tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-71582562165537614732024-03-13T12:33:40.989+00:00Cute Men In ShortsAbigail Richardshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16464037844763085175noreply@blogger.comBlogger8125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7158256216553761473.post-37814276092429183162019-06-16T05:19:00.001+01:002019-06-16T05:19:49.221+01:00What a lot of time to pass without nothing to say! Well actually I've had plenty to say, but not much of a platform before I remembered about my old precious blog.<br />
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What has happened in Scottish football since I last posted? Plenty! Rangers' fall and rise, Aberdeen becoming the second force in Scottish football before giving it up so easily this season. Kilmarnock and Steve Clarke's rise to the fore. It's hard to know where to start. But I thought an introspective on my opinions based on an article I wrote in 2007 on Scotland's chances on reaching the World Cup in 2010 would be a fun look back at how silly my thoughts were would be a bit of fun. So without further ado, here's my opinions of 2007 broken down in 2019.<br />
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One must wonder why there was no place in the starting eleven for Gary Caldwell, scorer of the only goal of the game against France at Hampden last October. Why, when Russell Anderson was in the form of his life for Aberdeen last season, could he not get a look in past the aging Weir? And there are a plethora of younger center backs who could all do the job in the Scotland defence, including Caldwell's brother Stephen, Hearts captain Christophe Berra, Andy Webster (when fit) and even Steven Pressley who, at 34, still has three years on Weir.</blockquote>
<b></b><i></i><u></u><sub></sub><sup></sup><strike></strike>Yes in 2007 I said this. Where have they gone since then? Gary Caldwell will never be forgotten for that goal against France but since then he had a (reasonably) unremarkable career at Wigan before entering into management. He's now the manager of Partick Thistle. May have gotten than one wrong? You tell me. Russell Anderson was a biased pick as an Aberdeen fan. He left Aberdeen in 2007 for Roy Keane's Sunderland and had a nightmare debut conceding a penalty in a 3-0 defeat to Wigan and never featured in a regular way for Sunderland ever again. After a few loan moves he came back to Aberdeen and won the League Cup in 2014. Stephen Caldwell and Andy Webster barely consider mentioning, but Christophe Berra has proved to be worthy of a Scotland place. You probably didn't read it here first.</div>
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Left-back, a position highlighted to be Scotland's weak spot by Calcio Italia (No. 147, Nov 2007) is another place the Scots need to look to strengthen. Gary Naysmith has done the job on and off down the left flank for several years, but he isn't the player he once was, and had to drop down a division to Championship side Sheffield United in the close season for regular first team football. His current backup, Graham Alexander, has never played at the highest level and at 36 is not a viable long-term option. With Hutton's emergence on the right Scotland need to make the left side equally as strong, and with options such as Rangers kid Stevie Smith and Derby left-back James McEveley, Scotland need to start looking to strengthen their defence.</blockquote>
<b></b><i></i><u></u><sub></sub><sup></sup><strike></strike>Well how the times have changed. Ten and some change years ago Scotland had a major left back problem. Now it's a problem in a far more different way. The left back position is by far the strongest that Scotland have. Andy Robertson, a Champion's League winner with Liverpool, isn't even the undisputed number one. Kieran Tierney is without a doubt a potential world class player and the issue faced now is who to play, or where to play the one left out. I'd potentially press Robertson forward. He's in Jurgen Klopp's side. He can adapt. Play him further forward as a more goal scoring threat (see the Cyprus game) and play Tierney behind him and we'd be unbeatable down the left. Not worth mentioning the players I mentioned in my blog. No offence intended.</div>
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I (thankfully) didn't make many more predictions. I wasn't wrong in some but was massively off key in others. But let's take a moment and go through the potential or best XI in June of 2019.</div>
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GK: Steve Clarke went with David Marshall against both Belgium and Cyprus. And while I don't disagree with experience, he's not a long term option. He's the youngest of our 'golden' generation of 'keepers which include Marshall himself, Craig Gordon and Allan McGregor. With McGregor understandably retiring and Gordon not playing, everyone is talking about Scott Bain. I'll be honest, I rate him, but he's first choice for Celtic by default. Craig Gordon is nearing his use by date and they have nobody else. I think that Clarke recognised that. There's little options beyond begging Angus Gunn (Southampton) or Jed Steer (Aston Villa) to switch teams. Although there's a case to be made for Craig MacGillivray of Portsmouth. He's said before he'd be keen to play for Scotland and I don't really understand why he hasn't been given a call up at least.</div>
