The Fans voice. Simon MacKintosh, gives his Verdict on the clubs and players to look out for in 2001/02.
Here's another view from Canada
In summary:
Celtic and Rangers at the top again (yawn).
1.
Celtic:-
2.
Rangers:- But, it's Rangers, so anything other than a top two position is inconceivable (more's the pity). Players who have been injured for most of the season will continue to claim that Rangers can compete with the 'best in Europe". At the end of the year Claudio will transfer to whoever wins the English First Division.
3.
Dundee:- Will continue to entertain the fans and increase the value of their players, justifying Peter and Jimmy Marr's business model. I have a theory that now that these guys are out from under the shadow of CC, they will start to blossom. Lord, I hope they don't sell Gavin Rae!
4.
Hearts:-
5.
Dundee Utd:-
6.
Aberdeen:-
7.
Killie:-
8.
Hibs:-
9. Dunfermline:-
10.
St.Johnstone:-
11.
Motherwell:-
12
Livingston:-
Hearts, Dundee, Dundee United and Aberdeen on the way up.
Hibs, Kilmarnock, Motherwell, Dunfermline, St Johnstone on the way down.
Motherwell and Livingstone in a cut throat battle for bottom place. Could have some serious competition from St Johnstone.
Unlike his counterpart south of the Clyde, Martin O'Neill uses what he buys. Celtic will get better. So will everyone else, but Celtic will stay clear of the pack.
The Ibrox revolving door keeps going. Dicky buys 6 players over the summer, two of them are gone by Christmas, two more start on the bench then disappear from sight. One of the two remaining is injured in early October, and the other is teated mercilessly by the press because there's still no European football at Ibrox after Christmas!
A little wishful thinking here. Ivano has the players to do it but is he the manager to do it? Dundee will improve on this year but by how much depends on Hearts.
Will run Dundee close. They have the manager to do it, but will they have the players? I will take my nephew, a Hearts supporter, to a Dundee - Hearts game at Tynecastle and Hearts will win that one.
Alex Smith will continue the turn around but, like Aberdeen this year, there will be lapses. He has slightly better material to work with than Ebbe Skovdal.
Improving but not quite there yet. Need to spend a bit, or steal a couple of pages from Ivano Bonetti's black book.
I can never quite understand how Killie do so well. I can't see them keeping it up but I've been wrong about that for the past four years. Still, no European football at Rugby Park in 2002 - 2003.
Hibs have had their moment in the sun and will start their slide back to the mediocrity from whence they came.
They deserve to stay up, if only because they have players good enough to play for Scotland, and one of the best Scottish managers left in Scotland.
I feel much the same way about St Johnstone that I do about Kilmarnock, but St Johnstone are more likely to justify my pessimism.
They can't keep their best players, they're fate is sealed. Only Livingston can save them.
Despite getting points from all the last six games of the season, they will not survive. Sorry Livi, I hope I'm wrong. Of course, if Falkirk win Division 1, Livi could be spared to fight another year.