’t mourn something bad happening to Kyle Lafferty.

Your manager’s popularity out of 10 with the fans?

Butcher’s done well for us, and the fans know it. But complaining about and second guessing managers is as popular a game in Inverness as anywhere else in Scotland. There are those with impossible expectations, and you’ll never please them. There are also those in the Highlands that may never forgive him for being English. But in general, I’d say a 7 or 8.

Fears for the coming season?

Adam Rooney is going to be very hard 17

Kilmarnock Scott previews Kilmarnock ahead of the new season as the new management team of Kenny Shiels and Jimmy Nicholl look to keep Killie out of the drop zone.

Kelly to take responsibility and shine.

Hopes for the coming season?

More quality, entertaining enjoyable football.

and

Fears for the coming season?

Fearful that the quality of player being brought in this summer will fall short of the standard of last year’s players.

Whose player was the biggest waste of money from last season?

And where is he now?

Billy Berntsson arrived from Sweden in January and has barely kicked an arse, hopefully he has more of an opportunity this season.

Other fans think our club is....

Relegation fodder no doubt, but I don’t care - they thought that last season.

What opposition player would you want to play for your club?

Probably Davie Weir, still playing and winning medals into his 40’s. If youngsters aren’t inspired by him, then they’re in the wrong occupation.

Who do you think will win the league this season?

Celtic. Feel that Lennon will fine tune his squad slightly and that will be enough to take the title back to Parkhead.

Other than your side, what club will you be watching closely?

Can’t say that I’ll make a point of looking out for another team but I do think a Dundee Utd team without Conway, Gomis, Bauben and probably Goodwillie might be interesting.

Who do you think will be bottom of the league/destined for the drop?

At this moment in time, I’d say St Mirren.

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Graeme Smith & Craig Samson vying for the no.1 jersey wouldn’t inspire me with confidence. Steven Thompson is a decent signing but Paul McGowan & Nigel Hasselbaink aren’t up to much.

Can see St Johnstone struggling for goals again this season.

Where do you think your club will finish in the league?

No idea. We’ll bring in at least another 4 first team signings before the end of August. Impossible to make a prediction on Killie’s season until then.

Who is the club’s key player?

This season will be HUGE for Liam Kelly. With so many first teamers moving on, this is a real chance for

What opposition player would you love to see fail miserably?

Scott Brown. He is an absolute fucking tadger of the highest order. An utter scrote. Have always disliked him since his early days at Hibs.

Your manager’s popularity out of 10 with the fans?

I’d say a 7. Everyone wants him to do well, it’s clear he done great work with Mixu last season. Mark would’ve been much higher had we not went 8 games without a win last season under Kenny Shiels.

Motherwell Alan Temple previews Motherwell’s season as he hopes that the Fir Park side can play top six football Who do you think will win the league this season?

Celtic Other than your side, what club will you be watching closely?

Hearts Who do you think will be bottom of the league/destined for the drop?

Dunfermline Where do you think your club will finish in the league?

5th Who is the club’s key player?

Steve Jennings; tempo and intensity of the team is completely different when

he is absent.

Hopes for the coming season?

fair wedge and contributed rather little (now a free agent after spell at Notts County.)

Top six football, a good cup run, and to make good money from Jamie Murphy and Darren Randolph if, and when, they leave.

Other fans think our club is....

Fears for the coming season?

What opposition player would you want to play for your club?

Murphy and Randolph leave at the end of the transfer window and are not replaced; injuries and suspensions test a sparse squad; out of the cups early and scrambling in the bottom six.

Whose player was the biggest waste of money from last season?

And where is he now?

Esteban Casagolda probably the worst, but he was fairly cheap.

Probably Alan Gow, as he was on a

Skint, but with an infuriating tendency to overachieve

A realistic signing? Jim O’Brien. He’s never been replaced on the left (Murph is NOT a left winger) and I reckon Jim would come back if the money was there, and it would allow Murphy to play up front again.

Your manager’s popularity out of 10 with the fans?

7, unproven but clearly passionate and infectiously bright and enthusiastic.

19

Rangers Danny McWilliams previews Rangers as Ally McCoist takes over the mantle from Walter Smith hoping to secure the club’s fourth SPL title in a row.

FIRSTLY, the hiring of Gordon Smith – an ex-agent, Rangers player and SFA chief as a director of football to oversee the targeting and signing of players in place of the outgoing Martin Bain is a very good move.

Bain was forever slated by the support for the work he done in this aspect (or rather, didn’t do) but splitting his old job into two roles is a good move. Firstly, Smith’s expertise in the Scottish game and experience as an agent will put the club in good stead when negotiating contracts and bringing players to the club. At time of writing I’m aware the club have failed to land a number of targets but these have been lost to English clubs with more money than Rangers, despite being on the 20

second rung of the English League – that’s just how things are in football these days sadly, and will affect more clubs than just Rangers.

Secondly, the appointment of Ali Russell, a specialist in the corporate side of things could open up new commercial avenues for a club desperately needing new sources of revenue. Martin Bain did negotiate some interesting sponsorship deals (Ebel, for one) and increased advertising revenue (digital advertising boards) but failed to open the club up to new ways of earning money. A good indication of this is the club getting permission to test the viability of online broadcasting with the Hearts game at the start of

the season.

His first interview offered a taste of what could come to Rangers as his fresh ways of thinking could bring in some innovative new sources of income, from overseas marketing of the ‘Rangers brand’ to selling the name of the stadium to potential sponsors, an increasingly common method of income across the footballing world.

Having these two men taking over Bain’s old role shows Whyte’s commitment to bringing in the men he wants to run the club his way, and is evidence of the beginning of this new era. Ali Russell’s mentioning of “[integrating] international players

so that we’re building the brand in different markets” suggests these men will often work in tandem to ensure the club is making the most of their new signings as well as players already at the club.

It is ludicrous to think Rangers are now only beginning to do what Celtic have been doing for years in terms of attracting international players and building the club’s stature as an international footballing brand. But with these men in charge of their respective jobs, it looks like a new way of thinking at boardroom level will bring intriguing times for the Rangers support in the near and nottoo distant future.

Who do you think will win the league this season?

I believe Rangers will win the SPL title again, if able to land decent signing targets to bolster the squad. If not, and Celtic can keep their top players, then it could go to the other side of the city.

points last season. And the season before. And the one before that...

Hopes for the coming season?

My hope is McCoist can sign a couple of key players and keep most of the best players at the club. A good European run is essential for the club and the country as a whole.

Fears for the coming season?

My biggest fear for the club would have to be any major repercussions from the HMRC tax case hearing in November. I doubt the worst case would be anything as severe as the ludicrous claims made by some so called “experts”, but it would hold the club back a few years more financially at a time when the club’s future should be made more solid. After 5 or so years of tough financial times, a further few years of belt-tightening would be fairly depressing for the fans.

Other than your side, what club will you be watching closely?

Hearts. Always knocking the door of the top two, I doubt they will split the Old Firm but with recent events, I.E. Craig Thomson and another Romanov rant, Jim Jefferies may decide to relinquish his role at the club if the owner does as he always has. In terms of discipline, they will be odds-on favourites to be hit with another successive fine.

Where do you think your club will finish in the league?

I’m a Rangers fan so expect McCoist to win the SPL on the first time of asking.

Who is the club’s key player?

Allan McGregor, without a doubt.

McGregor would be a first choice at most clubs (insert Karbon joke here), and his performances last season were enough to earn Rangers a few

Interesting question. I’d like to think they would say the club is well run by the coaching staff, have a tight team unit who know each other well and can play to each other’s strengths, excellent youth prospects and an ability to win trophies against the odds. I’m sure neutrals would pick out those qualities. They would also say the club needs to prevent a repeat of the bigot element which crept back into the songs repertoire for a spell last season (before the last few games when it was dealt with, may I add), and I’m sure they would believe the club would given their success in doing so in previous terms and, like I mentioned, at the end of the season.

Getting them to admit that isn’t an easy task though!

What opposition player would you want to play for your club?

Kris Commons. If there’s one player who can make an impact and add a little entertainment to a match it’s him. I can honestly admit I was worried he came on against Rangers in one match, as he has the ability to turn a game, open defences, score goals. Quality player.

What opposition player would you love to see fail miserably?

None, really. If we have players coming to Scotland and failing miserably it doesn’t help our league at all. I prefer opposing teams’ players to be strong and willing to put in a challenge against Rangers. Wishing an opponent’s players not to do well is admitting your own team isn’t good enough.

Who do you think will be bottom of the league/destined for the drop?

St Mirren would be my favourites for relegation. Had it not been for Hamilton losing some key players and unable to fill their positions, they would have gone down last year.

Other fans think our club is....

Your manager’s popularity out of 10 with the fans?

Whose player was the biggest waste of money from last season?

And where is he now?

James Beattie. A mistake waiting to happen, he wasn’t good enough to start for Rangers and was shipped off to Blackpool on loan. He’s still at Rangers but McCoist could do more with his wages than waste it on an average bench striker.

It’s Super Ally we’re talking about here – 355 goals, Question of Sport captain, 9-in-a-row hero, Walter Smith’s understudy and the ability to make Sue Barker swoon with a cheeky grin. Popularity is hardly a problem for Coisty! 10/10, and that’s before his managerial career has started. Even if his managerial career were to be disastrous, he wouldn’t lose legendary status in the eyes of the light blue legions.

21

St.Johnstone Sam Waterson takes a look at the new season from McDiarmid Park hoping sexy football arrives in Perth.

Who do you think will win the league this season?

be anywhere between 4th or 12th, but I will go for 6th, cause I’m an optimist.

Celtic, now that Neil Lennon has a season under his belt and especially with Rangers losing Walter Smith

Who is the club’s key player?

Other than your side, what club will you be watching closely?

Dunfermline, it will be intresting to see how they do on there return to the top flight and we should get to see the differences between the leagues, which didn’t happen last year with ICT. Who do you think will be bottom of the league/destined for the drop?

St Mirren or ICT, but if I was putting money on, I would go for Inverness, letting experianced pro’s like Duncan and Munro go, as well as losing talismanic striker Adam Rooney and simply not replacing them effectively.

Where do you think your club will finish in the league?

Hopefully top 6, but in reality it could 22

Murray Davidson, if he stays, his energy and drive is crucial to our team, in my opinion.

Hopes for the coming season?

To score some goals and bring the entertainment back to Perth, also a cup final would be nice and obviously a European place.

Fears for the coming season?

Simply relegation, that and we record another significant loss for the season.

Whose player was the biggest waste of money from last season?

And where is he now?

Probably one of our flops, Scott Dobie is the main one, former Scotland striker promised so much, but only played 4 times and was farmed out on loan to Bradford in January, currently un-attached.

Other fans think our club is....

A prudent, well run club, with a fairly poor support. And for the most part they are correct, unfortunately regarding the supporters.

What opposition player would you want to play for your club?

I really like watching Jamie Murphy at Motherwell, I think he has a great career ahead of him, quick and a good eye for goal, even from out wide. He would certainly add something to our team.

What opposition player would you love to see fail miserably?

Ian Black, not a nice player at all.

Your manager’s popularity out of 10 with the fans?

I would go for a high 8/10, however there are some who are questioning him, based on his transfer policy of last year and his inability to find a goalscorer, but I have faith he will turn it around.

What team would you select for the opening season for your club?

P. Enkleman, D. Mackay, S. Anderson, F. Wright, C. Davidson, C. Millar, M. Davidson, J. Morris, L. Craig, S. Parkin, S. Higgins.

Of the current players, however, I don’t expect it to stay this way come the first game of the season.

St.Mirren Stuart McKenzie previews the Buddies season as they bring in two quality signings in Gary Teale and Stephen Thompson.

Who do you think will win the league this season?

Celtic Other than your side, what club will you be watching closely?

Aberdeen. They were dreadful last season and bar a mini-revivial midseason would have been in the relegation battle. A poor start could see real tensions at Pitoddrie.

Who do you think will be bottom of the league/destined for the drop?

No clear favourite, but Kilmarnock look destined to struggle.

Where do you think your club will finish in the league?

9th Who is the club’s key player?

Hard to say with a number of quality signings that havent yet played. There is a lot of expectation that Steven Thompson will deliver goals. Darren McGregor, if we keep him, will be important at the back.

Hopes for the coming season?

We, finally, make the step up from relegation battlers to top 6 contenders.

Our signings have been much better than last seasons so there is a good feeling about the new squad. If we can stop losing late goals mid table is very achievable.

Fears for the coming season?

We continue to throw games/points away by conceding late goals and Danny Lennon cant get the teams confidence up.

Whose player was the biggest waste of money from last season?

And where is he now?

Nick Hegarty got injured after 3 games and never played again. He is free agent now so good luck to him Other fans think our club is....

A debt-free football club to be envied.

What opposition player would you want to play for your club?

Emilio Izaguirre.

What opposition player would you love to see fail miserably?

Everyone when playing St Mirren! Not a fan of Kyle Lafferty Your manager’s popularity out of 10 with the fans?

4/10 - didnt buy well in first season, lost too many late goals and got sucked into a relegation battle from a 12 point advantage. Has potential, but needs to now demonstrate it.

23

SCOTTISH FIRST DIVISION

Ayr United

Donald C Stewart takes a look at Ayr United ahead of the new season as they look to beat the favourites tag for relegation. the biggest waste of a wage because he didn’t play. He is now in pre season working for a contract!

Other fans think our club is....

A part time waste of time on a full time division...

What opposition player would you want to play for your club?

Gary Teale - our last capped player for Scotland and biggest sale now at St Mirren.

Who do you think will win the league this season?

Could be any one of five - Hamilton, Falkirk, Raith Rovers, Dundee or my outside bet - Morton. All of them have to prove in the first 9 games where they are likely to be and for me If Hamilton adjust well they will win it. If Falkirk can play like they did last year when they played more consistently nobody can touch them. Raith will need to be better in the second half and be the same in the first half. Dundee will be many people’s favourites but without their best players from last year and the back to the walls attitude... Morton are building nicely round Allan Moore and I reallty fancy them this year. My head though says Hamilton.

Other than your side, what club will you be 24

watching closely?

Morton - watched them a few times last year and really liked their style. Have an affinity for any club with a real working class base.

Who do you think will be bottom of the league/ destined for the drop?

Livingston - despite what looks like a decent pre season I think that the loss of some of their squad coupled with the potential for more cash flow problems could hamper them this year.

Where do you think your club will finish in the league?

7th Who is the club’s key player?

Michael Moffat - if he can create a good relationship

with Gareth Wardlaw and bang in the goals as he was before the end of last season it might ease some of the pressure on the defence.

Hopes for the coming season?

Stay afloat, stay in the division and see the club become a CIC. Fears for the coming season?

Relegation.

Whose player was the biggest waste of money from last season? And where is he now?

Hard one as with all promotion winning sides it’s hard to slate anyone. We brought in Bobby Donnelly and he got injured very early on and didn’t play as much as he would have so maybe that, unfairly was

What opposition player would you love to see fail miserably?

None, though Kenny Deuchar against us would be nice....

Your manager’s popularity out of 10 with the fans?

Probably about 5 - they have never really taken him to their hearts as much as they should even though in 3 seasons he has given us planty to talk about including two promotions!

13. What team would you select for the opening season for your club?

One we can’t afford. I think there are quite a few gaps to be filled yet to give a solid prediction or best starting 11!

Dundee Dave MacKay looks at Dundee’s season as they look to bounce back from last season’s problems to chase glory and promotion to the SPL. This season will be the real test for this Dundee side.

Last season’s squad were heroes on the park with many supporters clubs awarding a joint award at the end of season award ceremony.

Now there’s no more siege mentality or sense of injustice at the 25 point penalty. Last season there was a feeling around the club that that was all that was keeping the 23 game unbeaten run going.

The players were dead on their feet, some played on despite injuries and young players were promoted from the Under 19 team.

This season’s squad really is starting back at square one this season after losing key players from that team – Craig Forsyth, Sean Higgins and Gary Harkins. However, they look to have been replaced with quality players with SPL experience – Graham Bayne, Savo Milne, Ross Chisolm and Ryan Conroy. There is also the permanent signing of Jake Hyde who scored 3 goals in 2 games on trial last season.

Also looking forward to seeing young striker Leighton McIntosh continue to develop after receiving interest from both Rangers and Celtic.

Who do you think will win the league this season?