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DL: Greg Taylor did very well against Belgium. But it'll be Andy Robertson or Kieren Tierney going forward.</div>
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CB: Scott McKenna and John Souttar are the future. Young and talented, they ought to be playing at a higher level. We keep relying on Charlie Mulgrew, who is a wonderful servant but we need to give gametime to the future of the team and not the almost done for. I'm liking Liam Lindsay at Barnsley and David Bates at Hamburg also. Put some faith in them, as Mulgrew won't be around forever.</div>
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RB: I am a huge fan of Stephen McDonnell who has been amazing at Killie, and obviously Steve Clarke will have faith as his former club boss. That being said, he won't be the long term solution. Why Callum Paterson has been shoe-horned into other positions at Cardiff is down to their management, he's a right back and not a striker. Play him where he should be playing.</div>
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CM: There's a plethora of options here. Let's get the three Mc's out of the way. McGinn, McLean and McTominay. McTominay might not be a first choice for Man Utd but he is a great defensive holding midfielder and McGinn and McLean are both future Premier League midfielders providing they aren't sold. They both played well on their last outings and St Mirren should be very proud for producing two Scotland players. Callum McGregor is an outstanding midfielder and Ryan Christie is much missed due to injury. John Fleck is another option, also promoted to the Premier League this year.</div>
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Wingers: I don't think there's any doubt that Ryan Fraser on the right and James Forrest on the left are our best choices. Fraser was ranked amongst the best in assists in the English Premier League this season and Forrest was Scotland's best player of 2018. Other than that, we should stop looking at English players eligible for Scotland as Matt Ritchie and his ilk have not performed nor seem keen to play for the side.</div>
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Up front: I'll appear controversial here. Eammon Brophy might have performed for Clarke's Killie side but is not a Scotland player. Without Leigh Griffiths who has had his own off pitch issues, we have no out and out goal scorer. I think that Steven Fletcher is the best bet. He doesn't score (much), but he can hold up play and bring our wingers into play more often which is where McLeish got it right. Without an out and out goal scorer, we should focus on wing play and the striker should enable that. Olie McBurnie may be an alternative, but he hasn't hit the ground running for Scotland yet.</div>
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So there's my thoughts. If I'm crazy let me know. If I'm right let me know. If you have any thoughts please leave a comment and if I should revive this blog also let me know. I love writing but if nobody is reading then it's practically a diary!</div>
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Love to you all.</div>
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Abi</div>
Abigail Richardshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16464037844763085175noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7158256216553761473.post-77008119958694482142010-02-03T08:05:00.002+00:002010-02-03T08:10:25.225+00:00Two years later and not much has changed<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://i30.photobucket.com/albums/c315/abigail84/Marie/anotherbrunette2.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 200px;" src="http://i30.photobucket.com/albums/c315/abigail84/Marie/anotherbrunette2.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a><br /><span style="font-size:130%;"><span style="font-weight: bold;">Time away is not time wasted.</span></span><br /><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-style: italic;font-size:100%;" ><span>By Abigail Richards</span></span><br /><span style="font-size:130%;"><span style="font-style: italic;"> </span></span><br /><span style="font-size:130%;"><span style="font-style: italic;"> </span></span><br /><span style="font-size:130%;"><span style="font-style: italic;"> </span></span><br /><span style="font-size:130%;"><span style="font-style: italic;"> </span></span><span style="font-size:100%;"><span style="font-weight: bold;"><br /></span></span><span style="font-weight: bold;"><br />It's been two years and some change since I posted to this blog. it's not that I necessarily wanted to stop. A change in circumstances means a change in the person and I haven't had anywhere near the time to post. Plus I didn't think anyone was reading it, but some of the comments I've gotten that I didn't see before I stopped writing have changed my mind somewhat! Thank you to everyone who left a comment. So the question now is, do I keep writing?