The Courier & Advertiser (Fife Edition)
More physical Dundee can make a statement
Everyone connected with football in Scotland is licking their lips in anticipation as the respective Ladbrokes league campaigns kick off on Saturday – and I am no different. It should be a cracking season in all the divisions with the profile of the game in this country well and truly on the up again.
Locally, there is plenty to look forward to and also a lotto pond er, starting with my old club Dundee who have a reasonable opening game to St Mirren away.
I always thought Dundee were a bit on the soft side last season but Neil McCann has brought a few in and they look a bit more physical and stronger.
They are still looking for that elusive 20-goal-a-season striker that everybody is craving. I wasn’t surprised that Neil let front men Faissal El Bakhtaoui and Marcus Haber go out on loan.
I think as a manager you want your own players. That’s not a slight on the lads who have gone out – you just want to bring your own ones in.
E lB akhtaoui and Ha b er weren’ t scoring or playing regularly and their departure has maybe freed up funds to bring a quality striker in.
Results in the Betfred Cup weren’t bad for Dundee and the most important thing is that they progressed to the next round. These early games were very much a fitness exercise but you still want to go through as it makes the club money.
Overall, I would be looking for Dundee to finish sixth or seventh in the Premiership this season. If they don’t make top six this year, they will be disappointed.
It is going to be so tight as I think the likes of Motherwell will be there or thereabouts as well for that final spot.
Up the Tay at Perth, this looks like being a season of transition for St John stone who begin the campaign with a tricky trip to Kilmarnock.
The “old guard” who won the cup in 2014 have all gone and it is very much a new-look team for boss Tommy Wright.
They have been a mid-table side for a lot of years on a fairly-small budget but it will be interesting to see how they do this year.
They have a few new faces as well so you have to let them get bedded in but I can’t see St Johnstone finishing as high as they have done in recent years.
As for the title winners? Well, I just can’t see past Celtic. I don’t think Rangers are even near it yet. Steven Gerrard will certainly improve them but they don’t have the depth or quality of squad that Celtic have.
In the Championship, it could be a really difficult season for Dundee United.
I always thought Dundee were a bit on the soft side last season but Neil McCann has brought a few in and they look a bit more physical and stronger
Arbroath played them in the Betfred Cup at Tannadice and we gave them a really good game. We are part-time so United should have been miles ahead of us but they weren’t.
They looked a fair bit off it and they were lucky to get to penalties against us.
I think the Championship will be an even harder league this year.
Falkirk and Inverness should be better than they were last year, Dunfermline look like they have already improved, Partick will be strong and Ross County have thrown money at it. So it could be a long year for United.
It will be such a tight league and there are so many teams who will nick points off each other. You can’t afford to have a bad start so the opener against Dunfermline at Tannadice is hugely important.
The Championship should be a real dogfight and it looks like being the same in League 1. At Arbroath, we had one of the stronger squads last year and while we are a little bit down on numbers this season, the quality is certainly there.
We feel we are the best part-time club in that division so hopefully we can kick on and make a statement this year.
There are a whole load of derbies this season with us, Montrose, Forfar and Brechin all being in the same league.
It is great for the area and hopefully there will be bigger crowds which will be a big financial boost for the clubs.
So all in all, loads to look forward to... bring on 3pm on Saturday.