As always in the First Division it’s a tough one to call. I think Livingston might surprise a few people this season with the momentum they’ve built up from consecutive championships. You could make an argument for half the league to win it but after 36 games I think Ross County will come out on top.

Other than your side, what club will you be watching closely?

Gus MacPherson will have Queen of the South hard to beat while, on paper, Derek Adams has one of the best squads in the division to work with at Ross County. They have a larger squad than most and have also signed players with SPL experience in the summer – Darren McCormack, Russell Duncan and Colin McMenamin will bolster an already impressive squad.

Who do you think will be bottom of the league/ destined for the drop?

Again, a tough one to call this season. Undoubtedly Ayr and Livingston moving into the league will be more competitive than Cowdenbeath and Stirling dropping out of it. However, gut instinct says Ayr will still be relegated with Morton going into the relegation playoffs.

Where do you think your club will finish in the league?

All the teams in the division are competing with very small squads this season which means it will come down to who gets the breaks with injuries and suspensions.

A lot of our Under 19 were forced into first team action last season so already have experience of playing at that level. Ultimately, I think we’ll fall just short this season but as long as we maintain a title challenge until the last 3 or 4 games then I’ll be happy.

Who is the club’s key player?

Matt Lockwood was a revelation a left back last season. A calming influence at the back while also having the ability to get forward and get crosses into the box. His influence on and off the park was essential last season while he doubled up as Assistant Manager. He also takes a mean penalty!

Hopes for season?

the

coming

Obviously to recapture the run of form that saw us set a new club record of 23 league games unbeaten. That might be asking a lot but after overcoming the 25 point penalty last season there was a real feel god factor surrounding the club. A good start this season might set us up for a title challenge.

Fears for season?

the

coming

A bad start. Dundee fans are notorious for giving there team a hard time when things aren’t going right and a bad start this season could set the tone for a long season with a thin squad.

Whose player was the biggest waste of money from last season? And where is he now?

Njazi Kuqi signed for Dundee at the start of the year and was possibly the worst professional footballer I have seen. There was some initial excitement when some fans thought we had signed former Ipswich striker Shefki Kuqi. However, this man was essentially just a big lump up front who had the finesse of giraffe on roller-skates. He’s now playing back in his native Finland after being let go during the administration process.

Other fans think our club is....

Living on past glories and spending outwith our means.

They’re right! It’s up to the new board now to prove them wrong.

What opposition player would you want to play for your club?

I think we’re weakest in midfield so would love to poach a few players for there from Livi. Despite his antics away from the park Bobby Barr has always been a livewire whenever I have seen him and I also think Keaghan Jacobs will impress at this level. Both of them have the creativity and goal-scoring instinct could add to our squad.

What opposition player would you love to see fail miserably?

Anyone in a Livingston shirt!

Still a lot of bitterness from Dundee fans towards Franchise FC regarding the Hassan Kachloul affair in 2005 that lead to our relegation. They were found guilty of paying an amateur player but let off without a point deduction because they “didn’t gain any advantage” – he scored two goals in eight appearances and set up the crucial goal in the relegation decider. Hardly a bit-part player Your manager’s popularity out of 10 with the fans?

10! 431 appearances in Dark Blue was already enough to secure him a place in the Hall of Fame. Overcoming the 25 point deduction last season means he has effectively been handed the keys to Dens Park.

What team would you select for the opening season for your club?

1. Rab Douglas, 2. Gary Irvine, 3. Matt Lockwood, 4. Stephen O’Donnell, 5. Craig McKeown, 6. Rhys Weston, 7. Nicky Riley, 8. Ross Chisolm, 9. Savo Milne, 10. Graham Bayne, 11. Ryan Conroy.

On paper, it looks a very good side but I think we are lacking creativity in midfield along with quality cover in case players become unavailable. We have plenty options up front with Jake Hyde also signing during the summer and the emergence of young Leighton McIntosh at the end of last season. Kyle Benedictus provides cover for central defence. With a good following wind it could be a championship winning team… just maybe…

25

Falkirk Craig Turnbull previews Falkirk’s season as Steven Pressley tries to lead from the front and secure promotion.

Who do you think will be bottom of the league/destined for the drop?

Well, we did not spend any money on transfers, and couldn’t really afford to waste any money!

I think Queen of the South will struggle this season lost a large bulk of their squad and similar to Falkirk are relying on youth. Gus Macpherson is a good manager though and he may be able to do enough to avoid relegation.

Other fans think our club is....

Where do you think your club will finish in the league?

Having released a large amount of the squad I feel that perhaps Falkirk do not quite have enough strength in depth to challenge for the title - as injuries and suspensions will start to take its toll deeper into the season- so probably mid-table or 4th Who do you think will win the league this season?

It is going to be a tight run race this season, any team on their day can beat anyone else but I think Ross County might just have enough in them to fight off any competition from Dundee – who will also be there or thereabouts. My team Falkirk have an outside chance – need to strengthen certain positions before start of new season though.

Other than your side, what club will you be watching closely?

My friend Grant supports Ayr so from that perspective I will be keeping an eye on how the Honest Men are doing. Also being the new boys of the First Division it will be interesting to see how they cope with moving up a league.

26

Who is the club’s key player?

It was Ryan Flynn, but Falkirk sold him to Sheffield United last week.

Hopes for the coming season?

To watch entertaining football, and see some of the bright young talent we have emerging from the academy youth system.

Fears for the coming season?

Lack of experience and a very young team could mean inconsistency and poor results. These factors combined can lower the players’ confidence which could impact on league position – I don’t think relegation will be an issue though.

Whose player was the biggest waste of money from last season?

And where is he now?

A team on the slide….

What opposition player would you want to play for your club?

Don’t think you could go to wrong with Hamilton’s Dougie Imrie, a real quality player and the First Division is a step down for him would not mind him lining up in the navy blue and white.

What opposition player would you love to see fail miserably?

Well Dunfermline are in the SPL now so I don’t think there is any opposition player I am particularly keen to see fail.

Your manager’s popularity out of 10 with the fans?

There is a minority of the support who believe Steven Pressley is not up to the task but they’ve yet to give the former Hearts player a chance. Last season he inherited a side, relegated from the SPL that was not his team and had to make do with the best he had. The players he did bring in – Mark Millar, Kallum Higginbotham, Tam McManus, did well.

This season it will be even harder having released 18 players, and no budget to bring in new players.

However the majority of Bairns realise the difficult task Pressley faces and will give their support to his management of the club. 7/10.

Greenock Morton William Wilson previews Morton’s season, but fears that the Ton may fold and end up in a relegation scrap.

Who do you think will win the league this season?

I think it’ll be close this year but my money would go hamilton.

I’m hoping Michael Tidser can be a key player this year and weigh in with a few goals from midfield.

I suppose Lionel Messi would be the obvious choice but i can’t think of any oustanding player in Division 1.

Hopes for the coming season?

What opposition player would you love to see fail miserably?

Other than your side, what club will you be watching closely?

For the Ton to exceed themselves and grab automatic promotion

I’ll be very interested in what Dundee do, given their recent financial problems.

Fears for the coming season?

Who do you think will be bottom of the league/destined for the drop?

I’d have to agree with the bookies and go with Ayr Utd. Where do you think your club will finish in the league?

Realistically I think we could get 3rd this year.

Who is the club’s key player?

I fear that as we’ve shown in recent years, we can fold and end up in a relegation scrap.

Whose player was the biggest waste of money from last season?

And where is he now?

Without a doubt Kevin Kelbie, he’s signed for glenavon now.

Other fans think our club is....

A great wee club. haha

No individual players annoy me that much, but I’d like Dundee & LivI to fail purely for their blatant rule breaking in the past.

Your manager’s popularity out of 10 with the fans?

I’d say Allan Moore’s quite popular at the moment, I’d say about 8/10.

What team would you select for the opening season for your club?

Stewart, Graham, Forsyth, Smyth, McCafferty, Bachirou, Di Giacomo, Tidser, Weatherson, Campbell, O’Brien.

What opposition player would you want to play for your club?

27

Hamilton Martin Conlon previews Hamilton’s season as they look to bounce back into the SPL after relegation last year Who do you think will win the league this season?

Dundee FC - despite losing influential captain Gary Harkins to Kilmarnock, their team still has the experience, ability and determination to dominate the league.

most weeks. Some silverware would also be welcomed whether it is in the Challenge Cup or the Ramsden’s Cup. Fears for the coming season?

Other than your side, what club will you be watching closely?

That the atrocious home form from last season will continue and the team will become yet another relegated SPL side who find the first division a struggle to acclimatize too.

I will be following the Old Firm closely as well as Pollok FC, my local junior team.

Which player was the biggest waste of money from last season?

And where is he now?

Who do you think will be bottom of the league/destined for the drop?

Gary McDonald. Although arriving on for free, McDonald is alleged to have been on a big wage. As an attacking midfielder, fans expected goals.

However, McDonald failed to score and found himself on the receiving end of criticism from fans after some anonymous performances. McDonald has recently signed a deal with English League Two side Morecambe.

Ayr - In what looks set to be the most competitive first division in recent memory, I think Ayr will end up bottom of the pile.

Where do you think your club will finish in the league?

2nd, behind Dundee and infront of Falkirk. As much as I’d love to see Accies win it, the first division is historically a difficult league for a recently relegated side.

Who is the club’s key player?

Alex Neil - Hamilton’s Roy Keane.

His decision to stay on for the first division campaign was of great relief to all Accies supporters. He has the ability to control the tempo of games and his experience is vital developing the young players around him.

Hopes for the coming season?

My primary hope is that the team regains a winning mentality and imposes itself on the rest of the league.

I also hope that the young prospects like Lee Kilday, Ziggy Gordon and Ali Crawford benefit from being in a team that, unlike last year, isn’t struggling 28

Other fans think our club is....

A team that although repeatedly claiming to ‘play football the right way’, mainly pass the ball around their own half before losing possession.

More positively, other fans think of Hamilton Accies as being a club committed to bringing through some of the best young talent in the country.

What opposition player would you want to play for your club?

With Accies glaring weakness being the absence of a goalscorer, Thistle’s Kris Doolan would be a dream addition.

What opposition player would you love to see fail miserably?

I’m sure a lot of Accies fans would like to see Nigel Hasselbaink fail at St Mirren, not through any ill-feeling towards the player, but more towards

gloating Buddies fans who think that signing him was some kind of major coup, when infact most Accies fans didn’t rate him.

Your manager’s popularity out of 10 with the fans?

7. Despite bringing the club its most successful spell in its history, there are still sections of the support who spent the majority of last season calling for his head. Reid showed his loyalty to the cause by turning down a move to Swansea, yet his often baffling team selections and substitutions have left fans frustrated. In finishing 7th the season before last, it was inevitable that expectations would be raised to stratospheric levels.

What team would you select for the opening season for your club?

The club is in desperate need of a striker, with Imrie much more effective in the wider positions. Reid has frequently said that his number one priority is bringing in a new forward, so this team selection is working on the doomsday scenario that Reid doesn’t find a striker: Cerny, McAllister, McLaughlin, Canning, Gordon, Neil, Gillespie, Mensing, Crawford, McLaren, Imrie.

Livingston Ewan Craig previews Livingston as they bounce back into the First Division after two successive promotions Who do you think will win the league this season?

Where do you think your club will finish in the league?

In the First Division its always difficult to predict who will go on to gain promotion at this stage. Most clubs still haven’t finalised their squads for the upcoming season, with teams adding late on to strengthen their squads. However, Hamilton Accies probably have the biggest squad at the moment, and have managed to hold on to a few of their players from last season. Dundee are a club who will be the favourites of many Scottish football fans.

They finished last season strongly, and despite losing 2 key players in Forsyth and Harkins, they’ve managed to hold on to several key players from last season.

I think this may finally be the season in which Dundee are finally promoted back to the SPL, with Accies being their closest challengers.

I’d imagine Livingston will finish in, or around 7th position. We have a mixture of experienced and unexperienced players, and given what we achieved last season a mid-table spot, avoiding relegation, but not really challenging at the top end is most likely. We’ll most likely be competing with a relatively small squad, after letting numerous players leave to lower the wage bill, and as of yet no additions have been made.

Other than your side, what club will you be watching closely?

Due to being my favourites for promotion I’ll be watching Dundee closely. I’ll be interested to see if they manage to finally gain promotion, or if its yet more disappointment for the Dees supporters.

Also, they’re a team who have a close head-to-head record with Livingston, so it’ll be interesting to see how many points each side take off the other.

Who do you think will be bottom of the league/destined for the drop?

At this stage it looks likely that Queen of the South are going to struggle.

Having just appointed a new manager in Gus MacPherson, they’ve also had to completely re-build a squad from last season. Their current group contain mostly players who have come staright from their youth set-up and may lack experience. However, they appear to be adding players such as Stephen Simmons, who played with Raith Rovers last season, so before the season starts they may well form a squad capable of competing well in the division. Ayr United, being a newly promoted side, as well as going part time, may find life at this level hard, as they did 2 years ago, and may struggle alongside Queens.

Who is the club’s key player?

I believe our key players will be those in defense this season. In recent seasons in divisions 2 & 3, we’ve relied heavily on our attackers for pace and power, allowing us to win more matches, and secure two consecutive championships. However, its going to be a lot tougher this season, as we face stronger opposition. Therefore, the defense will be called into action a lot more. Last season our stand-out defender was Paul Watson, who probably didn’t recieve enough praise. He’s a centre-back, and isn’t afraid to get hurt if it means taking one for the team. From set-plays he’s our most important defender, and especially when we’re playing away from home he’ll be a vital asset to our squad.

Hopes for the coming season?

Like most Livingston supporters, I’d be more than happy with anything above 9th place. We have a relatively small squad, and we’ve just been promoted. For Livingston, its currently all about survival and cementing our position in the First Division for the next few years, allowing the club to gain stability.

Fears for the coming season?

I fear we may be relying on youth too much. As was previously stated, we’ve released some of our more experienced higher earners, who have been replaced by youngsters promoted from our Under 19s. I think our lack of experience in all areas will cost us at times, and we may struggle from this.

Whose player was the biggest waste of money from last season? And where is he now?

Last season Robbie Winters was probably our highest earner. Having played in the SPL and abroad throughout his career, he brought a lot of experience to the team throughout our time in divisions 2 & 3.

However, he spent most of last season as a bit of a “benchwarmer” and came on for the last 15-20 minutes of our matches.

Despite this, he was often used as an impact-sub and gained us several points from winning goals, or through setting up his teammates. However, it was no surprise when he was released at the end of the season, and recently signed for Grindavik in Iceland’s top flight.

Other fans think our club is....

Not too popular. A lot of opposing fans like to have a go at Livingston due to our somewhat controversial history - but its mainly friendly banter. Most supporters of other clubs would probably see Livingston as a club, who this season, will avoid the drop and finish around 7th/8th position in the league.

What opposition player would you want to play for your club?

If money wasn’t an issue I’d like to see Rhys Weston, from Dundee, sign for Livingston. He’s a defender who many Dundee supporters speak very highly of.

He’s gained 7 caps for Wales, and has also made appearances for Cardiff City, and even Arsenal. However, there is no chance of him signing for Livingston, and fans of all SFL, and probably most SPL clubs would be happy to take him.

More realisitically, Scott McLaughlin of Ayr United impressed me last season on all 4 occasions, as did Eddie Malone, also of The Honest Men, with the former a previous Livingston player - so I’d imagine either of those players would be decent additions to our squad.

Your manager’s popularity out of 10 with the fans?

Gary Bollan is a former Livingston player and managed to secure back-to-back promotions with the club. He’s probably the most popular manager we’ve had in the last 8 years. Amongst the fans he’s probably a 9/10.

What team would you select for the opening season for your club?

Tony Bullock, Jason Talbot, Paul Watson, Craig Barr, Kyle Jacobs, Keaghan Jacobs, Liam Fox (Captain), David Sinclair, Bobby Barr, Marc McNulty, Iain Russell.

29

Partick Thistle

Craig Walker previews the Jags ahead of the new season as Jackie McNamara will have a hard task ahead of him Who do you think will win the league this season?

It will be a very tight league yet again. There will be four or five teams thinking they will have a chance to win the league. Thistle will obviously be hoping to be up there challenging while Hamilton will be looking to go straight back up. Falkirk will be strong again. Dundee are out of administration and despite losing Gary Harkins and a few others still have a strong squad. Raith came close last season and should be there or thereabouts so the league could be anybody’s. A good start is vital.

