Season Predictions

Well we've seen about as much as we can before the league starts, just the Berwick game to go (and the midweek friendly against Gateshead). Maybe another couple of signing still to come and Hardie isn't too far away, but we've seen how we're going to be playing to have a fair idea of our set up.

League position: 9th

Scottish Cup: 5th round

League Cup: semi finals

Irn Bru Cup: Our Colts team knocked out in the first round

POTY: Sibbald or Hardie

YPOTY: Hamilton

Top scorer: Hardie

Player that could be an unexpected surprise: Kelly (everyone had low expectations of him when we signed him back up, but I've been impressed by him in these cup games)

Liviforever wrote:
Scottish Cup: 3rd round

We don't enter until the 4th round, your usual optimism taking a hit here

League position: 11th
Scottish cup: 5th round
League cup: Quarter Finals
Challenge cup: COLTS rattled for 4 by Forfar
POTY: Craig Halkett
YPOTY: Ryan Hardie
Top Scorer: Ryan Hardie
Surprise package: Liam Kelly

LiviLion wrote:

Liviforever wrote:
Scottish Cup: 3rd round

We don't enter until the 4th round, your usual optimism taking a hit here

League position: 11th
Scottish cup: 5th round
League cup: Quarter Finals
Challenge cup: COLTS rattled for 4 by Forfar
POTY: Craig Halkett
YPOTY: Ryan Hardie
Top Scorer: Ryan Hardie
Surprise package: Liam Kelly

Awright, ta, will change it, don't usually do well in the Scottish cup, got to the semi before right enough so maybe we can go one better one of these times.

Anything above 11th would feel like we’ve won the league...


League position: 11th
Scottish cup: 4th round (unless we get a very favourable draw)
League cup: 1st knock out round
Challenge cup: 1st round
POTY: Gallagher
YPOTY: Crane
Top Scorer: Hardie (if Miller picks him)
Surprise package: Kaja

League position: 12th

Scottish Cup: 5th round

League Cup: Round of 16

Irn Bru Cup: 1st Round

POTY: Hardie

YPOTY: Crane

Top scorer: Hardie

Player that could be an unexpected surprise: Hamilton, assuming we don't sign another striker and he is 3rd/4th choice

9th, 11th, 12th, generally a low expectation level with us going into the unknown. Maybe the new manager has added to that though, I think we may have been a bit more positive had Hoppy stayed.


Still bugs me that the pundits are writing us off, esp when they aren't even mentioning St Mirren as potential candidates for relegation, just us and Hamilton apparently. Seems to be solely based on budgets too, which made such a big difference last season, us having one of the biggest budgets was the reason we got promoted.

Anyway, hope we stick it right up the lot of them and prove them wrong AGAIN.

Don't think it's just budgets tbh, most likely crowds. They hate that clubs with attendances like us and Hamilton are in the top flight while the likes of Dundee United aren't. So their predictions are also a little bit based on hope, also why they've always got Rangers to be 2nd despite their squad looking like they'll be 3rd/4th.

Think I'd feel the same if we still had Hoppy too; I'm actually glad we've got a player the quality of Kenny Miller in the squad, will obviously get a better idea once we're in September but I'm really excited for the season.

Not so much predictions as expectations to which i have none.This season as ive said before is a freebie and as such thats the way that i personnally will be treating it.Financially of course it is only going to benefit us with the increased revenue that the SPL brings and the possibillity of any cup runs we can produce but i do expect us to be in a dog fight with one or two others to consolidate our place in the SPL come May.Having said that i recall for most of last year we were considered the surprise package,surely cant happen again canit?.Whatever happens most of this squad have earned the right to run out at Celtic Park iand i truelly hope they fully enjoy the occasion with no pressure on them whatsoever.Iwelcome all the new players who will wear the amber for the first time and wish Kenny and all the lads succsess for the coming season.Cmon Livi,do it!!!

I have no expectations for this season other than not to do a Brechin.

Oh and I'd like to wallop Dundee a few times just because.

It's a difficult one, last season we were going in looking to just stay up but imo looking to finish slightly above mid-table, with no fear of playing anyone, wasn't any game I went into not thinking we can win this (and actually being capable of doing so). This season though it is all untested waters, we really have no idea how we'll fare against Premiership team.


I don't see St Mirren being any better than us though, they've lost a few good players and Morgan in particular is a massive loss to them, and Accies looked nothing special when we played them, prob Dundee will be in that area too, so we've at least got 3 places to aim for above the relegation place.

