SPL Ante Post 2007/08

[crowie]

Originally Posted by slick

The only downfall I see is Crowie getting on our backs as we all become Gers fans for the season

Did someone call?

Gers +5

Nah, being serious, I wouldn't be calling you idiots from taking it, long way from it to be honest.

A couple of things concern me about Celtic at the moment. One has been the form since last March, once we went out of the CL to Milan. The league was already won at that point after Le Goon's Le Revolution backfired. Celts seemed to just switch off and stutter their way through a fair few games towards the end of the season. We lost twice to Rangers (these games never never mean anything) and we were rotten in the Cup Final v a team who was relegated. Whether the players were (collectively) fucked or what I don't know. The thing is though, you just can't switch back on to playing good football after playing pash for so long.

The other thing is our squad. Its huge but it still needs strenghtened in areas. We need a right back to put pressure on Mark Wilson. Likewise we need a left back to put pressure on Lee Naylor. Naylor had a good 6 months and (like the rest of the team), a poor end to the season. We have about 8 centre halves and the one who looks furthest back in line for selection is on £30k a week!

We need a left winger/left midfield player as the choices at the moment are McGeady (one trick pony) or Riordan (should be playing up front). We have about 18 central midfielders but again no real obvious challenger to Nakamura wide right, a position I don't think is in any way his favoured one. I think he would be better in the centre but.....well that would make 19 central mids!

We need an injury free season from JVOH as he will score a lot if fit and with the right service. And someone beside him who can also score goals. Riordan could be a shout but he is a ned who is more interested in banjoing Edinburgh bouncers. Zurwaski could be him but he seems to have faded away after a good start to his Celtic career. McDonald could be him as he has always scored SPL goals at Motherwell. Miller could be....nah, scratch that If the job was run about like a blue ersed flea Miller would win hands down, but its scoring goals and thats not something he is great at. I know Keema thinks the world of big Chris Killer Killen but unfortunately for Keema he won't start unless JVOH is injured. He is our back up big man.

If Strachan could shift Balde (£30k a week), Jarosik (20k a week, waste of money and space), Miller and Gravesen (c'mon, someone must want him, he was good in England, just cos he can't cut it in Scotland shouldn't see him disregarded so easily and on £40k a week ) then I could see further signings, hopefully in the places I mentioned, wide left, full back squad players, up front.

The pluses are Scott Brown, Donati and Scott Brown again. Thats our central mid and its gonna be a good one. Donati holding and Brown doing everything. Expecting big things from both this season. Ohh and big JFK is back as one of our central defenders, I can see him starting with McManus as our central back two.


Anyway, thats Celtic, it was Celtic you wanted to talk about wasn't it??

Ok, The Forces of Darkness.

Well after Le Goon they stole the Scotland manager and he has done a very good job for them 2nd half of last season. He turned round a squad of players who were, to be blunt, playing utter pash, and went on a great run of games. Winning breeds confidence, Rangers did that last season and will bring it forward into this season.

The defence will be miles better. Ceullar, the Spanish boy from Osasuna, at last looks to be dominating strong centre half they need. Anyone one of Webster (if fit), Weir or Ehigiou alongside him. The last two are vastly experienced and did well in their 6 months last season but I think if Webster is fit that will be his first choice. Hutton came onto a game, as did many last 2nd half of last season and ended up with a Scotland cap and a new 5 year contract. I am half expecting him to drop back to the levels of pashness he used to be at but if he doesn't, he will be good for them.

They have two good goalies, McGregor the Scotland 2nd choice and Roy Carroll.

Elsewhere they have a pretty strong central midfield in Ferguson, Hemdani and Thomson and decent attacking options in Burke, Adam and Beasley. Will be interesting to see how Beasley turns out, looks to have plenty of pace but didn't seem to fancy the physical side in England I believe, well he will get plenty of that up here.