Who do you think will be bottom of the league/destined for the drop?

Usually you’d look straight at the teams coming up as favourites for the drop. In Ayr United’s case you’d have to say they are favourites to go back down. Livingston will likely be strong enough to stay up. Queen of the South have lost a number of players and struggling financially so they could well be dragged into the relegation mix. and Ross County came close last season to the play-off’s and if they don’t start well they could find themselves fighting for survival.

Where do you think your club will finish in the league?

The squad should be strong enough to be up there challenging. A good base of experienced pro’s is supplemented by a number of very promising youngsters. If Jackie can get the team playing well and most importantly scoring goals a top three finish could certainly be on the cards.

Who is the club’s key player?

David Rowson - The midfielder is the man who gets the rest of the team playing. Controls the game from the middle of the park and can grab the game by the scruff of the neck when it isn’t going our way. However, there are key players in all positions, Scott Fox is the probably the best ‘keeper in the division and in front of him 30

captain Alan Archibald has done it all before. Up front Kris Doolan was the top scorer in the division last season so we certainly aren’t short of good players in every position.

Hopes for the coming season?

Winning the league would obviously be perfect but it’ll be a hard task to achieve. With Jackie McNamara in his first season and a number of youngsters coming through a season of blooding the youngsters and watching them progress with the club improving would be the minimum aim.

Fears for the coming season?

A poor start would be my biggest fear. With a inexperienced manager in charge a poor start could see the fans turn on him which would do little to encourage the free flowing football and blooding of the youth players he is encouraging.

Whose player was the biggest waste of money from last season?

And where is he now?

We didn’t have too many failure’s last season. Bryn Halliwell was the only one i can think of. The ‘keeper had a promising end to the season before and was first choice keeper at the start of the season but a number of howlers including a vital one in the dying seconds of the challenge cup semi final against Ross County saw him replaced in goal by Scott Fox who went on to clean up at the Thistle player of the year awards. Was on loan at Clyde for the second half of last season and was relased during the summer. Will most likely end up back at Clyde next season.

Other fans think our club is....

We’ve long been the cuddly toy of Scottish football. It’s a mixed bag these days though. Many still look out for our results or have a great uncle or some obscure relative who goes to Firhill while others have decided they don’t like us.

What opposition player would you want to play for your club?

There are probably better players in the division but we are short at left back at the moment so it would have to be Marc Twaddle at Falkirk.

Twaddle was at Firhill before joining up at the Falkirk staidum and he’d definatly fit well into the style of play McNamara is hoping to play, What opposition player would you love to see fail miserably?

Not a certain player in particular but a group of players namely Dundee FC. The way they have conducted themselves in the past couple of seasons in relation to splashing the cash on all the best players to try and buy the league before failing going into administration and getting rid of a number of players and the owing of thousands of pounds to players and other creditors while other teams struggle to get by, cutting their budget and team accordingly.

Your manager’s popularity out of 10 with the fans?

Jackie McNamara has just taken over and after a good finish to the season while caretaker he is saying all the right things in the press since his permanent appointment. He’s probably sitting at about an 8 or a 9 at the moment but it will all depend on how he starts the season.

What team would you select for the opening season for your club?

Most of the team would pick itself at the moment. However we are very thin on the ground at the moment in certain positions. Especially on the left hand side. McNamara has admitted his love of the 4-3-3 attacking formation so the team would be.

Scott Fox, Paul Paton, Alan Archibald, Willie Kinniburgh, Johnny Lindsay, Jamie Campbell, David Rowson, Stuart Bannigan, Tommy Stewart, Kris Doolan, Chris Erskine.

Queen of the South

Emma Mereta previews the Doonhamers ahead of the new season under new manager Gus MacPherson Who do you think will win the league this season?

I think Dundee will win the league this season, considering how well they did last season, even after having to let go of many players/staff and having a points deduction. They proved they had a squad with enough depth to compete with the best in the division.

Other than your side, what club will you be watching closely?

Ross County. They have signed a few players, including two ex Queen of the South players (Colin McMenamin and Rocco Quinn). Grant Munro and Russell Duncan have been good signings for Ross County, and along with most of their good players from last season being retained, and the weaker players being let go, they now have a fairly decent squad with a lot of depth. So, for those reasons, that’s the team i will be keeping an eye on.

I think they will do a lot better this season than they did last season.

Who do you think will be bottom of the league/destined for the drop?

I think Ayr United may struggle to survive in division one. I think once again, they will drop straight back down again.

Where do you think your club will finish in the league?

With our seemingly poor financial state, i am not expecting miracles, although a top 6 finish would be good, considering its a whole new team, with a new manager and low budgets.

Fingers crossed, if the team manages to gel quickly, and we don’t have to rely too much on youth players, then top 6 is achievable.

Who is the club’s key player?

I think, based on last seasons performances, Daniel Carmichael was developing into a good player, and if he continues to improve then he will be a key player. Two players who have agreed terms with the club, Mark

Campbell and Kevin Smith, could turn in to very useful players for Queen of the South also.

Hopes for the coming season?

Hopefully Queens will get back on track. Hopefully, the new manager and all the new players will gel quickly, and find their perfect lineup/ formation/setup relatively quickly. If this happens and we aren’t unlucky with injuries, then hopefully we can be competitive. Retaining Stephen McKenna when he was on the verge of signing for Morton was a good move by the Manager. Mark Campbell & Kevin Smith both having agreed terms with the club are good acquisitions.

So fingers crossed things continue to carry on in a positive direction.

Fears for the coming season?

I am fearful that it could end up being another calamitous season like 2010/11 season, which to be fair ended in a bit of a shambles with regards to fallings out between staff, players and the board. Right now, i am also unsure of how the player status is going to work out between now and the start of the season. Hopefully we are able to build a squad with enough depth in order to be a competitive side in the division.

Whose player was the biggest waste of money from last season?

And where is he now?

Personally, I think Roddy McKenzie (QOS) has been a bit of a waste of money. Bought in as competition for David Hutton, he would have made a good back up keeper to keep Hutton on his toes. Unfortunately, he picked up an injury early on in the season.

Now, as the only signed keeper so far, he has little competitive match practice from last season and now has to step up to potentially being the number one goalkeeper, and he isn’t getting any younger!

and views of the club are usually fairly positive. However, their views of Queen of the South may have been hampered by off field, and sometimes on field antics towards the end of last season. The antics did make the club look like a bit of a joke, however, i am fully confident that if we have a stronger season this time round, views of the club will be back up again.

What opposition player would you want to play for your club?

I think Tomas Cerny is an excellent keeper. He would be a very good signing for Queens, especially given our current goalkeeping status.

Your manager’s popularity out of 10 with the fans?

I dont think it would be possible to give Gus McPherson a popularity rating out of ten after less than 4 weeks in charge and having only taken charge of one competitive match. Signings he has made since he has been at the club have been positive. A very recent meet and greet with the new manager was successful, and fans seemed to like McPherson, so hopefully he will continue to have a good rapport with the fans once the season gets underway.

What team would you select for the opening season for your club?

With Gus McPherson still looking at quite a few players, there are more signings very likely in the near future, and these players will probably go straight into the first team squad.

In our first friendly, the starting line up contained no less than 6 trialists.

These new signings are needed quickly, as we need a squad that has depth, and doesn’t rely on us using all of the youngsters all of the time.

Right now, it is hard to pick a team that would be totally competitive for the opening game of the season.

Other fans think our club is....

Many fans of other teams consider Queens to be a family friendly club, 31

Raith Rovers

Will Lyon previews Raith Rovers ahead of the new season as John McGlynn looks to do one better and win the title

competitive all season and keep away from the bottom half of the table.

Fears for the coming season?

As above, I do worry about the finances of the club, but in more pressing terms I do have a slight fear that Raith could find themselves in a relegation battle this season. Losing experienced campaigners such as Mark Campbell, Stephen Simmons and Craig Wilson may just prove a little too much upheaval.

Whose player was the biggest waste of money from last season?

And where is he now?

Who do you think will win the league this season?

Once again, the First Division is likely to be a tightly contested league.

Ross County however, have added a number of different options in the summer which should propel their underachieving team into the title race this season. Colin McMenamin will be a welcome addition up front, Rocco Quinn should add some increased trickery in midfield, while Russell Duncan and Grant Munro will bring an abundance of experience required for maintaining a promotion push late in the season.

Other than your side, what club will you be watching closely?

It shall be interesting to observe how Dundee perform this season. Despite their twenty-five point deduction last term, the Dens Park side finished sixth and although they have lost Gary Harkins, Craig Forsyth and Leigh Griffiths they could well be an outside bet for the title.

Who do you think will be bottom of the league/destined for the drop?

Ayr United will most probably have the tightest budget next season and will be the only part-time club in the First Division, so you would expect the Somerset Park side to prop up the table. The ninth placed play-off 32

position could be held by a number of teams, but whoever occupies it should be able to come out of the play-offs victorious due to their full time status.

Where do you think your club will finish in the league?

It is hard to predict where Raith Rovers will finish this season, due to the similar quality of all teams in the league. However, fifteen players left the Kirkcaldy club in the summer and with a limited number of players replacing the departed, I would expect Rovers to finish around mid-table this time around.

Who is the club’s key player?

There are no stand out players in the Raith squad although experienced defenders Grant Murray and Laurie Ellis will be an important component of Rovers backbone. However, as the cliché goes, goals win games and therefore top striker John Baird will be the go-to guy when the team is struggling.

Hopes for the coming season?

This may come across as very defeatist, but staying in business is my main hope for the season. The fairly significant recent budget cuts were an unwelcome surprise and financial stability is paramount if Raith are to be around for the long run. On the pitch, I would hope Raith can be

Former Kilmarnock striker Gary Wales was brought to Starks Park in November 2010, but would only go on to make seven appearances all season with a measly sum of just sixty-four minutes on the pitch. Wales was never able to get into a rhythm due to persistent injuries and ended up being a burden on the club’s tight budget. As far as I know, Wales has been on trial at Queen of the South recently, but it appears unlikely he will be offered a contract by manager Gus McPherson.

Other fans think our club is....

Most fans appeared to praise Raith for overachieving last season after finishing second in the First Division, but the unsavoury style of football on show (labelled “hoofball” or “punt it down the channels”) is widely criticised.

What opposition player would you want to play for your club?

Dundee centre half Rhys Weston always impresses me when I see him. He is a superb defender for First Division level and it surprises me that he did not move elsewhere in the summer.

What opposition player would you love to see fail miserably?

I have no qualms with any player in the First Division although I am sure a few Rovers fans who disliked Simmons would like to see him fail at his new club Queen of the South.

Your manager’s popularity out of 10 with the fans?

Despite leading Raith within touching distance of the SPL – an unbelievable feat- a minority of Rovers fans still find themselves bewildered by John McGlynn’s supposed favouritism towards certain players and stubborn tactics. Therefore his popularity would be somewhere around 9/10.

Ross County

Aiden Wylie previews Ross County ahead of the new season as Derek Adams takes the helm once more.

Hopefully, last year’s shambles will be forgotten. The Chairman’s gone back to the tried and tested by bringing Adams back to the club and it’d be interesting to see what promises both parties made in order to make the deal. It looks on the face of things that County are looking for a serious push towards promotion, but that won’t be next season unless everything goes according to plan.

Certainly on a personal level I have a great deal of faith in Derek Adams, and I’m cautiously optimistic for things to come. Generally the league looks pretty even, there won’t be any relegation certainties like Stirling Albion were.

Calderwood had something of an air of superiority about himself, and although everyone’s grateful he took us out of relegation, I think County will be a more relaxed team next year, on and off the field.

Who do you think will win the league this season?

It’s almost too easy to pick Hamilton.

They’re a well run club with a whole bunch of guys with SPL experience.

Other than your side, what club will you be watching closely?

Livingston. If they are any good, they could cause problems for everyone.

If they are crap, it’ll give teams a little extra breathing space. And historically, they absolutely own us.

Who do you think will be bottom of the league/destined for the drop?

Up until recently, I would have said QOS, but they’ve made some excellent moves including their manager. Ayr look weakest on paper.

Where do you think your club will finish in the league?

Top half. I have a feeling we’ll end

Whose player was the biggest waste of money from last season?

And where is he now?

Bang for buck, Gary Harkins was probably not worth the rumoured wage he was making. He’s now at Kilmarnock, which shows either I or the Kilmarnock manager knows nothing. For County, Willie McStay’s tenure helped nobody and he’s now spouting cliches on Radio Scotland.

His decision to give Marc Fitzpatrick a three year deal was surprising too.

Other fans think our club is....

Cooking the books, breaking the bank, or both.

up fourth or fifth and end up feeling a strange mixture of disappointment and satisfaction.

Who is the club’s key player?

A lot of pressure falls on Colin McMenemin. The way it looks, he’ll be our main centre forward. If we had scored more goals last year we’d have been way out of the relegation fight, but as it was, our paucity of goals was a major problem, so Adams is asking a lot of him, especially as the rest of our strikers can be relied upon for a grand total of about five goals between them.

Hopes for the coming season?

As above. We suddenly discover goalscoring. I’d love to see Iain Vigurs get the confidence to really flourish, the guy’s absolutely class, but doesn’t show it often enough.

Fears for the coming season?

I have a big fear that Derek Adams doesn’t settle and leaves again. We need a bit of stability.

What opposition player would you want to play for your club?

Honestly, most of the division seems to be made up of kids or journeymen.

If any team has a really solid right back, I’d take him.

What opposition player would you love to see fail miserably?

This question just invites negative karma. But there’s just something about John Baird that makes me dislike him. I’m sure he’s a smashing chap, but if he does nothing against us I’ll be quite happy.

Your manager’s popularity out of 10 with the fans?

At the moment, probably a 7, but only because there’s still a little hangover from his departure to Hibs. But give it a month or two, and all will be forgotten. Certainly nobody I know would swap him for the Tangoman.

What team would you select for the opening season for your club?

Fraser, Miller, Flynn, Munro, Morrison, Duncan, Brittain, Gardyne, Quinn, Vigurs, McMenemin.

33

SCOTTISH SECOND DIVISION

Airdrie United

Douglas Barrie previews Airdrie for the coming season as they look to win promotion to the First Division.

Hopes for the coming season?

Promotion play-offs.

Fears for the coming season?

Relegation play-offs.

Whose player was the biggest waste of money from last season?

And where is he now?

I can’t decide between our two goalkeepers: Mark Ridgers and Adam Szpilcynski. Ridgers – who was on loan from Hearts – played all but one game last season as far as I can remember and despite his early promising performances he had many scares and was largely inconsistent.

On the other hand Szpilcynski – of joint Spanish/Polish nationality – was on the bench for all but one game last season as far as I can remember and I really think he should have been given more opportunity, otherwise we could have had one of the younger players on the bench – saving a wage.

No idea where he is now though, or even where he came from!

Other fans think our club is....

Another testing season is coming up Jimmy Boyle’s way. He won the fans over last season though that wouldn’t have been a hard job after Kenny Black. A massive rebuild has seen our expectations rise and rise, since we feared doing a Clyde and getting relegated to Division 3. However we were aiming at promotion with a very young squad, a squad that has now bonded and is being freshened up with new signings like David Lilley and former Auchinleck Talbot striker John Boyle. With our targets set high last year, a similar scenario to last year wouldn’t go amiss. We all knew Livingston would win last season, but again the 2nd Division looks to be an exciting prospect with anyone really able to succeed or fail.

As our chairman says in the match day programme: “Onwards and Upwards!”

Who do you think will win the league this season?

It’s tough to call, but I’d have to say 34

Brechin or possibly Airdrie.

Other than your side, what club will you be watching closely?

Albion Rovers, not only for local rivalry interests but it will be a tough challenge for Paul Martin to keep the Wee Rovers in the division.

Who do you think will be bottom of the league/destined for the drop?

Stenhousemuir and Dumbarton could struggle again.

Where do you think your club will finish in the league?

Top four (either automatic promotion or play-offs) Who is the club’s key player?

At the moment, David Lilley. Very experienced and could prove to be invaluable to the team this season.

Racist and full of hooligans. No point beating the bush if people think the club is the same as it was 10 years ago but it really isn’t. In fact we’re coming to the point where the club didn’t even exist 10 years ago.

What opposition player would you want to play for your club?

