Sunday Mail Predictions

[johnnykipper]

We are doomed!

[MissICT]

We just have to hope St mirren or Hamilton do rubbish!

[CaleyD]

we've never been related!

Not sure about that, there's a good few from down South who reckon we're far too related for our own good up here.

[Alex MacLeod]

Willie Hill has us finishing 10th so thats good enough for me.

[Guest CaleyJaggy]

With the exception of last season with gretna, have we not been tipped to be relegated every other season we have been in the SPL.

[alternative maryhill]

Aye, but i think Chris was the only person writing in that thing that had ever seen us play.

This is the Herald's take on our playing style:

"To his great credit, Brewster has cultivated a short-passing game which, when it works, can be aesthetically pleasing and very effective. His unflustered manner is central to such an approach, ensuring that he does not automatically revert to more direct tactics when the more intricate style isn't working."

F** me. The level of eedjitry among Scottish football pundits is something to behold. Did they also refer to Brewster's shrewd use of substitutes? Didn't sound like there was too much of the old "aesthetically pleasing short passing game" going on against Burnley.

1 out of 3 in the Sunday Herald have us going down, btw. Fair enough. No-one seems to think Killie are in much danger though. Is it unthinkable a Jim Jeffries team could be relegated?

[DJS]

My own view is that any of four teams could be relegated - ICT, Hamilton, St Mirren or Killie. Despite the departure of Niculae I think we may well score more goals this season but have real concerns about things at the back. I expect a lot of high scoring games.

We need two things to happen to banish any possibility of relegation blues

1. Another good central defender - not a squad player but a big quality player to play alongside Munro.

2. A good start to build confidence early on. Looking for at least four points in the first three games.

[starchief]

Killie - Jefferies is an excellent manager (wish he was Scotland manager TBH) and I just think that, despite the absence of strikers, he's too much upstairs to go down. He must be tearing hid hair out though. Done well on a shoestring budget, having to sell any player that looks remotely promising. Maybe he'll get shot of Killie instead?

St Mirren - I think they've made a few good signings. I don't expect them to be in relegation trouble.

Hamilton - got out of a tricky division last year but can they build on it. I don't think so.

ICT - need new defenders. How Brew cannot see that I don't know. Maybe they don't fit in with the aesthetically pleasing passing game he has in mind! Still, I think we'll beat Hamilton.

[BinghamLegend]

AH well, if they say we are relegated then they have saved me going to watch any games this season.

Cheers guys at the Sunday Mail for as always you are 100% spot on.

Shower of............... :thumb04:

Edited August 4, 2008 by BinghamLegend

[caley100]

We have more or less a totally new forward line, that will take a wee while to gell i'm sure.

However....

I cant understand how the management have not acted on the defence (as yet) when its a plain as day that last season was a shocker from a defensive point of view.

Rossco seems to have gone backwards in the skill dept, with much fist/arm waving as more passes go astray, Hastings is just about passable as left back but is a disaster in the middle, Mcguire....well not much to say really, except *@!!@*@ useless.

Granty will be solid and will lead the line well.

Brew has to sort this out either by giving the players some wakey wakey juice, or getting new ones.

Edited August 4, 2008 by caley100

[chris123]

St Mirren - I think they've made a few good signings.

Like who?

[starchief]

Steven Robb and Tom Brighton, then there's some other guy called Wyness. I mistakenly believed Brittain had been signed for the Saints but of course he's left them. Due to his injuries, I'd completely forgotten he had been signed for them!

[chris123]

Steven Robb and Tom Brighton, then there's some other guy called Wyness. I mistakenly believed Brittain had been signed for the Saints but of course he's left them. Due to his injuries, I'd completely forgotten he had been signed for them!

[KingBeastie]

I fear the worst this season. But maybe being favourites to go down will help us work together better. There didn't seem to be a lot of togetherness last season.

[Guest gr1980]

Think it's a case of wait and see, always is at this time fo the season. What's to say that Barrowman won't hit the ground running and net 15 goals this season, Djebi Zadi could turn out to be a player as well. Just need to hope they settle and improve us.....

[chris123]

Think it's a case of wait and see, always is at this time fo the season. What's to say that Barrowman won't hit the ground running and net 15 goals this season, Djebi Zadi could turn out to be a player as well. Just need to hope they settle and improve us.....

Agreed, both have been written off far too quickly, County fans did tell us that Zadi was just as likely to have a brilliant game as a stinker, if he's added consistency to his game, then who knows.

Im pretty sure the consensous on here beginning of last season was that Cowie would bring nothing new to the squad.

[CaleyD]

Our 3 lines are at very different stages of "development" and that's what has me a little concerned.

Across the middle we have plenty of options and most of the players know each other and have had more than a few pre-season kick arounds together. They're established and there's little reason to expect that they have gone off the biol going in to the coming season.

