Now that we know the makeup of the 2023/24 Scottish Championship, I think we can agree, what was already known, that last season was one of our best chances to get promoted back to the Premier league. The lineup from last season certainly gave us a fighting chance, but one that failed to reach the predictions of a lot of posters on this forum, me included. Not only did we fail to make the playoffs, it was the style of play that was disappointing, I really can't remember being really excited and entertained by many games, probably only the Scottish Cup win against Kilmarnock being the exception, as I only attended home matches.
As we now look to the next season, it makes me wonder how we are going to fair with the likes of Dundee United, Dunfermline, Partick, Ayr, Queens Park and Morton, all going well, and a lot of them have had money pumped into them, and all of them have the luxury, in football recruiting terms, of being in the right place to pick up new players. Then add in Airdrie, Arbroath and Raith, and the league does look a lot harder to win next season.
My hope now, that it looks like we are going to lose some of our best players for nothing, is that our younger players from our youth set up can step up and stake places in the first team. It's time to get back to a settled squad, instead of continually having to rebuild every season. It wasn't always like this, when we had the likes of the Shinnies, Warren, Draper, Raven, Meekings and Foran, we had a settled team with one or two added every season, now, it seems like a major overhaul every year. It would also be good if we could sell a player now and again, instead of letting our best talent leave for nothing.
Our hope now is for an injury free season, with the likes of Macgregor, Harper, Hyde, Nicolson and others, consolidating a first team berth, and if they impress, and are sought by other teams, we get a fee for them. Let's be a selling team, if we have to, and not a 'leaving for nothing team', that we have been for several seasons.