Runners and Riders

SPFL Runners and Riders

Premiership –

Winners – Celtic, I don’t think many people will expect anything other than 9 league titles in a row and if things are looking poor in December then expect the board to ditch Lennon and hire a Rodgers style manager with free reign of the Celtic cheque book to see them over the line. With a few smart additions to his squad and Griffiths back in the fold Lennon can prove the doubters wrong and relaunch his career after a forgettable final season at Easter Road and a clumsy end to last season.

Relegation – Livingston, By no means a dead cert to go down but a stuttering end to the season combined with their best players being taken puts Livi in a tricky spot for the coming season, Gary Holt will do well to keep them up. St Mirren and Hamilton will also be flirting with relegation with St Johnstone not far behind.

Super Star: Ajer at Celtic has long been a favourite of mine since his loan spell at Killie this season he is sure to be first choice centre half for Celtic and if he has another strong season I don’t think it will be long until biggerteams start to take note of the next Celtic star.

Rising star: Ryan Porteous, this is a big season for Porteous after a knee injury cut short last season he will be looking to return to the good form he showed early last season and provide Hibs with yet another first team player who has graduated from the academy that has proved vital over the last few seasons.

Championship –

Winners – Dundee United hard to see beyond United this season with their new owners spending some serious cash it looks like it will be 4^th time lucky for the Tannadice club with Clark and Shankland leading their line goals won’t be a problem this season however they don’t have such quality at the back so don’t expect as many clean sheets.

Relegation – Alloa after a great season last year I think Alloa’s uninspiring managerial appointment combined with Arbroath’s good form will see Alloa drop out the second tier of football but it will be nip and tuck between them and Arbroath with Queen of the South making up the rest of the relegation fodder.

Super Star: Lawrence Shankland will be looking to build on what an incredible start to last season. Obviously playing with better team mates will help the former Ayr player but he scored 6 goals against Dundee United last term and failed to score against Queen of the South from open play, the team with the worst defence in last year’s league. Shankland will be hoping for a better league tally this year.

Rising Star: Kyle Turner after a few seasons at the heart of Stranraer’s midfield Turner has made the step up to full time football with Dunfermline and has already become a fan favourite with the Fife club his energy, drive and finishing helped blow Albion Rovers away. Turner is one of a number of young players that Dunfermline have brought in this year many of which will be hoping to impress as well has Turner has.

League One –

Winner – Falkirk their first season in their third tier since the 70’s Falkirk will be hoping to get straight back up. Despite trouble in the boardroom Falkirk have attracted many players from Dunfermline and Morton who found themselves out of contract. Despite a strong squad there is a distinct lack of depth and this may unstick Falkirk as the season rolls on.

Relegation – A tricky one to call in this league Stranraer look the weakest side but Dumbarton, East Fife or Peterhead could easily find themselves at the foot of the table. I don’t expect any team to get cut off so quite a few teams could have end of season nerves.

Super Star – Declan McManus on loan to Falkirk from Ross County McManus proved himself to be an excellent striker for Morton when they cruised the League 1 title and McManus will be hoping for a similar record to kick start his career. He’s never replicated the strike rate of that season despite being in decent Raith Rovers, Dunfermline and Ross County teams Falkirk will be hoping that league 1 suits him.

Rising Star – Regan Hendry spent last season on loan at Raith Rovers but had his playing time cut short due to injury, in the four games he did play he made 3 assists and after being released by Celtic during the close season Hendry will be hoping a good season will put him on the radar of bigger clubs.

League Two –

Winner – Edinburgh City after coming so close last year and their main opposition in Clyde and Peterhead being promoted then I think City should make it into League One fairly comfortably. Their experienced squad and management team have made a decent start to the season beating Dunfermline and losing to St Mirren after conceding penalty in the dying seconds of the game.

Relegation Play off – Albion Rovers again this is likely to be a close run contest to avoid the relegation Play offs but with the smallest budget in the league and the narrow escape last year then I think it could be another long season for the Wee Rovers. Cowdenbeath, Elgin and possibly Cove will probably keep Albion company at the foot of the league.

Super Star – Mark McGuigan very nearly kept Stenhousemuir up last year and will be a very decent player in league 2 that many teams in the league above would have been interested in taking on. McGuigan has score 20 goals in his 31 league appearances for the Warriors and will be looking to build that tally in the bottom tier of the SPFL.

Rising Star – Chris McLaughlin at only 21 Chris has his best years ahead of him and as a solid left back last season he will be able to progress at this level hoping to attract some suitors from the higher leagues to get his career back on track after being released by Ross County.

As ever you can follow the day to day manic world of Scottish football @fitbawblog