ACCIES ARE IN SAFE HANDS WITH RICE IN CHARGE

FOR the first time since their promotion to the top flight back in 2014, I actually don’t fear for Hamilton heading into the new season. Each and every year since then, Accies are normally everyone’s pick to finish bottom of the table and be relegated to the Championship. But, in Brian Rice, they’ve got an excellent coach on their hands. I’ve heard nothing but good reports about him from various people who have worked with him. He’s a very sharp operator and he did well to get a tune out of Hamilton towards the end of last season as they fought off any threat of relegation. They’ve signed well this summer, with the likes of Brian Easton and Blair Alston having been there and done it with St Johnstone over the past few years. Indeed, the Saints could rue letting the pair go. They’ve had a raft of departures over the summer and are struggling to even get a team out on the pitch at the moment. Already dumped out of the Betfred Cup, Tommy Wright has a big job on his hands to turn things around. The same can be said for Livingston. I rate Gary Holt highly as a manager but, like St Johnstone, they’ve lost all their best players. St Mirren, meanwhile, are the ones who should be fearing the drop above all others. They are an absolute mess at the moment. In three games against part-time opposition in the Betfred Cup, they only scored one solitary goal. That’s simply abysmal. With the start of the season now only days away, Jim Goodwin is still in the market for about half a dozen new players. Trying to sign half a team at this late juncture says it all. It’s going to be a long, hard season ahead for the men from Paisley.