Lee McCulloch may have been overpriced but he will do a good job for them, Darcheville from Bordeaux will add strength and pace and, going on pre season games, a bit of mentalness each game in whether he will actually last 90 mins without a fight. Boyd as usual will always score goals and Gow from Falkirk is a good squad player as well. Even players who looked way out of contention, Novo and dare I say it Sebo are appearing decent in pre-season.


Overall its a much stronger Rangers squad and added to the confidence levels and the slightly worrying Celtic form, its why I wouldn't put anyone off Rangers +5. I do hope Celtic hit the ground running as I think any slip ups from us early on will only add to Rangers confidence levels IMO and, unlike the last 2 years, I think every point will be crucial this season.

[GaNgStA kEeKs]

@ Riordan the ned

Great write up Crowie and i agree with most here.

My only worry with the Rangers bet is i dont feel Rangers have a big enough squad with sufficient quality to battle both domestically AND in Europe.

Any progress past Christmas in Europe and i can see Rangers really falling away in the league whereas Celtic have more than enough options in reserve and these are all players who have shone in the SPL down the years ie Pressley, Hartley, Riordan, Killen to name a few.

Im happy with Celtics keeper. Boruc is class and the reserve they got from Caley has looked a very useful back up.

Midfield im quite happy with especially when you think players like Jarosik, Graveson and Hartley will be the players that will be used as cover. Jarosik and Graveson leaving would be ideal as it would free up a huge amount of wages per week but i would be willing to give Graveson another 6 months. You dont become that bad a player overnight.

Upfront i feel Celtic are really lacking a quality striker to play with JVOH especially in Europe. In the SPL Killen, McDonald, Miller and Riordan will all do a good enough job but they will come up short in Europe.

Defence is my big concern, especially the central area. Pressley is too slow and past it imo. McManus looked good in some European games such as Milan away but im still not too convinced he is the class defender Celtic need.

Kennedy im excited to be back. He was coming on to be an absolute quality player before his injury setback and although he has shown glimpses of his old self i still think its a bit too early for him to be relied upon just yet.

Balde on 30k a week is too much but he is a no bullshit defender and a great presence. Id love to see him back in the team. His concentration is poor at times but he will play 7 good games in every 10 imo. Needs a defensive partner who can keep him tuned in and he will do a good enough job.

Agree about defensive competition on the full back position. Transfer speculation seems to have dried up and i hope this doesnt end up being the case with no one else coming in as the team is beginning to have the makings of a very good outfit.

One thing Celtic will have more than any other season is a bit of pace now which could make a big difference to how they fare.

Crowie - share some transfer gossip from down your end on Celtic as i am hearing nothing now

[Bigkegman]

Originally Posted by Kiko

My only worry with the Rangers bet is i dont feel Rangers have a big enough squad with sufficient quality to battle both domestically AND in Europe.

Talked about Rangers pre-season games and looking at the benches he has had 11 subs and it now looks like Wattie is trying to put pressure on everybodies position and make them play because he's basically got a replacement for every position.

If Hutton cuts down on the keg and pickled onion Monster Munch then he could do ok. The Rocket looks good and if he keepts the heid then will also do well. As Crowie mentioned Ceullar looks a great signing as well.

Carroll showed yesterday he is still a good keeper and I think will push MacGregor very close for the jersey and it could be any mistakes and your out which can only be good and keep them on their toes.

Looking forward to the new season and I'm sure Crowie and Kiko agree as well and lets hope Rangers keep going in the right direction - forward

[kompressaur]

Gretna to finish bottom at 2/1 (totesport, stan james) looks a cracker to me. I'll need to read up the fine posts (wtf is slick doing on this thread) above but from the preseason theyve had i can see them being well and truely pumped this season. What you think?

[Bigkegman]

Originally Posted by kompressaur

Gretna to finish bottom at 2/1 (totesport, stan james) looks a cracker to me. I'll need to read up the fine posts (wtf is slick doing on this thread) above but from the preseason theyve had i can see them being well and truely pumped this season. What you think?