</span><br /></div>Abigail Richardshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16464037844763085175noreply@blogger.com9tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7158256216553761473.post-43159612880679586432008-02-12T21:32:00.000+00:002008-02-12T21:33:30.856+00:00The Quest for World Domination<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://i30.photobucket.com/albums/c315/abigail84/Marie/anotherbrunette2.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 200px;" src="http://i30.photobucket.com/albums/c315/abigail84/Marie/anotherbrunette2.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a><br /><span style="font-size:130%;"><span style="font-weight: bold;">Premier League Matches Abroad? No, Thanks.</span></span><br /><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-style: italic;font-size:100%;" ><span>By Abigail Richards</span></span><br /><span style="font-size:130%;"><span style="font-style: italic;"> </span></span><br /><span style="font-size:130%;"><span style="font-style: italic;"> </span></span><br /><span style="font-size:130%;"><span style="font-style: italic;"> </span></span><br /><span style="font-size:130%;"><span style="font-style: italic;"> </span></span><span style="font-size:100%;"><span style="font-weight: bold;"><br /></span></span><p style="font-weight: bold;">The English Premier League continued its quest for world domination lately with the announcement of plans to play a 39th round of matches away from home, with the US, Asia and Australia being mooted as possible locations for games to be played as the richest league in the world looks to fatten its bank account.</p> <p style="font-weight: bold;">Unsurprisingly, the majority of fans don't seem to approve. And who can blame them? The league clearly aren't thinking of the fans at home in these proposals. Instead they want to cash in on the Americans, Chinese and Japanese fans, most of whom have never been to a Premier League match and certainly haven't been following the game and the teams as long as their British counterparts.</p> <p style="font-weight: bold;">Just whose interests does this idea best serve? Certainly not the countries mooted. Thus far both the AFC (Asian Football Confederation) and the USSF (United States Soccer Federation) have appeared nonchalant over the proposals, with the AFC making the very good point that these proposals would have a damaging effect on their own countries' leagues and clubs. Which match would you rather attend? Xiamen Lanshi vs. Qingdao Zhongneng or Manchester United vs. Chelsea? It's a no-brainer really.</p> <p style="font-weight: bold;">The USSF have gone on record as saying that they will be guided by FIFA on this matter, and with UEFA president Michel Platini already describing the proposals as 'comical', it doesn't bode well for the Premier League. The MLS has been criticised both in the US and Europe as being of a very low standard. Despite the arrivals of Claudio Reyna, Denilson, Juan Pablo Angel and, of course, David Beckham the standard of the teams and players is still low. This is highlighted by the fact that the MLS Cup champions Houston Dynamo recently 'strengthened' their side by the signing of Gretna's 33 year old 'keeper Tony Caig, a player with a football CV including the Vancouver Whitecaps and Carlisle United. Hardly a worldbeater. No offence to Tony intended.</p> <p style="font-weight: bold;">Are we really supposed to believe that it would be good for the MLS should the Premier League be playing matches in the soccer cities of Chicago, Los Angeles and New York? Indeed many were sceptical when it was claimed that David Beckham's arrival at the Los Angeles Galaxy would be good for the American game. But certainly his playing in the MLS is of a far greater benefit than rival matches being staged if as planned, at the end of the English season (i.e. June), right around when the MLS will be in full swing, that is, midseason.</p> <p style="font-weight: bold;">As a plan, it clearly has its flaws. The simple fact of the matter is that this plan would only serve to fill clubs' coffers with millions of Dollars, Yen and Yuan. To steal thousands upon thousands of spectators desperate for the world-class players that the Premier League can provide.</p> <p style="font-weight: bold;">Quite clearly the Premier League has lost its way. It is forgetting its most valuable commodity, its English fans. Those who have followed their team for 50 years, come rain or shine, and passed the love of the game down to their children and their childrens' children. If the Premier League loses these people, they lose everything. And that's what they should be bearing in mind with these proposals.