Me being an optimist, I think we will finish 9th, however I reserve the right to change that once we get to January, and depending on how we are doing may change that to a top 6 place.

We need to be getting about 10 points per quarter, 11 would def keep us up.

Well after the first quarter we're doing well above expectation, and drawing with Celtic after going into the 2nd set of fixtures shows we're not going to buckle.

I think where the teams are just now is more or less where everyone will finish. It's divided into 4 groups imo.


Top group is;


Celtic
Hearts
Rangers
Kilmarnock
--------------------

next is 4 teams battling for 5th and 6th place;


St Johnstone
Aberdeen
Livingston
Hibernian
------------------------

now a group of 2 that are cut adrift from competing for a top 6 but well above being in the relegation zone.

Motherwell
Hamilton
----------------------------

Bottom 2 are rank rotten and both going down

St Mirren
Dundee

I think that's where we'll find everyone come the split, everyone in those groups battling for places and a top 6 spot is up for grabs.

I think Aberdeen might climb into top 4 by the time the split comes. Also we haven’t played them yet so technically our first quarter isn’t complete... but we are ahead of schedule & have surpassed our points total from the relegation from the top flight season.

We have also already matched our points won against Celtic & Govangers from our top 3 finish season.

We haven't played Aberdeen yet so its difficult to say.

As far as I can see they've been uninspiring against the supposedly top teams but have almost 100% against the bottom half

Obviously we play them twice in December so that should be a good chance to assess although Aberdeen's ground mid week is never easy (up games aside).

Losing to St Johnstone was unfortunate as I still believe we're better than them but their manager had absolutely done his homework and countered us completely. Realistically a draw should have been the result but for a rare defensive lapse after five minutes.

December will be the best test of telling how we're going to end up although what happens with the January transfer window may also be critical. We've possibly had the new team bonus for the first few games (although it doesn't seem to have done St Mirren much good) and our pitch is a benefit although I wonder if, in the bad weather, its also an advantage to the opposition who presumably will get to play their away games to the Vale on a Saturday whereas our rearranged away games will likely be midweek with the hassle of travelling in poor weather although, with the exception of Dundee and Aberdeen, all the grass pitches are more-or-less in the central belt.

Aberdeen are following in St Johnstone’s wake with 4 wins on the spin, momentum is important so the international break possibly came at the wrong time for them.

Liviforever wrote:Well after the first quarter we're doing well above expectation, and drawing with Celtic after going into the 2nd set of fixtures shows we're not going to buckle.

I think where the teams are just now is more or less where everyone will finish. It's divided into 4 groups imo.


Top group is;


Celtic
Hearts
Rangers
Kilmarnock
--------------------

next is 4 teams battling for 5th and 6th place;


St Johnstone
Aberdeen
Livingston
Hibernian
------------------------

now a group of 2 that are cut adrift from competing for a top 6 but well above being in the relegation zone.

Motherwell
Hamilton
----------------------------

Bottom 2 are rank rotten and both going down

St Mirren
Dundee

I think that's where we'll find everyone come the split, everyone in those groups battling for places and a top 6 spot is up for grabs.

Hearts are in danger of dropping out of that top 4 group, being replaced by St Johnstone.

Celtic, Sevco, Killie and St Johnstone are all racking up points, the rest of us are kinda floundering about. A couple of wins would make a huge difference for us, but we need to start scoring goals.

Bertie Bassett wrote:Aberdeen are following in St Johnstone’s wake with 4 wins on the spin, momentum is important so the international break possibly came at the wrong time for them.

Getting gubbed by Motherwell proves me right about the international break coming at a bad time for Aberdeen.

As for us, yes we need a recognised goalscorer playing sooner rather than later.

Hopefully Motherwell don’t go on a run now after dispatching the Dons.

Bertie Bassett wrote:

Bertie Bassett wrote:Aberdeen are following in St Johnstone’s wake with 4 wins on the spin, momentum is important so the international break possibly came at the wrong time for them.

Getting gubbed by Motherwell proves me right about the international break coming at a bad time for Aberdeen.

As for us, yes we need a recognised goalscorer playing sooner rather than later.

Hopefully Motherwell don’t go on a run now after dispatching the Dons.

Maybe we should've taken a pumping fae Sevco, that seems to get you on a good run, both St Johnstone and Motherwell reacted well after being gubbed by them.

3-0 is our worst defeat for quite some time in terms of scoreline... that counts as a pumping doesn’t it? Come on guys take inspiration from Saints & Well !!

9th place is looking pretty good for my pre season prediction, might even get 8th or 7th.