I've just took the same bet albeit I've doubled them with Bayern to win the German title.

I was looking at the Gretna forums today and nobody holds any hope for them and they are talking about getting 22 or 24 points and I honestly thought 8/11 would be a good price for them to finish bottom and when i saw 2/1 - feck me.

Mind you i'm not very good at ante post bets but thought I would buy some more money with Bayern. Surely with the signings of Luca Toni and Frank Ribery (wrong spelling I know) must stand good stead after last years poor season ???

I'm on anyhow and it basically pays 4/1

[GaNgStA kEeKs]

The bookies seem to think St Mirren are joint with Gretna here and i dont buy into that.

St Mirren had a surprising good first season back last season and i can only see them building on that and improving this year.

Dargo coming in will be a great bit of business for them as will Stephen Glass if he can recapture his form from his early career.

Two new players expected to sign tomorow for them too.

Gus McPherson has them well drilled and they will finish quite comfortably ahead of Gretna imo.

Crowie says all the reasons for me for Gretna to go down and that 2/1 looks pretty huge actually doesn't it.

[bonehead]

I'll go against the crowd here and say Gretna will stay up. I don't care if they haven't signed anyone decent, they had a better squad than half the SPL two seasons ago. St Mirren for the drop, or maybe Motherwell. On another note, having watched Hearts yesterday, don't bother betting on us to do anything, unless it's to finish in the bottom six.

[milners]

Ante post bet for me is dundee utd to finish above gretna which started at an amazing 8/11 - i missed that but got 8/13 which i still think is a amazing price!!!.

Already on gretna to get relegated at 3/1 - but history is against me as most teams that go up will stay up. Just think they was lucky to get up after losing all there players at Christmas and rolled over the line. They need a start like the saints had imho to stay up.

[crowie]

Originally Posted by bonehead

I'll go against the crowd here and say Gretna will stay up. I don't care if they haven't signed anyone decent, they had a better squad than half the SPL two seasons ago. St Mirren for the drop, or maybe Motherwell. On another note, having watched Hearts yesterday, don't bother betting on us to do anything, unless it's to finish in the bottom six.

True bonehead but the squad they had 2 seasons ago ain't the squad they have now. 2/1 does look a decent price on them to go down, milners 3/1 is even better.

[kompressaur]

I personally think your onto a winner milners and thats just based on pure gut instinct here. It feels good to me to as well as being good. i think you'll be ok.

More here on a poor preseason but that really means nothing. to me though the signs arent encouraging coming from Gretna so far.
Welcome to Gretna Football Club

Havent they got some south american 'wonderkid'? Will they be playing deacher who im sure has always struggled even at first division level from memory with gretna and falkirk.

What bookies are doing match bets anyone? well i suppose i mean 'what bookie has the best price for Dundee utd to finish above Gretna?'

[milners]

Only one bookie i know of had dundee utd vs gretna with season bets and that was Ladbrokes it was 4/7 yesterday - others go with St Mirren vs Gretna which i wouldn't touch to be honest. Lads has some strange teams in other divisions too with the bet - Ayr vs Berwick etc etc and some others - Think its been mention on the 1,2,3 division about the shire and if elgin doesn't get investment from the lad from grand theft auto (first team not youths as been mentioned before) then i expect the shire to finish above them.

[kompressaur]

Bettingzone's Preview

Aberdeen
Glory days and full houses at Pittodrie have been few and far between in recent years but things took a turn for the better last season. Pipping a lacklustre Hearts for third place and thus qualifying for the UEFA Cup gave their long suffering fans something to cheer about. The Two Jimmys - Calderwood and Nichol - have built a tough no-nonsense home grown side that grind out results without ever looking spectacular. A consistent team selection built around the stalwarts of Russell Anderson, Scott Severin and Gary Dempsey made the dandy Dons hard to beat. The expectation amongst fans this season will undoubtedly be high but a strong note of caution and realism is required. The magnificent Anderson has joined Premiership new boys Sunderland and while Calderwood had brought in significant experience in Jackie MacNamara the loss of the captain is sure to hurt. Pre-season has not been without incident - first choice keeper Jamie Langfield is facing the axe after an infamous stag do bust up with his gaffer. A tough start which sees them play four of the top six teams in consecutive weeks only adds to the problems and by mid September the glory days of last season could seem but a distant memory. On their day Aberdeen is a match for any team in the SPL. A strong run in both the Scottish and CIS cups should compensate for failure to rediscover last season's league position.

