THE SATURDAY JURY
1 Allan McGregor has signed a new deal but should he be Rangers’ No.1 or is it time for a change?
Tough one. McGregor actually came through a dodgy spell and played very well at the end of last season. He ended that campaign as the No.1 keeper and I think he’ll start this one in possession of the jersey.
The time has come for Jon McLaughlin to get a decent run but I wouldn’t be bombing McGregor back to the bench completely. Yes, he had the odd mistake last term. But his European displays proved he’s still a top performer.
It’s time for McGregor to take a step back to allow Rangers to move forward. McLaughlin is now ahead of him in the nuts and bolts of goalkeeping, those being commanding the box, sweeping, distribution and he is a good shotstopper too.
2 Alexandro Bernabei is poised to become Celtic’s latest signing. What does it mean for Greg Taylor?
It provides healthy competition, nothing more. Celtic are going to have a lot of games to play next season and I’d imagine Ange Postecoglou will give both players plenty of game time.
I’m afraid I haven’t been keeping up with the Argentine domestic action of late but Taylor has proved a steady performer for Celtic over the last 12 months and won’t be shifted easily.
Taylor is an underrated performer for club and country. I’ve a funny feeling he could be about to be shunted to second-choice full-back, though, as Postecoglou’s recruitment record shows he doesn’t sign duds.
3 Is Aiden McGeady a good signing for Hibs or are the winger’s best days too far behind him?
Hibs got rid of their most creative midfielder, Scott Allan, who was hugely underused. They need a defence opener and McGeady has the ability to do that. Whether he can do it all season at his age is the big question but he’s worth a punt.
There’s no doubt he won’t quite have the turn of pace we remember but you don’t lose the technical quality McGeady clearly has. As a character, he’s never shy to share an opinion and his demand for high standards is just what Hibs need.
Having spoken to a few Sunderland fans, he’s certainly still got it when fit. Too often last season Hibs’ possession stats camouflaged a rotten record in front of goal simply because they had nothing to unlock defences. That’s McGeady’s speciality.
4 Aberdeen are splashing the cash but do you think the Dons will be bothering the European spots?
Jim Goodwin had a decent recruitment record at St Mirren and it’ll be interesting to see how he does with a few bob to spend at Dons. They should be challenging for Europe every season but I’m not sure they will be in this campaign.
They’re certainly backing Goodwin but then the Calvin Ramsay cash is a big help. Given the quality of recruits, on paper you’d expect to see them back in the top six. But it’s on the green stuff that really matters.
They have to be, simple as that. Top four has to be minimum requirement after a horrendous campaign and especially now Dave Cormack has loosened the purse strings. The signings are unknown but appear to have great potential.