I had hoped that a summer away from the SPL would improve my outlook, and the World Cup served to be at least a decent distraction, but now when I sit down and address our chances in the coming season, I can't be terribly hopeful.
That said, however, there are some reasons for optimism. In spite of a light wallet, McGhee made a few acquisitions that deserve some measure of applause. SPL veteran Paul Hartley arrived from Bristol City, and while he's not the same player that earned 25 caps for Scotland, Hartley is a good 'get'. Almost equally encouraging however, was the addition of Northern Ireland defender Rory McArdle and his 23-year-old legs. Effort was all-too-often lacking along the back line that conceded a League-high (low?) 31 goals, and I've been told to expect solid if not spectacular play. At this point, I'll take solid.
Davide Grassi will be missed, and I would have preferred that Gary McDonald could have been retained, but Cardiff's Josh Megennis and Colchester United's Scott Vernon provide options up front; hopefully one will help Mackie regain his scoring touch.
The midfield is, let's face it, less than settled, but turning things upside down may not have been the worst strategy. Last season was a lost one for Aluko but I'm rather optimistic about him this year and think he could prove quite the fan-favourite if given proper support and room to maneuvre.
My prediction: 5th in the league. Hamilton, Killie, etc are improved but Celtic and especially Rangers are looking relatively poor, so there will definitely be points for the taking. Youth and positive play can take a team only so far, but I think a top-6 finish is not unreasonable especially if some solid early-season form can be established. I'd like some silverware, but let's not get greedy.
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