Prediction - 5th

Celtic
Two seasons at Celtic and four trophies safely tucked away in the Parkhead trophy room and significant improvement in the Champions League. Yet still Gordon Strachan has a hard job convincing the Hoops faithful he's the right man to succeed legend Martin O'Neill. With the return of Walter Smith to Rangers, Strachan is under the microscope more than ever. His team won the league at a canter and made a major impact on the Champions League taking winners AC Milan to extra time. This year his team on the face of things look even stronger. The ageing Lennon has finally left to be replaced by the formidable Scott Brown purchased under the noses of Rangers. Further new Bhoys in Massimo Donati, Scott McDonald, and Chris Killen only add to the quality of Nakamura, Venegoor of Hesselink and Boruc. If anything Strachan has an embarrassment of riches although players such as Gravesen and Jarosik will be moved on if buyers can be found. However there is a feeling that the defence lacks strength in depth and must be addressed. Celtic will not have it all their own way. Rangers' dominance of the last two Old Firm games did not go unnoticed by the Parkhead faithful and the return of Walter Smith will bring continued improvement in their city rivals. A third title in a row and a Champions League run is the minimum expectation of Hoops fans. Unless the defence is improved Celtic will struggle to achieve both aims. O'Neill failed to win three titles in a row and I believe Strachan will also fall at this hurdle.

Prediction - 2nd

Dundee United
Finally, after a manic few years, the word stability can be whispered round the streets of Dundee by the United faithful. The revolving managerial door at Tannadice has spat out Alex Smith, Paul Hegarty, Ian McCall, Gordon Chisholm and Craig Brewster in barely five years. In Craig Levein Dundee United have a highly respected and intelligent manager keen to build a team to do the club proud. Levein inherited a side rock bottom of the SPL and in danger of relegation. By the end of the season he dragged them to safety and the heady heights of ninth place. Pre-season games, including a narrow defeat to a Thierry Henry-inspired Barcelona, indicate the team's development will continue. Gone are the likes of Lee Mair, Colin Samuel and Derek Stillie and in their places the shrewd Levein has brought in Polish keeper Lukasz Zaluska and experienced defender Darren Dods. Much will depend on the temperament of captain Barry Robson. On his day he is one of the best midfielders in the country but if the red mist descends expect trouble. United cannot afford to lose his quality through needless suspensions. A helpful start to their campaign sees them avoid the Old Firm for nearly two months. Sneaking into the top six this season come May would be an endorsement of Levein's positive work at Tannadice.

Prediction - 6th

Falkirk
Big Yogi Hughes takes his exciting young Falkirk team into their third season in the top flight. Widely tipped to be scrapping for relegation last year, the Bairns finished top of the bottom six. The image of Hughes as a player, hard working, enthusiastic and having a will-to-win attitude is mirrored in his team. This grit coupled with encouraging free-flowing, attacking football has won Falkirk plenty of admirers including Ajax boss Henk ten Cate whose team were on the end of a pre-season scuttling at New Brockville. This year will be regarded another stepping stone for the team. Youngsters Patrick Cregg, Darren Barr, Carl Finnigan and Thomas Scobie are all a year older and a year wiser and eager to make further impact. The loss of Alan Gow to Rangers will be significant but Hughes has demonstrated he has a keen eye for talent so expect someone to step into the gap. Much focus again will be on the mercurial talents of 39-year-old Russell Latapy who manages to defy the signs of ageing and a 20-a day habit to remain as exciting a player as the SPL can boast. His appearances although limited are often worth the entrance fee alone. Falkirk will look to cement their position at the top of the bottom six and look to take some top team scalps along the way.

