|
Remember the sheer elation you felt when Zidane tore apart the English in two glorious minutes! Remember how you laughed when Mr Beckham sent yet another penalty flying into Row Z! Or what about the feeling when - the now Scottish legend - Ricardo sent the English home 'tae think again'!
OH HAPPY DAYS! Happy days indeed!
But enough of all this nonsense. The real 'fitba' starts this Saturday and it can't come soon enough! The anticipation has been building for weeks and weeks now with the new season shaping up to be a real cracker!
No Larsson, the return of promotion/relegation and all new illuminous referee kits... I CANNAE WAIT!!!
ABERDEEN - With a new manager - his name escapes me! - in place, the new season promises to be a vast improvement for the Dons. With players such as Diamond, Morrison and McNaughton in the ranks they have the potential for an impressive season. New signing Scott Severin could prove the difference for the Dons this season.
PREDICTION - 6th - A steady season before sneaking into the top six late on.
CELTIC - No Larsson this year but new signing Henri Camara could prove to be a real gem of a capture. The fitness of John Hartson may well be the difference between success and failure for Celtic this season. When the big Welshman is fit theres not many defenders that can stop him, although Celtic's biggest asset continues to be the management skills of Martin O'Neill which will again prove invaluable for the Celts.
PREDICTION - 1st - Still by far and away the best club in the SPL.
DUNDEE - Manager Jim Duffy performed miracles last year however with the loss of Novo and Speroni the Dee will struggle this season. Much will depend on the success of new signings Bobby Mann and John Sutton in making the step up to the SPL.
PREDICTION - 10th - A season spent in the bottom half without ever truly being in danger of relegation.
DUNDEE UTD - An impressive season for United last seasonsaw them finish comfortably in 5th spot. In Ian McCall, United have one of the best young managers in the country and one who likes to play an attacking style of football. The loss of Paul Gallacher and Charlie Miller could upset United's ever-improving form under McCall however the addition of James Gradycould provide them with the consistent goalscorer they require.
PREDICTION - 5th - Steady season, again finishing with a good run of form.
DUNFERMLINE - With Davie Hay at the helm we could prove a very hard team to beat this season. Despite the loss of first team regulars Crawford and Bullen, the squad remains virtually the sameas last year which is definately not a bad thing! The development of younger players such as Byrne, Dempsey and Hunt this season will help the team greatly and should add an extra dimension to the side.
PREDICTION - 3rd - Fingers crossed! If we keep the silly mistakes down to a minimum then this could be a truly memorable season.
HEARTS- Considered as the 'Third Force' in Scottish football, this season will prove to be a difficult one for the Jambos. With teams such as Dundee Utd, Aberdeen and - of course - The Pars all gunning for third spot, Craig Levein's men will have to fight tooth and nail to hang on to third position. It remains to be seen whether the addition of new signings Ramon Perreira and Jamie McAllister will be enough to help Hearts maintain the standard of recent seasons.
PREDICTION - 4th - The managed to grind out many results last year but their luck could desert them this year.
HIBS - Whether Hibs fly or fall this season will depend largely on whether or not Tony Mowbray can cut it as a manager. The loss of players such as Daniel Andersson and Mathias Doumbe will hit Hibs hard this year however the re-capture of Gary Caldwell will prove vital to Hibs if they are to steer clear of the relegation zone.
PREDICTION - 9th - Much of the same for Hibs fans this year.
INVERNESS CALEY - With a squad of hard working players it looks like it will be a fight to the finish for Caley Thistle this season. The loss of their defensive stalwart Bobby Mann and the loss of their home advantage will prove a big disadvantage to Caley this season. However, with John Robertson at the helm, Caley should prove a very hard team to beat.
PREDICTION - 11th - In a relegation dogfight from start to finish but enough tenacity to see them through.
KILMARNOCK - A very poor season for Jim Jefferie's men last season and with little sign of any improvement in terms of their squad, this season could prove to be a tough one for Killie fans. Without much invention in the midfield and a very shaky defence Killie could struggle this season. Fresh ideas in the form of a new manager could be the only way to prevent Kilmarnock from struggling in the lower reaches of the SPL.
PREDICTION - 12th - A season spent in the bottom half before a poor second half of the season sending them spiralling out of the division.
LIVINGSTON - For Livingston to avoid a relegation battle this season alot will depend on how quickly their new set of players gel together. If new, and untried, manager Allan Preston can get his Livi team playing well from early on in the season then they can look forward to a fairly successful season however this will prove to be a very hard task. Witha whole host of new players arriving at Livi over the summer the early stages of the campaign could prove to be very difficult for last season's CIS cup winners.
PREDICTION - 8th - A poor start before discovering a bit of form before the end of the season.
MOTHERWELL - After their heroics last season it looks as if Terry Butcher's men will provide much of the same this season. Despite the loss of Derek Adams, Steven Craig and Jason Dair among others, a talented crop of youngsters aswell as new signings such as Ritchie Foran and Brian Kerr - when recovered from injury - should ensure another fairly successful season for the Well this year.
PREDICTION - 7th - A season spent in mid-table before just narrowly missing out on the top six.
RANGERS - With their host of new signings Rangers seem to be many people's favourites to win the league this season. The capture of players including Alex Rae, Boumsong and Novo is impressive but still fail to better anything on offer at Celtic Park. A big question mark also continues to hang over Alex McLeish and whether or not he has the ability to tactically compete with Martin O'Neill.
PREDICTION - 2nd - An improvement on last season but still not good enough.