Rory McAllister, Peterhead. as part-time football was his rather than money, it’s a we didn’t attempt to sway Broomfield (publicly at least).

Seeing priority shame him to

What opposition player would you love to see fail miserably?

Kevin McDonald, Alloa. Worst player to ever wear a Diamond! Deserves to fail in life.

Your manager’s popularity out of 10 with the fans?

8 based on his performance last season. 10 (million) compared to previous manager Kenny Black.

Albion Rovers Sam Tennent previews Albion Rovers for the coming season as they look to beat the drop .

Which player was the biggest waste of money from last season?

And where is he now?

Unlike most other seasons we didn’t waste any money on players last season, we got by with a very slim squad of dedicated players.

Other fans think our club is....

12 points in the bag (but were not!)

What opposition player would you want to play for your club?

Paul McManus who has just signed for Brechin , he will score goals for fun at this level.

What opposition player would you love to see fail miserably?

Nobody in particular springs to mind in our new division but Andy Millen wasn’t too gracious in defeat in the play-offs last season so i wouldn’t mind seeing him fail in his new job at QOTS.

Who do you think will win the league this season?

Where do you think your club will finish in the league?

I Think it will be a very close league at a push I’d say Stirling Albion

8th

Your manager’s popularity out of 10 with the fans?

Who is the club’s key player?

10

The Secret of our success is not having one.

What team would you select for the opening season for your club?

Hopes for the coming season?

Gaston, Reid, O’Byrne, Donnelly, Devine, Boyle, Chaplain, Canning, Love, Gemmell, Scott.

Other than your side, what club will you be watching closely?

Airdrie without a doubt we always do but now they are in our league for the first time in 23 seasons both teams will want to be above each other every week.

Who do you think will be bottom of the league/destined for the drop?

We are the odds on favorites, but i think Arbroath might struggle, the attention they got from going up as Champions has made it harder for them to hold onto their best players.

To Stay Up! Its the first time since 1990 we have played out with the bottom division so we are just going to enjoy it and see what happens. Staying up would be absolutely massive for a club like Albion Rovers.

Fears for the coming season?

That we don’t make the most of our opportunity.

35

Arbroath

Brechin

Donny Arbuthnott previews Arbroath @BrechinCFC previews Brechin City ahead ahead of the new season. of the new season.

Who do you think will win the league this season?

Brechin FC

Hard to tell where we will finish this year. They probably think we will be mid table.

Other than your side, what club will you be watching closely?

What opposition player would you want to play for your club?

Cowdenbeath, not sure how well they will do this year but should be interesting to see.

Scott Agnew

Who do you think will be bottom of the league/ destined for the drop?

Albion Rovers Where do you think your club will finish in the league?

Tough one, very close league so just now it looks like we could be up there trying to get a playoff place or at the other end, I’ll go for 7th.

Hopes for the coming season?

Keep the league winning squad together and maybe be up at the top with the league being very exciting.

Fears for the coming season?

Lose our main players and have to fight to stay up.

Whose player was the biggest waste of money from last season? And where is he now?

Jim Hamilton, he is now at East Fife.

Other fans think our club is....

36

What opposition player would you love to see fail miserably?

Bobby Linn for East Fife, never liked him but I doubt he will fail.

Your manager’s popularity out of 10 with the fans?

10! Won our first ever piece of silverware in his first season in charge, legend!

Plus he managed to get Arbroath playing the best football I’ve ever seen them play with quality players he managed to pick up. I would imagine this season will be a lot harder though, so will be interesting to see how well he does this year..

What team would you select for the opening season for your club?

Who do you think will win the league this season?

Ideally Brechin City win the leauge but in e 2nd division anything can happen but Cowdenbeath will be in the running.

Other than your side, what club will you be watching closely?

We will be watching Forfar and Arbroath with Forfar in the playoffs last season and Arbroath coming up from 3rd division these will be close Angus Derbies.

Who do you think will be bottom of the league/ destined for the drop?

Hard one, new players that I’ve never seen play before have signed on and still have players yet to sign.

Just now it would be..

The bottom of the table will be another tough one but Stenhousemuir and Dumbarton finishing low lady season it may possibly be one of them.

Hill, Baxter, Busch, Malcolm, McAnespie, Sibanda, Gibson, Falkingham, Sheerin, Doris, Elfverson.

Where do you think your club will finish in the league?

I hope our club finishes top.

Who is the club’s key player?

Craig Molloy is a great player and team maker who has been tipped for a deal with another club but has opted to stay with City.

Hopes for the coming season?

I hope the team will quickly communicate and work as a team and winning games if they do this then we can start thinking about winning the league.

Fears for the coming season?

Ending up in the playoff finals and being defeated again at the last hurdle.

Other fans think our club is....

Other fans has stated that they enjoy visiting Glebe Park which is a tranquil ground which is full of friendliness.

Your manager’s popularity out of 10 with the fans?

Jim Weir is popular with the Brechin City fans and would rate him as a 7.

Cowdenbeath

Ross Cameron previews Cowdenbeath ahead of the new season.

Other fans think our club is....

In need of a new stadium.

If I’m honest, I like Central Park. It has character. But to secure the future of the club, we need to move to a new fit for purpose, income generating, community football stadium.

What opposition player would you want to play for your club?

I’d love to have Armand One or Gareth Wardlaw back at the club – we are short of strikers at the moment and they would definitely do a job.

Who do you think will win the league this season?

I think the 2nd Division is going to be extremely tight this season. I could see the Championship going to one of maybe five or six teams.

My heart says that we (Cowdenbeath) are going to do it but my head says that we will fall just short.

Airdrie or Brechin to pip us to the post.

be that tight.

only 21.

Who do you think will be bottom of the league/ destined for the drop?

Hopes for the coming season?

Paul Martin has done a brilliant job at Albion Rovers but I think they are in for a tough season. It will be a battle between the two Albion’s (Rovers and Stirling) to avoid the bottom place and automatic relegation.

Other than your side, what club will you be watching closely?

Where do you think your club will finish in the league?

I am always keen to see how our former players are getting on at their new clubs. From those who moved on in the summer, I’ll be keeping an eye on Mark Baxter (Arbroath) and Davie Hay (Linlithgow Rose) who were brilliant servants to the club. I do think that every club in the 2nd Division is worth watching closely though because it really it going to

2nd or 3rd. Either way, another season in the playoffs for us.

Who is the club’s key player?

Mark Ramsay will be the heartbeat of our team. I think Greg Stewart will also be a big player for us but in saying that, I just hope too much pressure isn’t placed on his shoulders as he is

Just to still be in the running at the top of the league come the last few weeks.

Fears for the coming season?

What opposition player would you love to see fail miserably?

Any player playing against us.

Your manager’s popularity out of 10 with the fans?

The inexperience of the squad. Granted we have Colin Cameron and Lee Makel still registered as players but we have a very, very young team overall.

Colin Cameron was only appointed in the summer so it is a bit too early to judge how he is going to act and equip himself as a manager.

As a player, he always gives 100% and as a fan, you can’t ask for more.

Whose player was the biggest waste of money from last season? And where is he now?

What team would you select for the opening game of the season for your club?

Richie Vauls was a big disappointment. He wasn’t a waste of money in terms of a transfer fee but more an unnecessary cost on the wage bill. He is now playing at Coleraine FC in Northern Ireland.

Flynn, Brett, Armstrong, O’Brien, Adamson, McKenzie, Ramsay, Makel or Winter, Linton, Stewart, Coult.

37

Dumbarton

East Fife

David Clark previews Dumbarton ahead of Paul Forrester previews East Fife ahead of the new season. the new season.

Who do you think will win wage but never looked the league this season?

Brechin City Other than your side, what club will you be watching closely?

Albion Rovers Who do you think will be bottom of the league/ destined for the drop?

Stirling Albion Where do you think your club will finish in the league?

5th Who is the club’s key player?

After a few departures it would probably be Paul Nugent, had a poor start to the year but really improved as the season went on.

Hopes for the coming season?

Hopefully we can reach the promotion play-offs this year, however i’d probably settle for staying up comfortably.

Fears for the coming season?

We get off to another terrible start and nearly dooms our season again.

Whose player was the biggest waste of money from last season? And where is he now?

Scott Chaplain, was probably on quite a decent 38

interested with us. He’s now at Albion Rovers after spending 6 months on loan there Other fans think our club is....

Probably a bit dull if i’m being honest What opposition player would you want to play for your club?

Rory McAllister, we could use someone to just score goals What opposition player would you love to see fail miserably?

Peter Weatherson, almost always scores against us Your manager’s popularity out of 10 with the fans?

After saving us last year from certain relegation i’d have to give Alan Adamson at least a 9. Only small concerns is that this is first full season in charge now and fans are wondering what we can do this year considering his lack of managerial experience. In saying that every fan i’ve spoke to thought he was the right choice to get the job permanently.

What team would you select for the opening season for your club?

Grindlay, Paul Nugent, Nicoll, Alan Lithgow, Creaney, Borris, Martin McBride, Scott Agnew, Gilhaney, Walker, Bryan Prunty.

Who do you think will win the league this season?

Getting beat Cowdenbeath.

Brechin City

Whose player was the biggest waste of money from last season? And where is he now?

Other than your side, what club will you be watching closely?

Forfar Athletic Who do you think will be bottom of the league/ destined for the drop?

Albion Rovers Where do you think your club will finish in the league?

Second Who is the club’s key player?

Mr Bobby Linn Hopes for the coming season?

Hopeful of a playoff place but I think it will be a close thing.

Fears for the coming season?

by

Shaun Fagen.

Other fans think our club is....

Friendly.

What opposition player would you want to play for your club?

Jay Smart - Mr East Fife What opposition player would you love to see fail miserably?

Rory McAlistair Your manager’s popularity out of 10 with the fans?

10/10 Done wonders for us last season after being nearly bottom at Christmas to nearly sneaking a playoff place.

Forfar Ath

Stenhousemuir

Grant Davidson previews Forfar Athletic Craig Telfer previews Stenhousemuir ahead of the new season. ahead of the new season.

Who do you think will win the league this season?

(can’t see though).

happening

Who do you think will win the league this season?

Really difficult as the league will be very tight this year with 8 teams thinking they can make the play-offs at least.

Before seeing any teams yet I’ll say Brechin.

Whose player was the biggest waste of money from last season? And where is he now?

It’s hard to see past Brechin City for the league this year. Although the league will be far closer than it was last year (Livingston’s promotion has levelled the playing field) and there’s little difference between the majority of the teams, Brechin have strengthened early and strengthened well. Any club would struggle losing a player of McAllister’s calibre, but Jim Weir has offset this by bringing in guys like Jim Lister, Derek Carcary and Graham Weir. Despite suffering relegation with Alloa, McClune and Dunlop are solid fullbacks, but, crucially, they’ve retained most of their key players from last year. Nelson, McLaughlin, Fusco, Jancykz and Molloy were central to the club’s success and they’ll be expected to take them onto the next level.

Jim Weir has some excellent contacts and is often able to bring in quality loan players. They’re pacey and their direct and and move the ball around well. While several other clubs have brought in good players, none of them have brought in the same sheer volume as Brechin have.

Other than your side, what club will you be watching closely?

None of them. I will as usual be looking out for the results of whoever is above and below us.

Who do you think will be bottom of the league/ destined for the drop?

Stirling Albion.

Where do you think your club will finish in the league?

Definitely top 4 but I’ll say 2nd.

Who is the club’s key player?

Difficult to say at this time.

In the past 3 years we have had youngsters come in on loan from Dundee United who have been the key player and we don’t know who0 we are getting from them yet. From the squad we have right now I’ll say Stevie Crawford as last year all we needed was a consistent goalscorer and hopefully he’ll be just that.

Hopes for season?

the

coming

To reach the play-offs again and maybe make the final this time.

Fears for season?

the

coming

That last years achievements were a flash in the pan and we end up in a relegation battle

this

Jim Hamilton at East Fife.

No idea how that man is still playing senior football never mind second division. Think he is in the juniors now though.

Other fans think our club is....

Well run and ambitious but having financial difficulties because of the massive amount of postponments last season due to the bad winter.

What opposition player would you want to play for your club?

Not seen any of them yet (40% of the teams in the division are different this year 2 up and 2 down so 4 new teams in a league of 10). Last year it would have been McAllister at Brechin but he is playing in the 3rd division this year.

What opposition player would you love to see fail miserably?

Any of the Arbroath players ;) Your manager’s popularity out of 10 with the fans?

10 at the moment. At the end of 2007-2008 we were bottom of division 3. He took us to 6th in Division 3 then runners up in division 3 (won the play-offs to get promoted) and then 3rd in division 2 (lost in play-off semis). So not bad for 3 years work!

Other than your side, what club will you be watching closely?

I always like seeing how our ex-players do. I’ll be looking forward to seeing Albion Rovers - Robert Love’s had an excellent season with them, they’ve brought in Ross Clark and they’re

rumoured to be signing Gary Thom. I hope Scott Dalziel has a good season with East Fife, I was sorry to see him go and I’m sure his signing will be a success.

Who do you think will be bottom of the league/ destined for the drop?

If it’s hard to see past Brechin for the Championship, then it’s equally difficult to see anyone other than Stirling Albion finish bottom. The squad is riddled with young, inexperienced players (having taken a look at the recent squad list, I barely recognised any of their players, although I’m not sure if that says more about my ignorance than they fact I haven’t heard of them) and things seem really desperate for them to have signed up Shaun Dillon for next year. He played with Stenhousemuir in 2006 and was built like a caravan then - I can imagine he’s the size of a semi-detahced house these days. Most of their fans have resigned themselves to a successive relegation too, which pretty much sums everything up.

Where do you think your club will finish in the league?

In all honesty, anywhere between third and eighth. We have two solid goalkeepers, a reasonable defence and, on paper, anyway, the best midfield in the league, but we’re lacking up front. Andy Rodgers and Stewart Kean look to be decent additions but if there’s injuries, suspensions, loss of form, etc, then we 39

could suffer. The same could be said about most teams in the league - they have an excellent starting XI but when you pick apart at it, they’re not as impressive as first thought. I reckon that most fans of other teams in the league would say the samed thing.

every game to have some sort of purpose. I hope that we’re challenging for a playoff spot. As mentioned above, I’m sure that everyone else shares the same aspirations.

Who is the club’s key player?

I’m worried that our squad isn’t large enough. While there’s still plenty of time to bring in some good players (Irons has gone on record to say that he wants to bring in another defender and a forward), at the moment, we’re very light in some departments. As mentioned previously, where teams finish in the league will be dependant as to whether or not they can keep their key players fit. I’m also worried that we get our arses booted by a team that goes on to get relegated. in 2006, was at Firs Park when the Shire scudded us 5-0. That is not something I really want to eperience ever again, but, no doubt, it’ll happen.

Without a doubt, Eric Paton. He’s the classiest midfielder we’ve had at the club for five years. All the play goes through him.

He’s like a metronome in the middle of the park.

Paton possesses a superb abilty and confidence to keep deep to take the ball from his defenders, dribble forward and knock the ball into teammates in space.

Hopes for the coming season?

While I hope that we don’t spend the best part of the season languishing around the foot of the table, I hope that we don’t spend most of the season mucking around in the middle of the league.

There’s absolutely no point of that. I want us to be playing for something, for 40

Fears for the coming season?

Whose player was the biggest waste of money from last season? And where is he now?

I don’t really think I’m

qualified to answer this question. From the top of my head, I can’t think of anyone that was actually signed for money in the league. Out of the guys that were on good salaries, I think everyone performed to their expected level. Although it hardly dented our budget, Stephen Thomson wasn’t worth the £20 a week we paid him.

He’s at Berwick Rangers now.

Other fans think our club is....

Well-run.

What opposition player would you want to play for your club?

There’s a few players I’ve been casting envious glances over. I would really like to see Craig Molloy back at Stenhousemuir, you would have the perfect midfield if he and Paton were to play alongside one another. I’m a big fan of Gerry McLaughlin at Stenhousemuir - I saw him in two games last year and I don’t think he lost a header once. East Fife’s Bobby Linn has always impressed me, I’m surprised he’s never been given the opportunity

to move to a higher level.

Arbroath’s Brian Kerr could turn out to be the signing of the season (or the worst, depending on how it all pans out).

What opposition player would you love to see fail miserably?

I am not a bitter man.

While I don’t really want to see anyone play well against us, I don’t want to see anyone fail miserably.