Prediction - 7th

Gretna
The Black and Whites have been living in dreamland for the last few years. The wee town famous for weddings has seen its mighty team march from the Third Division to the SPL in consecutive seasons. Throw in a Scottish Cup final appearance and UEFA Cup football and it really is a fairytale. However the signs are there that the Gretna bubble is in danger of bursting. They stumbled across the line last year. An injury-time James Grady winner against Ross County on the last day of the season sealed their promotion pipping the resurgent St Johnstone. Health issues saw highly regarded manager Rowan Alexander resign with assistant Davie Irons taking charge working with director of football Mick Wadsworth. Significant players Neil McFarlane, Davie Nicholls and John O`Neil all with SPL experience were allowed to leave. While owner Brooks Mileson has funded replacements it remains to be seen if they can cope with the top league. Much will be expected of Captain Craig Innes and new signing, Uruguayan Fabian Yantoro, to guide the young team through the expected hard times. As their ground Raydale Park does not meet SPL standards all home matches will be played 110 miles up the road at Motherwell's Fir Park. This is bound to reduce their chances of avoiding the dreaded drop. Take Gretna at 7/4 with bet365 as relegation certainties.

Prediction - 12th

Hearts
Hearts fans must be hoping that this season they are reading about action on the pitch as opposed to off it. A crazy year saw the club again hog the back pages for the all wrong reasons. Bitter bust-ups with Steven Pressley and Paul Hartley were played out in the open through the press and eccentric owner Vladimir Romanov was never far from controversy. On the pitch Hearts' league challenge and defence of the Scottish Cup never got going. Inconsistent ever changing team selections and too many home defeats put paid to a repeat of the previous season's triumph. This season sees Anatoli Korobochka and Stevie Frail in charge of the squad. The Tynecastle fans will be hoping that Romanov affords them the freedom to select the team they believe is best. Although a few players have departed the squad remains very strong. Key players such as Laryea Kingston, Christophe Berra and Michael Stewart have undoubted quality and would add value to any team. £10 million-rated Craig Gordon remains at the club but the anticipated transferwill release significant funds for further squad development. A firecracker opener to the season against rivals Hibernian should ensure minds are focused from the off. Look to Hearts to be best of the rest outside the Old Firm, available at 8/5 at Stan James.

Prediction - 3rd

Hibs
It was a funny old year down in Leith last season. The Hibees suffered a rollercoaster of emotions usually reserved for the fans of their city neighbours. Boss John Collins inherited some of the best young talent in Scotland from the West Brom-bound Tony Mowbray and took them to success in the CIS Cup final. Along the way the team played some delightful football and fans watched in triumphant glee. Behind the scenes a player revolt threatened to undermine it all. Some of the squad rebelled against Collins' training methods and abrasive personality. This impacted on their league form and they stumbled over the line in sixth place despite the quality of some of their play. Four months on Collins has resolved the issues and is finally able to put his stamp on the team. The rebels have been moved out. Money has been raised through the sale of Scott Brown and Steven Whittaker to the Old Firm allowing Hibs to rebuild. Top performers such as Rob Jones, Benji, Steven Fletcher and new signings Torben Joneleit and Yves Makaba-Makalamby have demonstrated in pre-season wins against Bolton and Middlesbrough that the year ahead looks bright for Hibernian. Chasing Hearts to third place and a strong defence of the CIS Cup would be regarded as success this year.