</p><br /></div>Abigail Richardshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16464037844763085175noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7158256216553761473.post-10716339897284275472007-11-27T19:07:00.000+00:002007-11-27T19:14:53.936+00:00The Search Begins<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://i30.photobucket.com/albums/c315/abigail84/Marie/anotherbrunette2.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 200px;" src="http://i30.photobucket.com/albums/c315/abigail84/Marie/anotherbrunette2.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a><br /><span style="font-size:130%;"><span style="font-weight: bold;">Who'd Be An England Manager?</span></span><br /><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-style: italic;font-size:100%;" ><span>By Abigail Richards</span></span><br /><span style="font-size:130%;"><span style="font-style: italic;"> </span></span><br /><span style="font-size:130%;"><span style="font-style: italic;"> </span></span><br /><span style="font-size:130%;"><span style="font-style: italic;"> </span></span><br /><span style="font-size:130%;"><span style="font-style: italic;"> </span></span><span style="font-size:100%;"><span style="font-weight: bold;"><br />They're a fickle sort, the Football Association. 18 games into a four-year contract, Steve McLaren was dismissed following his failure to qualify for Euro 2008.<br /><br />While fickle, I have to say I totally agree with the FA's decision. This time. The fact is that McLaren never should have been appointed in the first place. A fine number two he may be, but the amount of times he looked entirely out of his depth tactically and his total failure to control the immense egos of some of the side's supposed superstars made England rather hilarious to watch at times.<br /><br />Unless of course, you're an England fan. As a Scot, I have to say I feel sorry for the Auld Enemy. Scotland's last two managers have done such a good job that big club sides have came knocking and stolen them away. England's last two managers have been terminated after a series of failures, or in Sven Goran Eriksson's case, apparent failures. Personally I think three consecutive quarter-finals appearances is not a bad record - especially compared to McLaren's.<br /><br />But who knows, perhaps McLaren will now go on to emulate Eriksson's post-England success and a year from now the fans and press will be calling for him to be reinstated. That both sections, albeit in their minority, have called for Eriksson to be offered the job again is laughable. This would be comparable to the Scottish press starting a campaign to have Berti Vogts installed as Alex McLeish's successor.<br /><br />Scotland, however, have a number of native managers perfectly capable of taking the job. Billy Davies anyone? Recently sacked from Derby County, he's a free agent. I for one wouldn't mind to see him take the job.<br /><br />But seriously, who in their right mind would take the England job these days? That the only serious contenders at the moment seem to be Fabio Capello, a man who doesn't speak English, and Harry Redknapp, one of the most famous 'wheeler-dealer' managers the game has ever seen and therefore clearly more suited to club management, shows that the FA really don't have many options that look much better than what they once had in Sven.<br /><br />The debate over whether to hire an English or foreign coach seems ridiculous. Look no further than how things ended up with their last English coach and it should prove that it doesn't matter where you're from - the only thing that matters is the ability to do the job.<br /><br />My ideal candidate? José Mourinho. At least it would be entertaining. But not only that, Mourinho is one of the finest managers currently out of the game - or indeed in the game. He hasn't said too much about it, but I feel if the FA made a serious offer, he'd at least consider it.<br /><br />Mourinho's tactical nous is far superior to that of McLaren's, his motivational skills are excellent, and unlike McLaren, he wouldn't bow to the popular public opinion. McLaren was more than happy to change formations for the first match against Croatia after pressure from the press, and was also happy to put Scott Carson in goal for the crucial second match against the Croats, despite having two goalkeepers with experience of playing at a major tournament in David James and Paul Robinson. Mourinho on the other hand, was so determined not to have his chairman dictate the squad selections at Chelsea that he eventually lost his job.<br /><br />Isn't that the kind of man the English side needs? Not to mention that Mourinho has the ability to beat down even the biggest of egos - after all, nobody in the dressing room should be more full of themselves than him.<br /><br />As more and more people continue to rule themselves out for the position, it's time the FA put their money where their mouth is and go after the best man for the job - whether they've claimed they want the job or not.