Your manager’s popularity out of 10 with the fans?

Probably around a six or seven. After the dour performances under Coughlin, it was refreshing to see Irons bring in a far more positive approach.

I like his outlook - he’s prepared to attack teams rather than sit deep and try and contain them. I’m looking forward to see what he can do with his own squad of players.

Stirling Albion

Graham Ruthven previews Stirling Albion ahead of the new season.

Who do you think will win the league this season?

I think Brechin will have a good season after making a couple of good signings this summer, albeit having lost star striker Rory McAllister.

I also think Stenhousemuir will have a strong squad for next season, having prised Paul McHale and Martyn Corrigan away from Albion this summer.

Other than your side, what club will you be watching closely?

I will be watching closely to see how Stenhousemuir do this season as they have outbid Stirling a number of times over the past year for players and have reaped the benefits of owning their own ground, hiring out their astro-turf pitches.

Their squad has a lot of promise and should do well.

It will also be interesting to see how Arbroath adapt to a higher level after dominating the Third Division last season.

Who do you think will be bottom of the league/ destined for the drop?

It’s always very difficult to predict who will sink to the foot of the table before the season starts, especially with so little funds going around this level of Scottish football at the moment. A lot of it depends on whether a squad gels well or not.

However, I feel Albion Rovers may struggle to adapt to the Second Division after their promotion last season.

Where do you think your club will finish in the league?

Due to the lack of funds available to manager, Jocky Scott, I feel Albion will do well to finish in the top half of the table, with the club having to make do with one of the lowest budgets in the entire league. Much of their success this season will be determined by whether the young players in the squad can perform at this level. If they can then they may be able to squeeze a play-off spot.

Who is the club’s key player?

Albion’s squad has gone through a summer of radical overhaul and most of the players from last season have left the club. Young players such as Lewis Bonar, Scott Davidson or Devon Jacobs may prove to be key players this season, but with experience sparse within the squad, the influence of former Rangers goalkeeper, Callum Reidford will be crucial.

Hopes for the coming season?

In such a tight league hopes are always to get promoted but I feel a play-off place may be a more realistic target. But, as I have said, if a squad gels well together, there is nothing to stop the team going on a run.

Fears for the coming season?

Just as the nature of the

Second Division means that any given team can end up near the top of the league, it also means you could end up near the bottom if you get it wrong. Albion have one of the lowest budgets in the league for the coming season and this therefore creates fears that if manager, Scott has got it wrong with what money he does have, it could mean relegation. Fears in football don’t get bigger than that.

Whose player was the biggest waste of money from last season? And where is he now?

In terms of Stirling Albion, Sylvano Comvallius came with the promise of being an Ajax academy graduate who had even played in the Europa League. After a handful of substitute appearances he left the club to go back to Holland. That one takes some beating actually.

Other fans think our club is....

A bit of a gimmick. Since the supporters trust takeover of the club a year ago a bit part of the club’s strategy has been to create as much publicity as possible. However, this has created a number of truly bizarre headlines, such as the club proposing a deal to be named Stirling Albion Meerkats after the mascot of a well-know car insurance company, and has had opposition fans questioning Albion’s sincerity as an SFL club.

What opposition player would you want to play for your club?

Cowdenbeath’s Mark Ramsay enjoyed a good season last year at the Fife club and always seemed to impress against Albion, scoring twice in that infamous 4-3 win over the Binos. Having made over 100 appearances for Cowdenbeath his experience at this level would be useful and at the age of only 25 he would be an extremely handy player in Albion’s midfield.

What opposition player would you love to see fail miserably?

Former Clyde player Adam Strachan was set to go on trial with Albion last season, which was a controversial enough decision in itself sue to his chequered past, and was included in the squad for an away game to Ross County. However, any prospect of redemption was lost when he turned up half an hour late for the buss to Dingwall and was subsequently not asked back to even train with the Binos. He is hardly a fans’ favourite.

Your manager’s popularity out of 10 with the fans?

7/10 What team would you select for the opening season for your club?

Reidford, Jacobs, Allison, Dillon, (New Signing), Davidson, Fagan, Flood, Ashe/(New Signing), Bonar, Brass.

41

SCOTTISH THIRD DIVISION

Alloa Athletic

Grant Todd previews Alloa Athletic ahead of the new season as Paul Hartley takes charge.

Fears for the coming season?

Things are pretty positive around the club and I have no real fears, apart from maybe how long will we keep the manager if he starts well. It's a bit of a catch 22.

Whose player was the biggest waste of money from last season? And where is he now?

All of our "big" signings last year. None of them met expectations. They are scattered throughout the second and third divisions.

Other fans think our club is....

Well run, and stable, with a "plastic" pitch.

What opposition player would you want to play for your club?

Rory McAllister. I have seen him play several times in the last couple of years against us for Brechin. The guy is a class act. Fast, strong, good ability and a goalscorer.

Last year was the end of an era at the Recs with Allan Maitland’s mixed reign coming to a truly depressing ending as we dropped into a relegation spot only on the last day of the season and capitulated in the play offs.

We will of course! The Paul Hartley revolution will crush all before it as it roles inexorably to the title by November.

The appointment of someone as high profile as Paul Hartley has given the whole club and all fans a real lift, notwithstanding his lack of experience or record as a manager.

Peterhead have made some very good signings. I see them as the main threat.

Other than that I'll be keeping an eye on the Shire as I have always had a soft spot for them.

Been a while since we have been in the third division.

Looking forward to it and some different grounds to go to and teams to see.

Who do you think will be bottom of the league/ destined for the drop?

Who do you think will win the league this season?

42

Other than your side, what club will you be watching closely?

Unfortunately I think the Shire will struggle, although John Coughlin is a proven manager at this level.

Who is the club's key player?

We have a completely new squad apart from young Ross Philp, so it's a new team and we can't be certain how they will get on. Having said that Ryan McCord will be a key player, along with a few others. Ryan has the ability to be one of the star men in the division.

Hopes for the coming season?

The quality of football we have seen at the Recs these last few years has been pretty poor. Pre-season we have adopted a passing game under Paul Hartley and I really hope we can continue that style. Main hope though has to be to get back into Division 2.

What opposition player would you love to see fail miserably?

If McAllister fails then that will seriously weaken Peterhead - so him. Nothing personal!

Your manager's popularity out of 10 with the fans?

I'll say 8. Not bad for someone when we haven't had a competitive game.

What team would you select for the opening season for your club?

Bain, Doyle, Gordon, Harding, Docherty, McCord, Young, McCord, Cawley, Wright, One.

Annan Athletic Stuart Mouat previews Annan Athletic ahead of the new season and fed up with their new boys tag.

Goals. Last year we created plenty of chances but squandered far too many.

We’ve lost our top scorer too. O’Connor maybe isn’t the player he once was and Bell has yet to prove his fitness folloiwng injury problems but he’s got the makings of a key player.

Whose player was the biggest waste of money from last season? And where is he now?

Craig O’Reilly, free agent.

A man of many clubs and only slightly more goals.

Other fans think our club is...

All about physicality.

Ironically, we’ve probably got one of the smallest squads in the league in terms of stature. People see us as a long ball, hustle and bustle team but we play some really good, hightempo, passing football at times.

What opposition player would you want to play for your club?

Even after 3 years, we’re still viewed as the new boys and our run to the play-offs was seen as overachievement. The club has kept the core of a strong squad and hopefully the loss of top scorer Ian Harty can quickly be forgotten.

Who do you think will win the league this season?

Alloa. Obviously I didn’t see much of them last year except our 2 play-off games but I thought they looked a solid side and were probably unlukcy to lose the 1st leg.

However, they’ve got a new man at the helm who will be looking to make a name for himself as a manager and should bring some useful experience and contacts. It’s probably an exciting time

to be an Alloa fan despite relegation.

Other than your side, what club will you be watching closely?

Alloa. They’re the club everyone in the 3rd Division will be watching this year given the Paul Hartley factor.

Who do you think will be bottom of the league/ destined for the drop?

East Stirlingshire. I can’t see any obvious signs of progress or potential. Clyde picked up the wooden spoon last year but Jim Duffy will put his stamp on the team and improve things.

Where do you think your club will finish in the league?

Darren Gribben. I think he might be making a step or two up this year anyway though.

4th. We’ve had a taste of the play-offs and want more.

What opposition player would you love to see fail miserably?

Who is the club’s key player?

Michael Moore. Never liked him, never will.

Jack Steele. He lives up to his name in the middle of the park, very impressive when he came back into the side towards the end of the season.

Your manager’s popularity out of 10 with the fans?

Hopes for the coming season?

Graeme Bell will hit the goal trail and fire us to the play-offs again.

7. Even when we were challenging for the playoffs there still seemed to be some resentment towards Cairney that we weren’t challenging for the title.

High expectations from the fans at Galabank.

Fears for the coming season?

43

Berwick Rangers Dale Jones previews Berwick Rangers ahead of the new season.

For all my criticism of Jimmy Crease, he’s done very well to get Andrew McLean signed on a 2 year deal though, and hopefully we’ll get some cash for him and himself get a move to Division 1/SPL level, as he definitely has the potential to be there. He has offered a couple of deals out to Chris Townsley and Stuart Noble who seem to be rated highly, and if we can re-sign Darren Gribben and Steven Notman, all will look a lot better. The problem is though, that we still haven’t added leaders or gritty, physical players, that has been lacking for the past few years at Berwick, and at this level is so important. Hopefully Crease can prove himself finally, but just because he’s got Berwick at heart doesn’t mean he should expect an easy ride - From fans or board.

away from us..

Who do you think will win the league this season?

While I think Andy McLean is quite easily our best player, as well as the player with our most potential, if our supposed gamble doesn’t work out, we’re going to be relying on Ian McCaldon to keep us in even more games than last season. His performance and fitness will be key to our hopes whether a successful season or not though. A quality ‘keeper can make a huge difference, and he isn’t just a shot-stopper, he’s an experienced head who can bring the likes of McLean on with his communication.

Alloa. They’re assembling an absolutely quality side, and while Peterhead won’t be far behind, I think that Alloa have the better players. The likes of the two McCord’s and Oné will be quality signings.

Other than your side, what club will you be watching closely?

I’ll be looking out for the performances of Elgin, Annan, Queen’s Park and Stranraer as I think they’ll be the clubs competing for play-off spots without being unrealistically far 44

Who do you think will be bottom of the league/ destined for the drop?

I’d go with Shire who seem to be struggling with finance.

That being said Coughlin is the type of manager who can get his side to grind out results, and there is usually a team that suprises in a bad way, ala Clyde last season etc.

Where do you think your club will finish in the league?

I’d like to say 4th, but I with just 1 new signing so far, I reckon we’ll be doing well to beat our last two seasons mid-table mediocrity and I think we’ll end up 6th again.

Who is the club’s key player?

Hopes for the coming season?

I’d love for us to finally get in the play-offs, it’d be a massive boost. I’m hoping that the gamble we seem to be taking (waiting till late before offering contracts in the hope that we’ll get some higher quality players in) pays off,hat being said, we have a decent budget so at least we have something going for us. Part of me would like to see McLean get a move to a better club too, as he deserves it, though the selfish part wants him to stay.

Fears for the coming season?

Again, the gamble I spoke about. I find it hard to believe that a club like Berwick can pull that off.

If a better player is willing to drop divisions, they’re probably going to want to stay local at least. If we get off to a bad start there will be a lot of negativity around the club after a disappointing season last year, and that will lead to increased pressure on our manager (pun intended).

My biggest fear is that if we do start poorly we’ll end up being the ‘Clyde’ of this year and ending up too far behind everyone before we react, finishing low, meaning we’re yet again rebuilding for another two years.

Whose player was the biggest waste of money from last season? And where is he now?

I think Stephen Thomson on loan to us from Stenny last season for £0. John Coughlin doing us a real ‘favour’ there. Even after his awful spell though, the place he is now? At Berwick on trial.

Other fans think our club is....

Average or a yo-yo club. A good away day though by the sounds of it. Judging by the poor wind-up attempts on Pie and Bovril though, i’d imagine a bit of a joke too!

What opposition player would you want to play for your club?

From last season there were plenty, but the stand-out for me was always Scott Agnew who has now gone on to Dumbarton. A top class player that runs the show going forward without neglecting defensive duties.

Quality left foot, quality set-piece, quality player.

Brilliant centre midfielder.

As for someone who has signed for someone in our division - Armand Oné wouldn’t have been bad, though I think if Crease had resigned as he’d suggested he would have done, Paul Hartley would have been a nice aquisition!

What opposition player would you love to see fail miserably?

Rory McAllister, though that may be out of jealousy that he’s getting about £100 per hour.

Your manager’s popularity out of 10 with the fans?

6/10 - A disappointing season last season leaves him with a lot to prove, so to be taking huge gambles is probably unpopular in itself. He does have the club at heart though, and is a nice guy.

Clyde Andrew Clarke previews Clyde ahead of the new season.

Other than your side, what club will you be watching closely?

Peterhead: will be interesting to see if they can match and better Alloa at the top of the league.

Who do you think will be bottom of the league/ destined for the drop?

East Stirling: Only because I don’t want to admit it could well be us again.

Where do you think your club will finish in the league?

9th, a steady improvement on last season’s 10th!

Who is the club’s key player?

Hard to say as we only have 10 signed players so far.

Hopefully our key players are yet to sign!

Hopes for the coming season?

Life as a Clyde fan has been pretty depressing over the past 4 season. Colin Hendry, John Brown John McCormack and Stuart Millar have all had a go at improving the team and have each failed miserably in their own special ways.

league for players.

Although last season saw us finish bottom of the third division the team certainly did improve after the arrival of Jim Duffy as manager and his assistant Chic Charnley.

Although some Clyde fans may be dreaming of a play off spot deep down most accept it will just not be possible and recognise that a 7th or 8th place finish would at least bring an end to the biggest slump in the club’s 133 year history.

Unfortunately this season will be another struggle as Duffy’s hand is forced by poor finiancial decisions made in previous years and the huge rent payments the club pay to North Lanarkshire Leisure which leaves us with one of the smallest budgets in the

The signings have been slow in arriving but hopefully Duffy has a few players in mind, even two or three players arriving on loan could make all the difference in this league.

Who do you think will win the league this season?

Alloa although it looks like being a two horse race between themselves and Peterhead.

The young players at the club prove to be better than some of the ‘experienced pros’ who have been playing for us over the last few seasons.

Fears for the coming season?

We are made to watch more of the same as we have been put through for the last four years which have seen us finish 9th, 10th, 10th and 10th!

Other fans think our club is....

A bit of a joke but also a warning to clubs to be careful with their spending, a warning that it looks like Alloa and Peterhead may not be taking.

What opposition player would you want to play for your club?

I have liked Stranraer’s Craig Malcolm since we missed out on him last summer, he then went onto score 21 goals last season, a return we could only dream of! Also Paul Hartley when fit was Aberdeen’s best player last season and was playing for Scotland only a few years ago, he could be pretty useful in this league!

What opposition player would you love to see fail miserably?

Rory McAllister, mainly because of my jelousy that our players are on literally a tenth of what he is earning at Peterhead.

Your manager’s popularity out of 10 with the fans?

I would say Duffy is fairly popular as the majority of the fans understand the near impossible financial conditions he is working under. However he will be judged on the squad he assembles this summer.

Currently 7/10

Whose player was the biggest waste of money from last season? And where is he now?

John Stewart (Clyde) surely now is sitting at home wondering how he managed to throw away what at one stage looked like it could be a decent football career.

45

East Stirlingshire Craig Brown previews East Stirlingshire ahead of the new season.

Back to being a laughing stock, but feel sympathy because they know what we are going through.

What opposition player would you want to play for your club?

Rory McAllister, having someone in your side with that scoring record breeds confidence throughout the team.

Make no mistake, this will be a tough season for East Stirlingshire. We have had a very rocky summer and to say that losing fans favourite, Jim McInally, all the coaching staff and 14 first team players is a blow is a massive understatement.

Due to the contracts we can now offer, the club will turn to youth players who have been released from under 19 sides throughout the country and from the juniors. Fortunately in John Coughlin we have appointed a manager who knows these levels well and used them to great effect at Berwick & Stenhousemuir, if we do fail then it will not be through the lack of trying.

Other clubs supporters are writing us off as cannon fodder a little too early in my honest opinion as Coughlin has a fantastic record of working with his hands tied at this level and should never be written off.