At the back....we've had a glaring hole in our defence since Dods left. McGuire started off ok(ish) when he arrived but then went to the dogs, the lack of competition for places meant we had little option but to stick with him...and perhaps he knew that and wasn't trying as hard as he might have. With the signing of Djebi-Zadi it creates a bit of competition for a starting place and hopefully he can prove to be the better option or force McGuire to get the finger out and up his game.

At the front....a totally new set of forwards, and although Rory has been with us for a few years now he's not really had a regular run of games and is not that much further forward in terms of being established in any way than any of the rest. The big problem here is that these guys have had very little time to get to know each other, they're all making a step up, and none of them are proven scorers at this level.

We've had new players come in every year, it's nothing new, but the big difference this year is that we have players coming in to fill places where they have little or no experience to back them up and show them the way. They could well click and start banging in the goals, and I hope they do, but if things go wrong, we don't have any experience to turn to in order to lead the way. Brewster may think he can perfrom that role from the sidelines, but he struggles enough on occassion to take in the full picture in a game and if he's focusing on the front line then he's not going to be able to readily spot problems elsewhere.

It's not really the players I don't have confidence in, it's the setup and Brewsters ability to get the best from what we've got. I actually think I'd be a lot more comfortable going in to this season if we had Pele at the reins....if ever their was a manager to get the best out of a young, inexperienced set of lads then it was him.

[Alex MacLeod]

We definitely need at least one solid central defender between Rossco and Granty but, having scoured all thats available I just dont see anyone at the right price. There is a month of the window to go so who knows maybe some loan deal or foriegner will appear.

I'm quite sure, from pre-season results, that Brew is well aware of the requirements and I would hope he has the feelers out

[Guest Jock Watt]

I BELIEVE !

:P :thumb04: :018: ;)

:015: :D

[RiG]

We definitely need at least one solid central defender between Rossco and Granty but, having scoured all thats available I just dont see anyone at the right price.

Who did you have watched?

Must admit no names really jump out at me either but then again Brewster should have the connections and the club should have an effective scouting network. We really need this central defender. Our strikers may not score goals every week but just one might be enough provided we can tighten up the defence.

[AJS]

Steven Robb and Tom Brighton, then there's some other guy called Wyness. I mistakenly believed Brittain had been signed for the Saints but of course he's left them. Due to his injuries, I'd completely forgotten he had been signed for them!

Tom Brightons a striker and never reached a more than a 5 goal a season tally in his life and Robb spends more time on an injury table than a football field. How are they good signings? Only good signing Saints made was Jack Ross and even then he's nearly 32.

If we get even a point in a positive manner at Pittodrie on Saturday i think that will set us in good sights for the Hamilton and Hibs games.

Our squad still needs real strengthening though!

[The Mantis]

Tom Brightons a striker and never reached a more than a 5 goal a season tally in his life and Robb spends more time on an injury table than a football field. How are they good signings? Only good signing Saints made was Jack Ross and even then he's nearly 32.

If we get even a point in a positive manner at Pittodrie on Saturday i think that will set us in good sights for the Hamilton and Hibs games.

Our squad still needs real strengthening though!

Interesting to see what happens against Hamilton in a week's time. Last year we had to wait a long time to play Gretna in match 11 to find out how poor they were.

I would expect Hamilton to be fired up but looking at Billy Reid's signings there's very little quality there. We need to be fired up for it ourselves though. I remember 2 years ago when we lost at home to a very poor St Mirren team on the first day, after dominating most of the game.

[chris123]

BBC Predictions

Billy Dodds and Chick Young have us as their pick to go down.

If Brewster has any sense he'll print these predictions off and stick them round the dressing room, can't see the boys taking to kindly to being told they are the worst team in the league and could give them that bit of fighting spirit that was so evidently lacking last season.

After reading the "experts" opinions, I beginning to develop a bit of a siege mentality similar to our first season in the SPL.

[RiG]

Only good signing Saints made was Jack Ross and even then he's nearly 32.

Andy Dorman blows that theory out the water.

[kencar]

BBC Predictions

Billy Dodds and Chick Young have us as their pick to go down.

If Brewster has any sense he'll print these predictions off and stick them round the dressing room, can't see the boys taking to kindly to being told they are the worst team in the league and could give them that bit of fighting spirit that was so evidently lacking last season.

After reading the "experts" opinions, I beginning to develop a bit of a siege mentality similar to our first season in the SPL.

I feel a bit more confident for the season now that the 'font' of all football knowledge that is Chick Young has tipped us for relegation Did he not say just a few days ago Rangers were absolute certainties to qualify against Kaunas! Looking at his in depth reasoning for our imminent drop certainly gives you food for thought - "Inverness have been in the SPL for a while and it is getting more difficult for them to stay up."