</span></span><br /></div>Abigail Richardshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16464037844763085175noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7158256216553761473.post-48797639019851961892007-11-21T12:41:00.000+00:002007-11-21T12:45:45.292+00:00The Road to South Africa 2010<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://i30.photobucket.com/albums/c315/abigail84/Marie/anotherbrunette2.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 200px;" src="http://i30.photobucket.com/albums/c315/abigail84/Marie/anotherbrunette2.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a><br /><span style="font-size:130%;"><span style="font-weight: bold;">Looking Forward - Scotland's Future</span></span><br /><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-style: italic;font-size:100%;" ><span>By Abigail Richards</span></span><br /><span style="font-size:130%;"><span style="font-style: italic;"> </span></span><br /><span style="font-size:130%;"><span style="font-style: italic;"> </span></span><br /><span style="font-size:130%;"><span style="font-style: italic;"> </span></span><br /><span style="font-size:130%;"><span style="font-style: italic;"> </span></span><span style="font-size:100%;"><span style="font-weight: bold;"><br />In the aftermath of yet another failed qualifying campaign, Scotland can at least take great heart in their gutsy and impressive performances over the past 14 months. Those performances have seen an unprecedented rise through the FIFA Rankings to the all-time high of 13th place. Putting that into perspective, Scotland are now ranked higher than the USA, a country with almost 60 times the population, and Greece, the current European champions.<br /><br />This rise will almost certainly see Scotland announced as second seeds when the European qualification groups for the World Cup in 2010 are drawn in Durban on Sunday; meaning that there will be no repeat of this campaign's "group of death", which of course featurd both the winners and runners up of the last World Cup.<br /><br />Scotland can therefore take comfort in the fact that, rankings wise, they should be the second-best side in their group meaning a second place finish should be more than feasible. With a group of players who seem capable of making through at least another two campaigns, with a couple of exceptions, it's fair to say that the future is bright for Scotland.<br /><br />Of course before we deal with the future we're forced to think about what could have been in the present. Many have blamed Scotland's exit on the official for the crunch game against Italy. But while Manuel Enrique Mejuto Gonzalez certainly had what can only be described as an 'off day', Italy had as many decisions ruled against them as the Scots. It just happened that Scotland were the unlucky ones on the night.<br /><br />Where to start? Gonzalez ruled an onside goal to be offside and an offside goal to be onside. The former being an Antonio Di Natale effort when at 1-0, Italy were dictating the play, and the latter being Barry Ferguson's plucky equaliser following a Gianluigi Buffon parry. But most heartbreakingly of all, Gonzalez and his assistants' worst moment came in the dying minutes of the game. When a draw seemed almost certain, Alan Hutton was barged into and yet somehow had a free kick decision go against him. That Italy scored the winner from this clearly incorrect decision was desperately unfair to Scotland who had matched Italy in almost every department, with the notable exception of concentration in the opening minutes of the match.<br /><br />It is from this that Scotland can take most heart. Against two of the world's best sides, they didn't lie down and accept defeat as they perhaps would have in the past. Two incredible 1-0 victories over France and a desperately unlucky loss against Italy have proven that Scotland can rub shoulders with the world's elite and not look at all out of place. The resilience shown by the side, who simply refused to give up, was rewarded by the thousands of proud Scotland fans who applauded their fallen heroes as they took to a victory lap following the game.<br /><br />It is, of course, unfair to blame all of the side's misgivings on poor refereeing. The fact that Scotland conceded a goal after just 68 seconds underlined the slow and uneasy start the Scots made to the match. With the exception of the outstanding Alan Hutton, the Scotland defence were little better than average throughout. Stephen McManus and David Weir are good defenders by Scottish Premier League standards, but against the attacking trio of Di Natale, Luca Toni and Mauro Camoranesi they did at times look to be out of their depth. At 37, Weir simply doesn't have the pace to keep up with a quick front man, whereas McManus is the perfect defender...with the exception of his marking capabilities.<br /><br />One must wonder why there was no place in the starting eleven for Gary Caldwell, scorer of the only goal of the game against France at Hampden last October. Why, when Russell Anderson was in the form of his life for Aberdeen last season, could he not get a look in past the aging Weir? And there are a plethora of younger center backs who could all do the job in the Scotland defence, including Caldwell's brother Stephen, Hearts captain Christophe Berra, Andy Webster (when fit) and even Steven Pressley who, at 34, still has three years on Weir. Surely with the race to Austria and Switzerland now over it's time for Weir to step down and let one of the younger, quicker players take his place.