Who do you think will win the league this season?

Peterhead 46

Other than your side, what club will you be watching closely?

Alloa, it’s where I live now but it will be interesting to see how they do with Paul Hartley building a new squad from scratch and of course with it being his first season.

Who do you think will be bottom of the league/ destined for the drop?

I’m not sure, we will be favourites but Clyde, Montrose and Berwick will also be there or there abouts. I’ll go for Montrose.

Where do you think your club will finish in the league?

Bottom 3 Who is the club’s key player?

At the time of writing we only have 7 players for next season. Out of them the only 1st team regular last season was Stuart

Beveridge. He’ll be key this season, he was thrown into the deep end last season but this year and at 19 he could have more SFL experience than anybody else in the squad. The guy is a top player though, if he continues to develop he will not be playing at this level for long.

Hopes for the coming season?

On the park, not finish bottom! Off the park, for the Shiretrust to help the club grow.

Fears for the coming season?

Not getting shot of the clubs cancer Alan Mackin, finishing bottom and losing manager John Coughlin because he doesn’t want another season with Scotland’s lowest budget.

Losing more talented youngsters for free!

Other fans think our club is....

What opposition player would you love to see fail miserably?

Fail miserably is a bit harsh but i’m sure Ryan Harding will get a “warm welcome” from The Shire faithful when we meet Alloa and there will be a lot of fans waiting to say “I told you so” to there fans.

Your manager’s popularity out of 10 with the fans?

About 7 at the moment.

Some think he was a fantastic replacement for Jim McInally as he has a great track record with small budgets and makes teams hard to beat, which is something we will have to be next season. Others think he is to negative and the club should have went for a more attack minded manager.

Elgin City Ross Shanks previews Elgin City ahead of the new season.

sit and dictate how we play.

He has a great range and vision with his passing and as a team who like to get the ball down and play it, our attacking play always streams through him.

Without him, the side just do not tick the same.

for Alloa this season, but he is a player who was in the Scotland squad only 11 months ago! He’ll be a standout at this level.

Hopes for the coming season?

Rory McAllister. He should really be playing at a higher level, but Peterhead are paying him a ridiculous amount of money to play in the third division. If the goals were to dry up for McAllister, it would give the rest of us a chance!

I’d love for us to be able to finish in the playoffs for the first time, but as long as we continue improving, I’ll be satisfied. To draw another couple of SPL sides in cup competitions again would be great, watching Elgin away to Hearts and Caley were fantastic experiences last season.

Fears for the coming season?

Who do you think will win the league this season?

It looks like it’s going to be between the two relegated sides Alloa and Peterhead.

Both have made some very impressive signings and spent quite a bit of money through the summer. Paul Hartley will still be more than capable of playing at this level, so for Alloa to get him in as player/manager is a real coup for them, while Rory McAllister should score for fun in the third division for Peterhead. If I was pick between them, I’d go for Peterhead.

Other than your side, what club will you be watching closely?

Caley are our biggest rivals (although it’s very one sided), so I’ll be watching them closely hoping they have a poor, relegation-

threatened season.

Who do you think will be bottom of the league/ destined for the drop?

East Stirlingshire. They’ve lost a number of key players over the summer and their squad looks very poor at the moment.

Where do you think your club will finish in the league?

I’d like to think we are capable of reaching the playoffs, but it’s going to be a competitive season and ultimately, I think we’ll just miss out and finish 5th.

Who is the club’s key player?

Ross O’Donoghue. Rossco is the most important player in our squad. He’s a central midfielder who will

Having a terrible start.

We are traditional slow starts when it comes to the league. We’ve failed to win on opening day since 2004 and have not won a single league game during August since 2008, hopefully it’s not a statistic that’ll be repeated this year as these starts often ruin the season before you’ve even really started.

Whose player was the biggest waste of money from last season? And where is he now?

Neil MacDonald. One of the most overweight players I’ve seen at this level. He just wasn’t fit enough or good enough for the SFL and was a total liability at times. He’s now with Clachnacuddin in the Highland League.

Other fans think our club is....

A brilliant away day

What opposition player would you love to see fail miserably?

12.

Your manager’s popularity out of 10 with the fans?

10/10. Ross Jack is doing A fantastic job along with his assistant Barry Wilson. They have got the team playing the best football we’ve seen since our induction to the SFL and the progress we’ve made under him year by year has been pleasing. He’s the right man for the job and will definitely have us challenging for promotion if not this season, then next.

I wouldn’t imagine there are any Elgin fans unhappy with the job the manager has done here.

13. What team would you select for the opening season for your club?

GK: Zander Clark RB: David Niven CB: Paul Kaczan CB: Jamie Duff LB: Barry Wilson RM: Brian Cameron CM: Ross O’Donoghue CM: Mark Nicholson LM: Daniel Moore ST: Craig Gunn ST: Stuart Leslie

What opposition player would you want to play for your club?

Paul Hartley. I don’t know how much he plans to play 47

Montrose Sean Graham previews Montrose ahead of the new season.

I think Montrose fans will hope to have a better season this season than they have had in the past few seasons!

Perhaps the new faces that are coming in will give the team a fresh look for next season although some of the players that have left the club will be sorely missed,especially the experienced ones like Hegs ( Chris Hegarty) and big Scooby (Hugh Davidson), who both have enjoyed their time at the club.

This is a fresh start for everyone at Links Park from the manager right down to the players who walk through the door for the first time but if the early pre-season form is anything to go by....then the club can go in to the new season with new hope.

Who do you think will win the league this season?

chances from there.

League’s have an Ashley Who is the club’s key Cole or Craig Thomson in player? their squads!

The Third Division is wide With so many new faces open, anyone could win coming in the squad has it! changed so much since last season but if he is on But you have to look his game, Martin Boyle at the teams who have will be one to watch. been in the Play-Offs last season and teams like Hopes for the coming Alloa and Peterhead who season? came down will not be far away.

With Ray having a full season with the team Other than your side, instead of only a couple what club will you be of months as a caretaker watching closely? manager, maybe he will be able to bring the club Queens’ Park, they will the success it deserves. be sore at missing out last year and will want to Fears for the coming get off to a good start. season?

Your manager’s popularity out of 10 with the fans?

I think Ray is really popular with the fans.

He is a decent, honest guy who came in to steady the ship after Steven Tweed left and made sure the club got enough points to stay in the league.

I would say Ray is 8/10 at the moment if he gets the club to Play-Offs he could even higher.

an but the go

What team would you Finishing in the bottom select for the opening Who do you think half of the table again! season for your club? will be bottom of the If you mean the 1 to 11 league/destined for Other fans think our at the moment thats hard the drop? club is.... as the club are still trying to build a squad for next Don’t think you could I would imagine they season and Messi might ever say a team is would say a decent well yet decide he has had It will be a young squad destined for the bottom run football club who enough at Barcelona and next year and hopefully but maybe East Stirling they enjoy coming to the Nou Camp and may Ray can add that little or Clyde, only based on visit. fancy a wee season at bit of experience to it the fact they finished Links Park? also as you need that for below Montrose!

What opposition player the challenge that lies would you want to play ahead.

Where do you think for your club? your club will finish in The club are well run off the league?

Messi from Barcelona! the field and deserve some success to add to You can never tell! So What opposition player the recent success of many good clubs in the would you love to see the official programme division you can only fail miserably? which has won a few hope that they finish awards in recent years! in one of the Pay-Off Don’t think any of the positions and take your clubs in the Irn Bru 48

Peterhead

should not be playing at this level, but glad that he is.

What opposition player would you want to play for your club?

Hopes for the coming season?

Berwick’s Andy McLean or Annan’s Kevin Neilson are the type of defender Hopes for this season we could do with.

- plenty of goals and entertaining, attacking What opposition player football. would you love to see fail miserably?

Fears for the coming season?

Would hate any exPeterhead player to do Fears for the season well against us, especially defensive lapses. any who are now at Elgin Peterhead got relegated -Craig Gunn, Daniel because of defensive Moore, Barry Wilson. errors, and the lack of muscle at the back is still Your manager’s a concern. popularity out of 10 with the fans?

Whose player was the biggest waste of money Jury out on the manager. from last season? And He has been in charge where is he now? for 8 league games so far and not won any of them.

None of the players He has been very active covered themselves in on the transfer front this glory last season, and the summer, and looks to inexperience of the have an eye for a player, Who do you think will off final and are a well younger players was but it depends whether win the league this organised outfit, strong cruelly exposed, but as he mould them into a season? defensively. long as they pull on a blue decent side. shirt, and put in a shift I Not normally over- Who do you think will forgive them for most What team would you optimistic about our will be bottom of the things. I did expect a bit select for the opening chances, but I believe that league/destined for more from ex-Rangers season for your club? we have the strongest the drop? player Paul Emslie I squad in the Third suppose - I believe he has Jellema/ Donald, Rattray, presently.

Shire to finish bottom. moved to Cove Rangers.

Macdonald, McBain/ They have done well over Sharp, Sellars, Redman, Other than your side, the past two seasons, but Other fans think our D e a s l e y / B a v i d g e , what club will you be the lack of finances will club is....

McAllister. watching closely? probably hit them hard this time round.

We are now being called Queen’s Park went on a moneybags and Gretna strong run second half of Where do you think Mark II ( hope not). last season, and having your club will finish in Others see as remote, been able keep hold of the league?

Highlanders (not a most of their players (for mountain to be seen) but a change), they look like Peterhead to finish top. visiting fans making they might do well. Alloa Queen’s Park as strongest the journey seem to have made some decent challengers. enjoy their day out. Last signings but they might season our hospitality take time to gel. Stranraer Who is the club’s key also extended to handing did well last season but player? over three points on most the loss of Agnew and occasions.

One might hurt them. Key player - Rory Annan reached the play- McAllister. A player who

Duncan Watt previews Peterhead ahead of the new season.

49

Stranraer

Queens Park

Rab Stewart previews Queens Park ahead Iain Dougan previews Stranraer ahead of of the new season. the new season.

Looking ahead to the new season, after last seasons terrible start Queen’s Park will be hoping to have a better start this season. signed goalkeeper Neil Parry from the junior league, with Martin McBride joining Dumbarton, Gardner Speirs acted quickly in signing the experianced midfielder who left Queen’s Park a few year ago to join the police, hes now back with the spiders. Hoping that there a few new faces in the squad come the start of the new season.

Fears for the coming season?

Who do you think will win the league this season?

romp away from the rest early on.

Not reaching the play offs

Peterhead, always hard to beat at home and appear to have the budget to get up again at the first attempt.

Other fans think our club is....

Whose player was the biggest waste of money from last season? And where is he now?

Graeme Eaglesham, Free Agent.

Other fans think our club is....

Has got a good youth system

Who do you think will win the league this season?

What opposition player would you want to play for your club?

Alloa.

Armand One

Other than your side, what club will you be watching closely?

What opposition player would you love to see fail miserably?

Morton.

Mark Archdeacon (Clyde)

Who do you think will be bottom of the league/ destined for the drop?

Your manager’s popularity out of 10 with the fans?

East Stirling.

7

Where do you think your club will finish in the league?

What team would you select for the opening season for your club?

4th.

Strain, McGinn, Meggatt.

Sinclair,Gallacher. Capuano, Stewart, Anderson, Daly, Quinn. Watt.

Who is the club’s key player?

In my opinion it would be Richard Sinclair.

Hopes for the coming season?

Hoping to reach the playoffs 50

Other than your side, what club will you be watching closely?

Queen of the South, talk of financial disaster last season but have appointed Gus MacPherson as manager. Is it a last attempt to get out of the division or does part time football and relegation loom for our neighbours?

Who do you think will be bottom of the league/ destined for the drop?

East Stirling-alls not well at The Shire, John Couglan is a decent manager but can’t walk on water.

Where do you think your club will finish in the league?

5th Who is the club's key player?

Chris Aitken if he can contribute as many goals as Scott Agnew did last season from midfield.

Hopes for the coming season?

That we end up one place above my expectations.

Fears for the coming season?

That Peterhead and Alloa

Across the Serengetti Plains then 10 miles down the road.

What opposition player would you want to play for your club?

Gillfillan at Annan was with us on loan a few years back and did very little but he has now matured into a decent all round player that most teams would benefit from having in their team.

What opposition player would you love to see fail miserably?

A lot of pressure on Rory McAlister to score the goals for Peterhead. He has come in with a big reputation and if reports are to be believed big wages but it would be good for the rest of us in the league if he fails to deliver, don’t think that will be the case though.

Your manager's popularity out of 10 with the fans?

Very high, as a local boy and ex player at the club his stock is still pretty high despite missing out on the play-offs last term.

Highland Football League Kevin McKenzie previews the Highland Football League and tips Cove Rangers to become Champions After a short summer holiday, the Scot-Ads Highland League returns for what has all the makings of another exciting season. Managerial changes and steady transfer activity means the title challengers will return with a new look to them, while the clubs below them continue to build on their recent successes. The fixture list has thrown up some big games early on, pairing Cove Rangers with Buckie Thistle on the opening day and Deveronvale two weeks later, leaving at least one of the title challengers playing catch-up from the outset.

Reigning champions Buckie Thistle start as favourites to complete a hattrick of titles.

Work commitments have ruled striker Ian Murray out for the season, and manager Gregg Carrol admitted that the club will be adding some youngsters to the squad to freshen things up. Runners up Deveronvale are ready to let the youngsters who did so well for them last season carry on their good work, assisted by recent arrival Grant Noble from Turriff United.

Lurking in the shadows behind Buckie and Deveronvale are a host of clubs ready to take advantage of any slip ups from last seasons top two. Amid much transfer speculation, Keith have retained the services of Highland League player of the year Cammy Keith, the man who scored most of the goals during the Maroons title push last season, while Cove Rangers have taken in Formartine refugee Richie Singer and ex-Peterhead player Paul Emslie as they try to improve on last seasons third place finish.

Recent arrivals Formartine United have been the big players in the transfer market over the summer.

Steve Paterson targeted ten new players to beef up his squad and in mid-June had found eight, leaving his new side better prepared to face

the title favourites than in the past and possibly challenge near the top themselves. Near neighbours Inverurie Locos have taken in Ally Graham and Marc Young from Formartine and if they can improve on their away form Locos will be near the top of the table come the end of the season.

in the transfer market. Lossiemouth welcome Craig Morrison back to the club after spells at Keith and Turriff United but will be without midfielder Steven Ellis as they look to continue their rise up the table. Clach have lost Stuart Leslie to Elgin City and face a struggle to improve on a fourth from bottom finish

In the far north, Brora Rangers will be looking for another season of the classy football that saw them finish above Wick Academy for the first time in many a year. Brora have shipped in talent from the local league clubs, including Stuart Golabek from Ross County. Wick have installed former Rangers player Davie Kirkwood as they attempt to improve on a slump in form which earned only one win away from home in the league until the closing stages of the season.

Of the three basement clubs only Rothes start the season with the same manager, with an improved showing in the league the target for Graeme McBeath following recent cup runs.

Along with their league campaigns, Nairn County, Turriff United and Forres Mechanics have trophies to defend this season. A late flourish saw the Wee County climb the table and secure a place in the top five before going on to thrash Fraserburgh in the Highland League Cup final, ending a trophy drought that went on too long for a club which has invested heavily in playing talent. North of Scotland Cup winners Forres finished behind Nairn on goal difference but have lost influential captain Neil Whyte to retirement, while Turriff United, winners of the Aberdeenshire Shield, have recruited the much travelled Jerry O’Driscoll as they attempt to build on a respectable eighth place finish.

Further down the table, Huntly will have a new look about them after losing a number of players to Formartine and Peterhead, and face a tough job trying to keep up with their neighbours in the Shire. A one sided cup final defeat capped a disappointing season for Fraserburgh, and the Broch are likely to face more of the same following a quiet summer

Donly McLeod has stepped down as manager at Strathspey Thistle and handed over the reigns to assistant Brian Ritchie, while Danny Conlon has taken the reigns at Fort William following the departure of Calum Maclean. Fort are concentrating on off the field activities in the short term, installing terracing and a new 125 seat stand as part of a move towards meeting the club licensing requirements.

The majority of the SHFL clubs enter the Scottish Cup at the first round stage in September, while Buckie Thistle and Deveronvale receive a bye and enter a round later. Formartine United, Turriff United and Strathspey Thistle are all set to miss out again as none have completed the necessary ground improvements required to allow them entry, although all three are confident of being ready for next years competition.

