| ABERDEEN (2001-02: Fourth place) |
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Danish manager Ebbe Skovdahl has worked a minor miracle at Pittodrie. He helped Aberdeen to reach two cup finals in his first season in Scotland and is now finding success in the league.
A return to the glory days of 1983 when Aberdeen won the European Cup Winners' Cup is not imminent but Skovdahl has restored pride.
They have some good youngsters and the arrival of Laurent D'Jaffo from Sheffield United and Eric Deloumeaux from Motherwell will help their UEFA Cup campaign, although Robbie Winters, the club's top scorer last season, has left. |
| CELTIC (First) |
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| Martin O'Neill's side start the season as the bookmakers' 1-2 favourites to win the Scottish title for a third successive year.
Their success in losing only one game last season and breaking the 100-point barrier was built on a towering three-man defense of Johan Mjallby, Joos Valgaeren and Bobo Balde and the
goals of Swede Henrik Larsson.
The loss of Slovak magician Lubomir Moravcik is a blow but their fans will hope David Fernandez, a 1 million pound ($1.58-million) buy from Livingston, can bring his own brand of flair to Celtic Park.
One of Celtic's major hurdles could be the number of games they face. Their fans crave a Champions League run but success in Europe would stretch their squad to the limit and that could
benefit rivals Rangers. |
| DUNDEE (Ninth) |
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| Jim Duffy has replaced sacked Italian Ivano Bonetti as manager. The Dens Park club signed Nacho Novo from Raith Rovers for 100,000 pounds but are likely to be selling a few players during the season to balance the books.
Georgian captain Giorgi Nemsadze, top goalscorer Juan Sara and Argentine Fabian Caballero are all on the transfer list.
All have been good signings for Dundee and their departures could mean the club struggles this season. |
| DUNDEE UNITED (Eighth) |
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| United manager Alex Smith has signed Kevin McGowne from Kilmarnock and former Watford striker Allan Smart but the side are short on flair.
A lack of goals has hit them hard in recent seasons and that could again prove their undoing. Steven Thompson recently scored for Scotland but struggles to find the net on a regular basis.
Many United fans will just be happy if they finish above city rivals Dundee. |
| DUNFERMLINE ATHLETIC (Sixth) |
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| Jimmy Calderwood earned a notable reputation during coaching spells with the Netherlands and has carried on his success in
Scotland.
Dunfermline have been busy enhancing their squad, buying Wigan keeper Derek Stillie, Hibernian striker Craig Brewster and Middlesbrough winger Sean Kilgannon.
After last season's success they will be looking to qualify for Europe this time around. |
| HEARTS (Fifth) |
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| Hit hard financially by satellite broadcaster Sky's decision to pull out of live Scottish football coverage, Hearts have been
forced to let a few of their higher wage earners leave the club.
Jamaican international Ricardo Fuller and Slovakian Robert
Tomaschek have gone, while Stevie Fulton has moved to
Kilmarnock.
Manager Craig Levein has recruited Kevin Twaddle and Dutch
forward Mark de Vries but a top-six place would represent a good
season for the Edinburgh side. |
| HIBERNIAN (10th) |
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| Hearts' neighbours have barely ventured into the transfer market in the close season but that could change with Ecuador
international Ulises de la Cruz expected to join Aston Villa in a 2 million pound deal.
Whether manager Bobby Williamson will be granted any of that
money for new faces remains to be seen but the Easter Road club
could do with some new blood.
Hibs had a disastrous time last season. They lost manager
Alex McLeish to Rangers and his replacement Franck Sauzee was
sacked after a few months in the post before Williamson steadied
the ship towards the end of the season. |
| KILMARNOCK (Seventh) |
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| Jim Jefferies's sacking as Bradford manager last season was cushioned when he was offered the Kilmarnock job within a few weeks.
He has made a steady start at Rugby Park and has also been busy in the transfer market, signing two of the players he managed at Hearts, Stevie Fulton and Gary McSwegan.
Kilmarnock played in Europe a few seasons ago but will do
well to finish in the top six. |
| LIVINGSTON (Third) |
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| The big success story of Scottish football over the past decade. Starting in the third division in 1995, they finished
third in the SPL last year to qualify for the UEFA Cup.
Much of the success has been due to serious investment by
their board and the sale of Fernandez to Celtic has allowed them
to plough more money into the squad.
Managers Jim Leishman and David Hay have snapped up French striker Eugene Dadi from Aberdeen and Argentine Sergio Berti. Another top-six finish is in the cards. |
| MOTHERWELL (11th) |
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| The Fir Park club are priced at 2,500-1 to win the SPL title and start as favorites for relegation.
The club almost went bust last season and have serious
financial worries. They are still in receivership and new
manager Terry Butcher, the former England captain, will need all
his leadership skills to lift spirits.
They have lost top goalscorer Stuart Elliott to Hull City
and avoiding relegation will be a major relief. |
| PARTICK THISTLE (Promoted) |
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| Back in the top flight after six years, Glasgow's third biggest club were easy winners of last season's first division
but may find the step up too big.
Manager John Lambie does not have much cash to spend and
that has been reflected in the paucity of their pre-season
signings, the most notable of which was Derek Whyte from
Aberdeen.
They and Motherwell are likely to be fighting it out to
avoid relegation. |
| RANGERS (Second) |
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| Alex McLeish's arrival as manager at the turn of the year has prompted the belief that Rangers can mount a serious
challenge to Celtic.
On their way to winning the League and Scottish Cups last
season Rangers beat their Glasgow rivals twice and that could be
a springboard for their first real title challenge since they
won it two years ago.
The arrival of Spaniard Mikel Arteta in a 6.5 million pound deal from Paris St Germain and Australian defender Kevin Muscat from Wolverhampton Wanderers will bolster the squad but captain
Barry Ferguson's form could hold the key to winning the title.
However, McLeish's men may still be short of the consistency required to win enough league games and their best hope could again lie in the cup competitions. |
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