Prediction - 4th

Inverness CT
Whilst Gretna receives all the fairytale headlines, Inverness are well ahead. They continue to confound the critics who predicted they would struggle last season. The previous campaign saw the team display some real quality to dumbfound the critics. Two wins and a draw in their three games against Rangers proved they were more than capable of living with the big boys. This season however the general consensus is that again they will struggle especially after the loss of key players Craig Dargo and Darren Dodds. That said with the impressive Ross Tokley, John Rankin and Derek Wyness, Inverness have a nucleus of players that have been together for a few years now and they should confound those who believe they'll struggle to cope with the loss of their two stars. On a lighter note it's said that the strong winds and inclement weather often experienced at the Tulloch Caledonian Stadium is worth an extra five points a season to the home team. Expect them to finish top half of the bottom six.

Prediction - 9th

Kilmarnock
Killie has been riding on a crest of a wave for the last couple of years. A top five finish and a CIS Cup final appearance was deserved reward for Jim Jeffries' team. Combining youthful talent with some wise old heads has brought continued success for the SPL's longest serving manager. The only black mark on the report card was the manner of the 5-1 defeat in the CIS final against Hibernian. Jeffries will expect his young guns to have learned lessons from such a defeat. New contracts have been awarded to the mainstays of his team, Allan Johnston, Gary Locke, James Fowler and Garry Hay. It seems likely that Young Player of the Year Steven Naismith will move on to one of the Old Firm and the measure of Killie's season will be how they fill this 20 goal a season void. With finances tight Jeffries will have to rely on his current squad. David Fernandez suffered a horrendous injury last term but if he can regain fitness he will be a valued first team addition. With other teams building stronger squads Jeffries may find this season tough. A top six finish isunlikely but they will have too much quality and experience to consider relegation.

Prediction - 8th

Motherwell
New Motherwell boss Mark McGhee has spent the summer lodging with Celtic manager Gordon Strachan and Well fans will be hoping some of the Hoops' success rubs off on the new man. Motherwell suffered an alarming slump in the second half of the season and it ultimately cost Maurice Malpas his job. It will take all of McGhee's undoubted talent to drag these relegation candidates away from the drop. The loss of key men Scott McDonald and Brian Kerr would be hard to stomach for any team. While the new signings Chris Porter and Simon Mensing look promising the Well fans are not expecting miracles. Key to survival will be the continued good form of defenders Martyn Corrigan and Mark Reynolds who add class to the back line. Motherwell will no doubt look to take maximum points from lodgers Gretna this season as all four games will be home games for the Well. Failure to take advantage of the home ground could be the difference between relegation and survival.

Prediction - 11th

Rangers
Three trophy-less seasons at Ibrox is simply unimaginable to both the Ibrox faithful and Chairman David Murray. As everything fell to pieces around Paul Le Guen, Murray knew that Walter Smith and Ally McCoist were the only men the Rangers fans would accept back at the club. The heroes of Nine-in-a-Row were brought back to initially bring stability then success to the club. The first part was achieved last season as Smith instilled a determination and backbone to the team missing under Le Guen. Two victories over Celtic and qualification for the Champions League ensured Rangers fans could look at the new season with optimism. The playing staff has changed dramatically. Stalwarts such as Prso and Klos have retired, others released and ten new players have been added to the squad to complete the overhaul. Drawing on his success at national level Smith has added to the Scottish talent at the club to ensure his first XI will have a tartan feel to it. Like his Scotland team Smith's Rangers will be a difficult side to beat without being overly flamboyant. Top scorer Kris Boyd will be a good bet again to head the scoring charts (15/8 Blue Square) and he will be aided by the powerful Lee McCulloch who looks a good each-way bet at 16/1 with Hills. Rangers will be looking to win each game and Smith and McCoist will not expect any less. I take Rangers to stop Celtic's three-in-a-row at 5/4.

Prediction - Champions

St Mirren
After a successful first year in the SPL St Mirren boss Gus MacPherson will not be surprised to find his team are again one of the favourites for the drop. The club will quite rightly view 11th place this season as a success as they look to cement their place in the top league. Things will again be tough with key players Kirk Broadfoot away to Rangers and others John Sutton, Kevin McGowne and Craig Hinchcliffe also departing Love Street. New faces Craig Dargo, Gary Mason and Mark Howard will add to the experience MacPherson feels is essential to their survival. St Mirren got off to a flying start in August and September getting much needed points in the bank and they will look for much the same this year.