Predictions League champions - Cove Rangers, Runners-up – Buckie Thistle, third – Deveronvale; long shot - Inverurie Locos, Wooden spoon – Strathspey Thistle.

Highland League Cup – Buckie Thistle North of Scotland Cup – Lossiemouth Aberdeenshire Cup – Cove Rangers SHFL teams to go furthest in the Scottish Cup – Deveronvale, Nairn County.

51

The Juniors

Martin Young and Stephen Kennedy from TheJuniors.info preview the season ahead in the Junior Leagues.

WEST REGION

it with the seniors in the Scottish Cup. Pollok have been inconsistent League restructuring has been lately and it’s hard to tell how they the biggest talking point of our will fare one week to the next. short summer break and is sure to Ashfield will be a strong addition intensify competition throughout to the Premier League, they the west region this season. play surprisingly good football considering the size of their home In the Premier League, Arthurlie patch, and will likely cause some have been very active on the upsets. The arrival of Clydebank transfer market as they look to go and their vocal support is sure to one better than last year’s second lighten up the competition, and place, bringing in top talent such with some strengthening in key as Keith Ross, Gary Livingstone areas could do well. and James Marks. Irvine Meadow can never be discounted, after an The lower end of the table is too impressive league campaign last hard to predict, as outside the top year saw them win at a canter for four or five teams the league is the second time in three years. very well balanced and it all comes Beith appear to be rebuilding down to how well the teams play this summer after being one of against each other. Some will be the most consistent teams in the happy that this is likely the last West for many years, but may still year of the Superleague relegation mount a challenge. playoff, making it slightly easier to stay in the top flight.

It would of course be dangerous to overlook Junior Cup giants In the cut throat world of Auchinleck Talbot, but they may Superleague Division One there be too preoccupied defending is no such thing as a certainty. their Emirates Cup title and mixing With six new sides in a fourteen 52

team league you never can tell how they will match up. Glenafton came close to promotion in the playoff after a solid, if not spectacular, finish to the season and will hope to carry on in the same fashion. Shotts are another team who finished strongly and with a little more experience on the park should be challenging for the title.

Newly relegated Lanark and Rutherglen will be hoping to avoid the same fate as last year’s relegated teams, who both went straight through and into the district leagues. Both will be hard to beat, and we’d expect Lanark to be battling it out at the top end of the table. With so little between the teams it is almost impossible to predict what will happen in this division, and this makes it one of the most entertaining in junior football. Newly promoted Ardrossan and Dalry have both lost some of their key players, so will have to try hard to consolidate their position in the league. Kilsyth

bounced straight back up at the first time of asking and may pose a threat and Thorniewood will be an unknown quantity for many of the opposition.

My team to watch: Oakley United, My team to worry about: Broughty, Surprise package: Sauchie North League

will run until probably early-June 2012, with 37 clubs including junior new-boys Colony Park of Inverurie and Portgordon Victoria competing for honours.

This will be the final season with district leagues in the west, which means every team has to fight all season long to avoid being relegated a level or two!

East of Scotland Cup finalists Dundee North End start of as huge favourites in this league after narrowly missing out to Downfield in the only promotion space last season. Unfortunately there is only 1 team in Arbroath with Sporting Club not making it to the grid this year. Competition to North End will come from an ever improving Kirriemuir and Violet team.

Last season saw Culter win two cups and finish 12 points in front of Hall Russell in the Superleague, Inverness Thistle win the First Division comfortably but being denied promotion and Parkvale make their stay in the Second Division a short one after beating Newmacher United on goal difference. Cup runs ended in tears for Sunnybank and Banks o’ Dee as their league form suffered.

EAST REGION East Super League Double champions Bo’ness will no doubt start the new season as favourites, but only a few miles up the road bitter rivals Linlithgow Rose will be the team to watch this season. Prestonfield has resembled an airport terminal with players coming and going 7 confirmed new faces will pull on the famous Rose top but with such an over hall of the playing staff there will surely be a bedding in time and in this league every game counts. Bo’ness have a new manager, as do Forfar and Bonnyrigg’s Max Christie only has a few games under the belt as boss.

The new boys Carnoustie and St Andrews will bring the standard even higher this season both will want to get off to good starts and the Saints have been freshening up their squad with 5 new faces.

My team to watch: Linlithgow, My team to worry about: Forfar West End. Surprise Package: Lochee U. Premier League In my view the best league to watch this season is the Premier League, some cracking teams already in from last season Penicuik, Broxburn and Glenrothes have been joined

by Newtongrange, Sauchie and Tayport in what will be a tough division. Newtongrange under new management have seen some major playing staff changes, as have Tayport. Lee Duffy will be a big loss to Glenrothes as will Stuart Roseburgh to Newtongrange but both teams I tip to be up there this year. Three go down from this league and there is also a nice spread of travelling with not too many long trips for anyone!

My team to watch: North End. My This close-season has seen some team to worry about: Lochee Harp, changes to squads and even club Surprise Package: Kirriemuir names. The end of last season gave a few sides some food for Central League thought; how much work have they done so far before it kick-offs Only one promotion space again? again this season and with 14 teams battling it out let’s hope it Superleague stays undecided for most of the season. Thornton and Kinnoull Banchory St Ternan (6th last were relegated from the premier season) ended a promising league so both will be up there 2011 with a whimper through challenging, whilst Dundonald defeats to Culter, Longside and will be hoping to go one better Fraserburgh. Last season also saw having been piped to the post by four managers step into the boots Champions Oakley. with former assistant Sandy Carroll taking charge in the end. He would My team to watch: Dundonald, be wise to keep the nucleus of the My team to worry about: Luncarty, team. Banks O’ Dee (4th) crushed Surprise package: Kirkcaldy Sunnybank 7-1 to win the North Regional Cup but were 20 points South League adrift of Culter in the title race.

The ambitious champions of 2008 What a league this proved to be and 2009 have one of the best last year with 5 teams still in the set-ups in the North and with hunt in the closing stages. 15 their track record don’t discount teams are gunning for yes you them. Culter (champions) strolled guessed it 1 promotion place. to the title late in the day winning Sad to see Whitburns fall into seven straight ties and managing the South league and they are a +58 goal difference though a joined by Grangemouth based 3-0 home defeat to Banks o’ Dee team Falkirk Juniors. Tranent are in April and a season-ending under new management and Scottish Cup could give their rivals have had a summer clear out and a chance, with Haddington, Livingston and Fauldhouse strengthening this will Dyce Juniors (5th) have made be another tough league to call. some new signings which the club will announce within the next My team to watch: Fauldhouse, few days. They feel however they My team to worry about: Harthill, could have finished even higher in Surprise Package: Livingston the late-season stramash. If only they could remember they had an NORTH REGION empty twitter account for us! Ellon United (11th) go into the new The new North Region season season with Craig Stewart now begins on Tuesday 2nd August in charge. The club admit they with the Grill League Cup and just didn’t score enough goals 53

in a tough 2011 and it’ll take the signings of a few more forwards to ensure that. New boys Forres Thistle (2nd First Division) have usually only opted for players from the town but are considering recruiting from further out for their Superleague campaign. Just staying up will be considered an achievement.

A young Hall Russell United (2nd) squad risks departures to Highland and Northern SFL teams. They have a challenge to keep producing the young talent.

So do rivals Hermes (3rd), who twice lost heavily to Culter in May but have a stellar young side. With transfer activity likely to affect both Denmore sides, they have to be among the sides to watch.

Lewis United (8th) had an erratic past season, the nadir of which was a 10-1 drubbing against Hall Russell. But they were still just three points off third last season and have been training hard this pre-season. Longside (13th) were saved last time by Inverness and then sudden death penalties. This time around they will need to get off to a better start; late 2010 saw them lose eight on the trot.

Maud (9th) have a friendly against Formartine to prepare them for the league and have so far expanded their squad by signing Luke Barbour and MacKenzie Geddes from Cruden Bay. Stonehaven (10th) went down 7-0 to Culter late last time around and they and FC Stoneywood (12th) may find this season hard going with no side clearly going to struggle.

Sunnybank (7th) complete the setup. Rumours of players leaving may unsettle a team who are usually there or there-about. This year, they may have to sacrifice either their league or cup chances to bolster the other.

First Division

are now Bridge of Don Thistle (8th). Hermes and Hall Russell may regret not beating them to it, especially as the new team play across the River Don. It may help them capture a community to cheer them to greater heights, though time will tell.

Division) are back in the Second Division after two years away.

Their First Division experience could give them the edge in the nine-team league. New boys Colony Park (n/a) have a tradition of producing stars from their youth network and now their best will be playing junior. This makes Deveronside (9th) have friendlies them a promising proposition in against RAF Lossie, Cruden Bay their first season as Inverurie’s first and neighbours Deveronvale just junior side since Locos went senior before the competitive season in 2002. Cruden Bay (bottom) will begins to shape their squad and hope to climb off the foot of the push themselves up the table this Region and have made some season. Dufftown (11th) remain strong signings already, including the North’s only active twitterers Formartine forward Calum Irvine.

- thanks very much - and have strengthened their team with The highlights of Fochabers’ (5th) former Rothes striker Joe Gerrie. 2011 were the visits of the village East End (10th) had a poor 2011 ‘ultras’. They could do their bit to and this year they’ll need to find cheer on the team home and away a few local gems to keep up with this year! Nairn St Ninian (4th) the big Aberdeen sides or risk were well-off the front-runners last falling further behind the other season, in contrast to 2010 where sides in the city. When it comes to they were second. Will they have the title, the squad this year to challenge again? Newmacher United (2nd) Fraserburgh United (bottom eventually missed out on the Superleague) will be among the title on the last day of the season favourites. Their last First campaign though will have used their first saw them beat Inverness City (1st, season well in preparation for denied promotion) to the top this attempt. Portgordon Victoria spot. City are still working hard (n/a) dominated the Moray to find a permanent group in the Welfare League for five years but Highland Capital to enable them the jump up to junior isn’t always to go up. Glentanar (3rd) and kind, though last season they won Islavale (6th) will both be among every trophy bar one and they are the front-runners. But they’ll both up for the challenge. need to produce results without delay to stay in the chase; there’s RAF Lossiemouth (6th) continue still a chance only one promotion to battle on while the future of spot could be available this time the base - and probably the team around and it’s going to be tight. themselves - remains unknown.

Avoiding the wooden spoon will Lossiemouth United (7th) and New be their main task while cup runs Elgin (4th) too could be among remain a rarity to the Crabs. Finally, the front-runners. The latter took Whitehills (3rd) will be aiming to 31 points from their 13 home be among the best-of-the-rest matches last season and were just after being marooned between one point behind Glentanar. Don’t top and bottom last season in discount Lossie either who have what was otherwise their best been mid-table for a few years season in their junior history. and are aiming to break-away.

Parkvale (champions Second There’s still a month to go until the Division) begun pre-season this kick-off with friendlies to pass the week. After a tough few seasons time. For the clubs though it’s all the Portlethen team are using preparation for the new season. their title vault for powering back Thejuniors.info will be reporting up the ladder and with their home on North news throughout the village expanding, even more season so stay in touch. locals could do a lot worse than to cheer them on.

Buchanhaven Hearts (5th) just missed out on the play-offs last year and are among the favourites to return to the Superleague after two years. Last year’s late win at Islavale kept the hosts in the First for another year and the result shows Hearts have mettle. Buckie Rovers (13th) and Burghead Thistle Second Division (12th) on the other hand will be aiming just to stay up. Hillhead Bishopmill United (bottom First 54

Scotland Craig Fowler profiles Scotland’s chances of qualifying for the European Championships in 2012

Republic arrive for the first of our crucial qualification doubleheader. We embarrassed ourselves as a football nation the last time the teams met, so there is the added incentive of everyone wanting to redeem themselves.

Particularly, our “forward-thinking” (excuse the irony) manager, Craig Levein.

His refusal to play without a recognised central-attacker in the trip to Prague left many of his critics puzzled and the supporters furious. He still claims it was a valid game-plan and insists he’d be happy to use it again. Hopefully, he is only saying this so as not to lose face or respect, and is not stubborn or stupid enough to ever try that experiment again.

The Czechs will still be favourites for the game, but it is widely recognised that this team is not as strong as previous squads. This actually added to the outrage following the previous loss as many felt the Czech were there for the taking. Still, with a sell-out Hampden, and a centralised striker, we can feel confident about battling our way to a vital victory.

Should we secure all three points we have to be careful not to directly plunge back into negativity with the potential banana skin clash against Lithuania three days later. Like the Czechs, this is hardly a “golden generation” for Lithuanian football, but they did manage to win in Prague earlier in the campaign, so there is reason to be cautious.

Over the summer months the winds of change have been howling through the dusty SFA corridors as our national game attempts to haul itself into a brighter future.

Without going into too much detail on the hows and whys, it does seem to have bolstered positivity around the institution, with fans now beginning to believe that the association recognises its flaws and is willing to change for the better.

Unfortunately for the SFA, football fans aren’t known for being the more patient of god’s creatures. The strategies currently being put in place won’t show any benefice until years down the line.

They revolve around getting young teenagers playing the game for longer hours a week, hiring better coaches at a younger level and generally getting potential stars focused, and enthused, about making a successful career in football. Any rational person will tell you that it’ll be five to ten years before any positive or negative change to the Scottish national team senior side occurs as a result of these plans. However, you just know that there will be thousands, upon thousands, of people who will deride the SFA when the next European

Championship’s qualifier defeats arrives; “See? Nothing’s changed. Still a lodda shite!”

So for now, the SFA are resting their hope with the current crop of Scottish internationalists to keep the positive feeling flowing, and to record consistently good results over the next five games.

Fortunately, they have a terrific chance to do just that.

In just over the space of a month, Scotland play three international fixtures.

All of them are at Hampden, and all of them are winnable games.

First up, Denmark arrive for a friendly match on the 10th of August. The latest FIFA rankings did not paint Scotland in such a positive light and this can be improved with friendly wins over teams ranked higher than you. Determination may have been lacking from many-afriendly over recent years, but with places up for grabs in those crucial qualifiers, and players desperate to prove their fitness at the start of the new season, we may be in for a pleasant surprise with this one.

If Scotland can record back-to-back wins from those qualifiers it would take the team into 2nd place in the group, a point ahead of the Czech Republic, with both teams having two games left to play.

Such a scenario would make Scotland’s 2nd last qualifier, away to Liechenstein, a huge fixture. The day before, Spain travel to the Czech Republic and a Spanish victory would leave Scotland on the brink of qualifying for the playoffs. Although, it would be typical of Scotland to navigate the hard part by winning both games at Hampden and then have our bottle crash in Vaduz.

Of course, there is still one fixture after that, but it hardly allows margin for error.

On the 11th of October, Scotland close their qualification group campaign with a trip to Alicante to take on the reigning World and European champions. It is therefore imperative that the players win their three previous fixtures beforehand.

And just to drive how hard a task that will be; the last time Scotland won three consecutive fixtures (in any competition) was back in 2007. But let’s stay positive for a change.

The real fun and games start on the 3rd of September when the Czech 55

Emerging Talents FEATURE Ones to Watch

Neil Murray looks at some of the young players tipped for great things this season in Europe.

Eden Hazard has been highly sought after this summer by many top European sides after an impressive season with Lille.

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AT the start of every season, there are always a handful of names bandied about that are tipped for big things in the coming year.

This summer is no different and there are more than a handful of youngsters who are already being linked with or signed by the big hitters like Real Madrid, Manchester United and Barcelona.

One player on the shopping list of most of the wealthier clubs is Belgian international Eden Hazard.

The 20-year-old was a regular for Lille as they won their first French Ligue 1 title in 47 years last season and he chipped in with 12 goals and 10 assists in the 52 appearances he made for Les Dogues.

The young forward has everything – pace, trickery, is two-footed and has a nose for goal - and he has been a regular name in the Belgium squad since the age of 17.

Whether Lille boss Rudi Garcia will be able to keep a hold of him is another matter, though his young talisman has admitted he is happy with the club for the time being despite interest from Bayern Munich, Liverpool, Arsenal, Inter Milan and Paris Saint-Germain.

Hazard’s international team-mate Romelu Lukaku is another player attracting much interest, especially from Chelsea. The 18-year-old is already a full international, having made his bow in 2010, and has made over 70 league appearances for Anderlecht with a neat return of 31 goals.