<br /><br />Left-back, a position highlighted to be Scotland's weak spot by Calcio Italia (No. 147, Nov 2007) is another place the Scots need to look to strengthen. Gary Naysmith has done the job on and off down the left flank for several years, but he isn't the player he once was, and had to drop down a division to Championship side Sheffield United in the close season for regular first team football. His current backup, Graham Alexander, has never played at the highest level and at 36 is not a viable long-term option. With Hutton's emergence on the right Scotland need to make the left side equally as strong, and with options such as Rangers kid Stevie Smith and Derby left-back James McEveley, Scotland need to start looking to strengthen their defence.<br /><br />With a stronger backline protected by Craig Gordon, Alan Hutton would be allowed the opportunities to press further forward without fear of being over-exposed at the back, and with the extra muscle and speed in the middle of the park, this could allow for one of the five man midfield to be pushed forward into a second striker role, something which Scotland looked as though they could have used on Saturday. McFadden is a quality player but lacks the experience of playing the full 90 minutes and often plays better behind a more out-and-out striker such as Kenny Miller or Kris Boyd. Boyd in particular is the Gary Lineker sort of player who has a habit of getting a goal in the box. With McFadden supplying the front man as opposed to being the man in the goalscoring position himself, perhaps the effort in the 80th minute wouldn't have ended up just past the post.<br /><br />Overall however, there are certainly more positives than negatives. With McLeish looking to be sticking around for the foreseeable future (fingers crossed), it is with great optimism and a small hint of expectation that Scotland look to next September and the start of the journey to South Africa in 2010. </span></span><br /></div><span style="font-weight: bold;"></span>Abigail Richardshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16464037844763085175noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7158256216553761473.post-65679710627801970682007-08-27T20:34:00.000+01:002008-12-08T22:35:11.902+00:00Soccer in America<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://i30.photobucket.com/albums/c315/abigail84/Marie/anotherbrunette2.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 200px;" src="http://i30.photobucket.com/albums/c315/abigail84/Marie/anotherbrunette2.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a><br /><span style="font-size:130%;"><span style="font-weight: bold;">MLS - Worthy or Worthless?</span></span><br /><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-style: italic;font-size:100%;" ><span>By Abigail Richards</span></span><br /><span style="font-size:130%;"><span style="font-style: italic;"> </span></span><br /><span style="font-size:130%;"><span style="font-style: italic;"> </span></span><br /><span style="font-size:130%;"><span style="font-style: italic;"> </span></span><br /><span style="font-size:130%;"><span style="font-style: italic;"> </span></span><span style="font-size:100%;"><span style="font-weight: bold;"><br />In surfing the web these past few months, I've noticed numerous article</span></span><span style="font-size:100%;"><span style="font-weight: bold;">s </span></span><span style="font-size:100%;"><span style="font-weight: bold;">croppin</span></span><span style="font-size:100%;"><span style="font-weight: bold;">g up on football journalism websites about the impact of David Beckham on 'soccer' in America. Essentially you can split these articles right down the mid</span></span><span style="font-size:100%;"><span style="font-weight: bold;">dle and divide them up into two categories. Those who think Beckham will do more for soccer than Pélé in the 1970s, and those who think he's a washed-up, overpaid moron.</span><br /><br /></span><span style="font-size:100%;"><span style="font-weight: bold;">Personally I'm not one for making judgments on someone so early. It's impossible to tell what kind of impact Beckham and the many others who have arrived in MLS (Major League Soccer) thanks to the 'Beckham rule' or more accurately, the designated player (DP) rule, until a</span></span><span style="font-size:100%;"><span style="font-weight: bold;">t the very earliest the end of the current season. Then and only then can any kind of conclusions be drawn.