Prediction - 10th

GERS CAN STOP CELTIC HAT-TRICK: Bettingzone Football Betting News - Premiership Betting, Previews, Odds & Data.

[kompressaur]

by Ian Wilkerson

THE three-horse race for the Scottish Premier League title proved to be a one-season wonder.

Hearts were as short as 6-1 last year to be the first team outside the Old Firm to claim the SPL since Aberdeen in 1985, but they went on to finish 23 points off the pace in fourth and and are now on offer at a more familiar 33-1 to break the Old Firm stranglehold.

So it's business as usual as punters are left to debate which of the Glasgow giants will get their hands on the title.

Last year, Rangers went lame virtually from the moment they left the stalls.

They were six points behind after just ten games and never caught up.

And, having instigated a busy summer in the transfer market, Celtic boss Gordon Strachan seems to fancy his chances of catching them on the hop again.

Certainly, judging by the recruitment policies of the two clubs, the green-and-white half of Glasgow has the edge.

Strachan has concentrated on bringing in players who have proven themselves in the SPL and that could pay.

The capture of Scott Brown from Hibs seems a case in point – Celtic stepped in with a better offer when he seemed destined for Rangers – and the reluctance of the powers-that-be at Ibrox to become embroiled in a battle of cash-splashing may prove to be the difference at the end of term.

Despite Rangers' powerful finish to last season, the momentum appears to lie at Celtic Park, a belief that will be strengthened if Strachan also manages to snatch Steven Naismith from the Gers' grasp after Kilmarnock turned down a host of bids from Ibrox.

But while the summer trading is the negative from a Rangers perspective, the presence of Smith is undoubtedly the massive positive the Light Blues faithful have been looking for.
The damage to their bid last season was done before Paul Le Guen's departureon January 4, when Strachan's outfit had forged into a 17-point lead.

Smith gave his team heart and they at least managed a couple of victories over Celtic during his time at the helm.

However, despite the relative improvement – they captured four more points than their bitter rivals during the second half of the season – few would deny that Celtic took their foot off the pedal. As a result, while Smith has managed to push Rangers forward – certainly a pre-season victory over Chelsea made a few people sit up and take notice – it could well be that they need another season to close the gap between the clubs.

It is noticeable that before last season four of the last six favourites, all of whom went off at odds-on, failed to secure the crown.

However, Celtic look to be a fine betting proposition at 8-11, having won the title by 12 points last year.

The extra money they have available due to their progress to the knockout stages of the Champions League last season has been spent wisely.

Brown looks an excellent addition and he will add a spark to the heart of their midfield. A younger version of the departed Neil Lennon, he fits the bill perfectly.

Extra striking reinforcements in the form of Scott MacDonald and Chris Killen emphasise the need for a strong squad to fight on a number of fronts, while Jan Vennegoor of Hesselink will be looking forward to making an even greater impact than the 13 goals he notched in 17 outings last term.

There is strength in all departments and cash available for January reinforcements. Plenty of positives point to Parkhead.

Recommendation
Celtic, 4pts 8-11

Restricted Access

[Owsley]

Originally Posted by Kiko

The bookies seem to think St Mirren are joint with Gretna here and i dont buy into that.

St Mirren had a surprising good first season back last season and i can only see them building on that and improving this year.

Dargo coming in will be a great bit of business for them as will Stephen Glass if he can recapture his form from his early career.

Two new players expected to sign tomorow for them too.

Gus McPherson has them well drilled and they will finish quite comfortably ahead of Gretna imo.

Crowie says all the reasons for me for Gretna to go down and that 2/1 looks pretty huge actually doesn't it.

Stephen Glass ended up signing for Dunfermline and is one of the reasons why I think they will win the league.

Just out of interest, how much are folk putting on Gretna to go down?

[deckyh]

celtic to win again deffo