Lukaku uses his 6’3” frame well and, in some aspects, is not unlike the man Chelsea want him to replace, Didier Drogba, who could be heading back to French football sooner rather than later.

France certainly is producing several very talented young players and two prospects who are making waves are midfielders Yann M’Vila of Rennes and Toulouse ace Moussa Sissoko.

Both 21-year-olds are well rounded players more than capable of playing the holding role in the middle of the park and they have broken into the international set-up in the last couple of years.

They are also not with big-name sides which makes the chances of some movement in the transfer market quite likely, even possibly during this close-season. Real Madrid, Manchester United, Liverpool and Arsenal are looking at £15m-rated M’Vila whilst those same English sides also want Sissoko. All are in the market with United looking for Paul Scholes’ replacement, Liverpool set to sell Raul Meireles and Arsenal also contemplating a new midfielder should Cesc Fabregas finally head for Barcelona.

One French youngster who already has won his move to Real Madrid is under-21 international Raphael Varane. The 18-year-old central defender impressed last season at Lens and Madrid boss Jose Mourinho moved quickly to snap the 6’3” stopper up for around €10million.

Despite his tender years, Varane is undoubtedly ready to compete for a place in Mourinho’s starting line-up and has shown maturity beyond his years in his short professional career to date.

The French can’t lay claim to all the youthful talent; however, and Spain has a few of its own making a name for themselves, particularly David de Gea and Iker Munian. De Gea, 20, has big gloves to fill having just made

the move from Atletico Madrid to Manchester United as a replacement for Dutch legend Edwin van der Sar. The Spanish under-21 international has enjoyed two good seasons in La Liga though he has yet to make his bow for Spain’s national squad due to Iker Casillas and Victor Valdes being the top two goalkeepers in the country. That is of no detriment to the giant shot-stopper; however, and Sir Alex Ferguson has landed arguably the top young goalkeeper of these current times.

De Gea’s under-21 team-mate Muniain continues to impress for Athletic Bilbao where he has been a first-team regular for two years despite being only 18-years-old.

Playing mainly as a winger – though he can play up front – Muniain is the darling of the Bilbao fans and the talismanic figure of their current team.

As attacking midfielders go, Muniain is one of the best teenage prospects coming through in European football at the moment, much like Borussia Dortmund midfielder Mario Gotze.

The 19-year-old was a star in Dortmund’s Bundesliga title win last year and he already has six full caps for the German national side. Gotze, along with Bayer Leverkusen’s Andre Schurrle, are the first two German internationals to have been born in the re-unified nation and there’s no doubt the Dortmund man will be winning caps for many more seasons to come. Gotze will be looking to light up Dortmund’s Champions League campaign this year also.

Saving the best for last, the one player who is certain to hit new heights in 2011-12 is Brazilian wonderkid Neymar. The 19-year-old Santos star is set to clinch a move to a major European club this summer with already five sides having agreed to meet the buy-out clause in his contract which is said to be around £40million. Manchester City, Chelsea and Real Madrid are three of the clubs who are interested and one of those clubs are his likely destination.

The young forward is capable of amazing tricks and scores spectacular goals, though his temperament is is questionable. There’s no doubting though that Neymar will be the name on everyone’s lips this coming season.

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De Toekomst FEATURE Inside Ajax

Sean Graham takes a closer look at the Ajax Academy and interviews Youth Coach Edmond Claus

need to learn in what age group. It is also important for a coach to be familiar with the culture of Ajax and the way we play the game.” b) In a player “Before players are admitted into the youth development program, they must go through a stringent selection process. Ajax coaches and scouts use the ‘TIPS’ system for selection.

Technique, Insight, Personality and Speed are the essential qualities that an Ajax (youth) player needs to possess. With the TIPS system, the most talented players become familiar early on with Ajax’s unique football style.”

THE Ajax youth system is famous all over the world, so much talent has came through the ranks of their youth system to go on and play for the first team, some have gone on to become legends.

I managed to get an insight into what it takes to become an Ajax player and just how the Ajax set up works as I spoke to Edmond Claus who is the trainer/coach Ajax B2(under-16) and assistant to the head of youth.

The academy has brought through many success stories over the years but has anyone slipped through the net and went on to make it big elsewhere?

“One of the rare examples is international Eljero Elia, he had to leave Ajax when he was 15 years of age. But mostly we are correct in terms of assessing a player. Most of the players in our outflows find another professional club, but not at the level of Ajax.

There is another good example.

International Gregory van der Wiel, who also had to leave the Youth Academy. After his forced departure, he started playing at HFC Haarlem, a 58

club with a professional partnership with Ajax. Thanks through our partnership, he could come back and meanwhile Gregory played several years for the first team of Ajax.”

How many coaches do you have working there?

“We have thirteen teams at Ajax, from the reserves (Young Ajax) to the very youngest pupils (F1). Each team has one coach, except the youngsters from the A1 (u-19), this team also have an assistant coach. In addition we have a large staff and personal trainers who provide training. All together approximately thirty people.”

What are the criteria that you look for? a) In a coach “The ideal coach should be pleased to work with people/children. He must be able to address them in a way that suits their age and playing level. But also very important: coaches must be able to develop the players and also willing to develop themselves.

Furthermore, the coach must have an idea about how and what the players

If young and aspiring youth coaches from abroad wanted to learn and explore the Ajax or Dutch development model, how could they do that?

“By coming over to the playground of Ajax and see how everything goes here. But trainers can of course also follow a Dutch trainer course. The Dutch vision is a way of thinking about football.”

What facilities do you have at the academy?

“At our youth development complex called ‘De Toekomst’ (The Future), we have all facilities available for players to get to the top. Everything, both on and off the field, must be perfectly organised. Not only for Ajax 1, but also for the youth academy at ‘De Toekomst’. Only then, top performances can be delivered.”

How many Ajax teams do you have at present?

Ajax, Ajax reserves, Ajax A1, Ajax A2, Ajax B1, Ajax B2, Ajax C1, Ajax C2, Ajax D1, Ajax D2, Ajax E1, Ajax E2, Ajax E3, Ajax F1.

Can you dispel the myth that you have to go through the Ajax Juniors A1 and Ajax 2-Young Ajax,

of untapped and potential talent.

What are Ajax thoughts on the scouting of such talent at this level in Holland or beyond?

before you reach the Ajax first team, if you are lucky?

“No that is not true. Two recent examples are the Danish players Christian Eriksen and Nicolai Boilesen.

They both went immediately from the A1 to the first team. That is the quickest step. But passing the Ajax reserves first is the most common step. We also call this team ‘the mini trampoline’ to the first team.”

Do all the players at the other Ajax teams train in the same way from an early age so that they have become more accustomed to the style by the time they reach the first team?

“The youth teams are trained in exactly the same way as the first team then these boys are therefore already accustomed to Ajax’s style of play.

Central reference within the club and the youth academy is the style of play (1-4-3-3), training, behaviour and house rules. Ajax strives to keep the way of playing football recognisable; attractive, offensive-minded, creative, fast, fair and preferably away from the own goal on the opponents’ half.”

Have any other sides in the world tried to copy your model?

“Yes that happens often but really copying is impossible. Our approach is born from the culture and history and is carried/supported from the club.”

Why do you think that your academy has been so successful?

“At AFC Ajax, the training of top football players takes centre stage.

That is why the youth academy is also known as the breeding ground of Dutch football. The further you get, the harder it becomes to maintain

your place and to reach the ultimate objective - to play in the Amsterdam Arena, the home base of Ajax 1. Ajax’s youth academy is world famous.

The goal of Ajax is to form talented youngsters into top football players.

Only the very best will reach the first team after a difficult and often long and tiring road. Ajax has attached great importance to its own world renowned youth development program. In the season 2010/11, the Ajax selection largely consists of home grown players.”

Players in Holland seem to have more technical ability than many in Scotland, why do you think this is?

“We focus on technical abilities. We select and train players on (technical) football skills, not on strength and physical factors. The position play is very important to us.

In the Netherlands, the fans are not satisfied with just a positive result, they want to see good football.”

During a grassroots football conversation with my friend who currently coaches at the youth level in Scotland with St.Mirren Youth Football Club, he told me, he believes that potential young talent at that level, is not scouted enough by the professional clubs in Scotland. He believes, the professional setups, let go of raw talent for the wrong reasons and far too early an age. For example, the issue of height, at the age 12 and 13 should not be considered as reason.

If the country adopted an approach like Rinus Michels TIC vision, the country would maybe see a greater breakthrough of young players and limit the loss

“This has everything to do with the view on football. Obviously a player needs some power to keep standing up. But you can also work on that by strength training. The length of a player can’t be a reason, just look at Wesley Sneijder and Lionel Messi.

We rather train and select players to stay away of the physical duels in the game by being smart, agile and keep the ball in the team.”

Have you attempted initiatives with grassroots clubs abroad, to unearth untapped talent?

“No, we have no alliance with foreign clubs, except with Ajax Cape Town in South Africa. And we only scout in the countries where the market is still affordable, for example in Denmark.”

What age do the Ajax Academy look to bring the kids in?

“Players under the age of nine.”

Do you have schooling or Education for the kids at the academy?

“In addition to football development, Ajax takes study very seriously. The club has a complete school program at its disposal. An academic coordinator and several teachers are all available for the players during their studies. “ Do the players have any special training or diets?

“Yes, all players receive individual training on many fronts. Think about technical-, position-specific-, power-, agility-, mental aspects, etc. And each player in the youth has a personal development plan. Players also get dietary advice if required.”

Many of the finest names in Dutch football history have came through your Academy- Cruyff, Van Basten, Rijkaard, Kieft, Bergkamp and Kluivert to name a few, who can we expect to look out for in the future?

“We hope that we can quickly bring the new Johan Cruyff.!”

With thanks to both Arjan Duijnker and Edmond Claus for their time.

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A New Dawn?

COLUMN The Final Whistle

Andy Muirhead takes a look back at some important events from last season and asks if lessons will be learned and if the game will be better for it.

SCOTTISH Football last season was overshadowed by a series of scandals and attacks. From the referees going on strike, to Hugh Dallas being sacked for sending an inappropriate email to a referee lying to Neil Lennon and then trying to cover it up to the Celtic manager being on the receiving end of bombs, bullets and assaulted by a fan, not to mention the battle between the SFA and Celtic over the rules of the game. Last season will live on as the ‘Season of Infamy’ in Scottish Football history.

Last season, football played second fiddle to all the above issues, hopefully the new season will be all about what happens on the pitch, rather than what happens off it.

REFEREES Once again the referees were in the spotlight for all the wrong reasons and even their boss Hugh Dallas was caught up in it all, ultimately losing his job for an offensive joke sent by email.

With the Dougie McDonald lie to Neil Lennon over a reversal of a penalty decision, that started a chain of events that culminated in the linesman Stewart Craven coming out and stating that McDonald had lied to Lennon, had covered it up and that Hugh Dallas was in on it also.

Celtic demanded the head of McDonald, but he kept his job for a short time and rather than being sacked, he walked. Not before his fellow referees walked out in protest and refused to officiate games for one whole week.

The SFA in all its wisdom searched all of Europe for referees who would be willing to run the rule over our games for the weekend, and only a few games managed to be played, with the foreign referees showing up their Scottish counterparts, for actually making no bad decisions at 60

all!

On top of that we had Calum Murray being man-handled during the Old Firm ‘shame game’ with Madjid Bougherra grabbing the arm of the whistler twice as he tried to brandish a red card - first to Whittaker and then to Bougherra in the dying minutes of the game. The incidents were condemnation by SFA Chief Executive Stewart Regan.

Despite physical contact being made and the SFA Chief Executive condemning the incidents, Murray actually backed Bougherra and the Algerian escaped punishment, other

than a fine. However Murray’s actions will now give precedence to other footballers who could not think they can get away with man handling or grappling with the referee.

And you wonder why Bougherra came out of the meeting all smiles.

POPEGATE If that wasn’t bad enough Referees Chief, Hugh Dallas, was sacked for sending/forwarding an offensive joke with an email about the Pope.

Four other SFA employees were also sacked, however they were later reinstated. Dallas wasn’t.

NEIL LENNON His first season in charge at Celtic, was an eventful one for the Northern Irishman. Certainly one that him nor the Footballing world will forget about in a hurry.

After copping a ban from the SFA and then challenging it, and challenging it again because of its harshness the SFA and Celtic battled all season long over a number of issues. This culminated in eminent QC Paul McBride, tearing holes in the SFA’s own rulebook and procedures.

Although the QCs high profile actions didn’t endear him to some sections, including SFA President George Peat, who decided to have his two pence worth as per usual, making a mockery of the organisation with his comments and actions.

on the touchline, despite all the abuse he regularly receives from certain fan circles. However that safety disappeared when a Hearts fan jumped the barrier in front of the main stand and attacked Neil Lennon on the touchline, as Celtic went 2-0 up and the Northern Irishman celebrated.

These incidents pushed the Celtic support closer to Lennon, despite only coming second in the league for the third year in a row. But with all of the above happening to him, it was amazing that he led Celtic to second spot, just one point behind rivals Rangers whose manager Walter Smith signed off with a league and cup double.

Trish Godman MSP and Paul McBride QC were also on the receiving end of parcel bombs.

Because of their allegancies to Celtic and the high profile nature of their jobs.

Despite the issues of a referee lying to him and being banned for a number of games, the biggest incidents that occurred were related to Bombs, Bullets and Assault.

Neil Lennon, already a target for hate-filled bigots since his arrival at Celtic Park 11 years ago, was now the target of a mad man or men, who were sending bullets to the Lurganborn manager. Thankfully these were intercepted by Postal staff.

Paddy McCourt and Niall McGinn also received packages containing bullets, with the only explanation for all three receiving such a package, was down to their Northern Irish Roman Catholic heritage.

It got worse for Lennon as he then became the recipient of a number of parcel bombs, again none of the packages made it through the Lennon. The Celtic manager was moved on a minutes notice several times and placed under tight security for fear of things escalating further. Sadly they did, but not where everyone expected it.

The only place safe for Lennon was

a r e

P o l i c e eventually arrested two men in Ayrshire in connection with the parcel bombs investigations still on-going.

CONSEQUENCES The consequences of the run-ins between Celtic and the SFA, saw the forcing through of the governing body being revamped with the ‘suits on committees’ being ditched for ‘other suits on committees’.

The new system and new style of the Disciplinary procedure within the SFA, should bring the governing body into the 21st Century and it has taken an Englishman to do so, despite the claims of George Peat, who as he bid farewell to the SFA Presidency and all those free five star holidays, tried to claim responsibility that it was all his idea.

Because of the Neil Lennon incidents, a number of bodies including the Scottish Government, Celtic and Rangers, the Police and the SPL are

in discussions to impose a Offensive Behaviour bill, which will see fans arrested for singing certain songs, making gestures, even blessing yourself vigorusly aswell as waving a flag in an aggressive manner. Despite trying to rush through the bill in time for the new season, the Scottish Goverment halted proceedings, as there were too many issues still to be discussed.

On top of that the Police created a Joint Aciton Task Force, which would target the bigots and thugs on social networking sites who posted sectarian, racist and offensive comments - with a number of arrests being made already.

However many have slammed the way in which the Scottish Government and Football authorities specifically targeted Celtic and Rangers, with the Police blaming the many of the problems, after an Old Firm game, in Scotland’s city centres on the game rather than blaming the main culprit - alcohol.

The Scottish Government also jumped on the bandwagon weeks before the Holyrood elections, in what was seen by some including myself as nothing more than a Publicity stunt to win more votes. It was made all the more blatant when the necessary funding for anti-sectarianism and anti-bigotry charities was awarded on the same day, yet previously the government reduced their funding, if not culled it altogether.

The Government also tried to push through their Offensive Behaviour bill, but after widespread criticism of the way they were trying to force it through with many unanswered questions still not solved, the SNP government postponed its implementation.

Season 2011-12 is a huge year for Scottish Football. The game must stamp out sectarianism, it must also sort itself out in terms of the quality, attracting the fans back as well as the disciplinary and referee procedures, otherwise our game will continue to be the laughing stock of Europe.

I hope, no pray, that Scottish Football this season will be all about the football, quality football. Rather than the negative issues hitting the headlines once more for the whole world to see and be ashamed at.

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THE FINAL

WHISTLE

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