</span><br /><br /></span><span style="font-size:100%;"><span style="font-weight: bold;">Initial signs are at least fairly positive. A massive 66,237 crowd at </span></span><span style="font-size:100%;"><span style="font-weight: bold;">the Giants Stadium saw Juan Pablo Angel (formerly of Aston Villa) and the rest </span></span><span style="font-size:100%;"><span style="font-weight: bold;">of the New York Red Bulls overcome Beckham's LA Galaxy by 5 goals to 4. These</span></span><span style="font-size:100%;"><span style="font-weight: bold;"> are the kind of soccer matches the American fans like to see. High-scoring, high-tempo affairs. Let's not forget that in the majority of other sports involving a ball, scoring often reaches double figures for both sides. For fans brought up on American football and basketball, watching two soccer teams grind out a 0-0 draw is not what appeals.</span><br /><br /></span><span style="font-size:100%;"><span style="font-weight: bold;">The crowd, many of whom were no doubt attending their first MLS matc</span></span><span style="font-size:100%;"><span style="font-weight: bold;">h, were highly entertained </span></span><span style="font-size:100%;"><span style="font-weight: bold;">as Beckham played his part in three</span><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://football.ballparks.com/NFL/NewYorkJets/aerial.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer; width: 200px;" src="http://football.ballparks.com/NFL/NewYorkJets/aerial.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a></span><span style="font-size:100%;"><span style="font-weight: bold;"> of Galaxy's four goals, but was overcome b</span></span><span style="font-size:100%;"><span style="font-weight: bold;">y the talented attacking pair of veteran Angel and 17-year-old sensation Jozy Altidore, both of whom grabbed a brace. This was the largest crowd for an MLS regular season game at the Giants Stadium, and proof that the Beckham factor is enough to ge</span></span><span style="font-size:100%;"><span style="font-weight: bold;">t peoples' bums on seats, but this is an isolated incident. Giants Stadium (above) in East Rutherford,, N.J. is one of the largest stadiums used by MLS and is traditionally home to the New York Giants and the New York Jets, teams in the NFL. Many clubs now use soccer-specific stadiums with capacities of around 20,000. The Red Bulls themselves will move to Red Bull Park within the next year. With a capacity of 25,000, it's more on-par with an average English Championship </span></span><span style="font-size:100%;"><span style="font-weight: bold;">ground, meani</span></span><span style="font-size:100%;"><span style="font-weight: bold;">ng that this could very well be one of the last 60,000-plus attendances for the forseeable future.</span><br /><br /></span><span style="font-size:100%;"><span style="font-weight: bold;">So what of the future of MLS? The 2007 season saw the expansion of the Eastern Confere</span></span><span style="font-size:100%;"><span style="font-weight: bold;">n</span></span><span style="font-size:100%;"><span style="font-weight: bold;">c</span></span><span style="font-size:100%;"><span style="font-weight: bold;">e to include a new franchise; Toronto FC, the first Canadian team to p</span></span><span style="font-size:100%;"><span style="font-weight: bold;">l</span></span><span style="font-size:100%;"><span style="font-weight: bold;">ay in </span></span><span style="font-size:100%;"><span style="font-weight: bold;">M</span></span><span style="font-size:100%;"><span style="font-weight: bold;">LS. Despite their relative poor form (they won just 5 of t</span></span><span style="font-size:100%;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://www.city.burnaby.bc.ca/__shared/assets/Whitecaps_Logo3061.gif"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 122px; height: 122px;" src="http://www.city.burnaby.bc.ca/__shared/assets/Whitecaps_Logo3061.gif" alt="" border="0" /></a></span><span style="font-size:100%;"><span style="font-weight: bold;">heir opening 22 matches) they've gaine</span></span><span style="font-size:100%;"><span style="font-weight: bold;">d a large number of supporters in Toronto, leading</span></span><span style="font-size:100%;"><span style="font-weight: bold;"> to the suggestion that another Canadian team should join MLS, most likely to be the Vancouv</span></span><span style="font-size:100%;"><span style="font-weight: bold;">er Whitecaps (badge left); current champions of the USL First Division, the second tier of soccer in America and Canada. Next season will see the return of the San Jose Earthquakes, one of the teams that dominated </span></span><span style="font-size:100%;"><span style="font-weight: bold;">MLS in its early years before the franchise was placed on hiatus and the team, players and all were moved to Houston to become the Dynamo. The expansion to 14 clubs may be seen as the way forward, but there are some pitfalls that need to be considered.</span><br /><br /></span><span style="font-size:100%;"><span style="font-weight: bold;">Firstly, over-expansion was one of the major contributing factors to the decline of the NASL (North American Soccer League). Following the success</span></span><span style="font-size:100%;"><span style="font-weight: bold;"> of the New York Cosmos with p</span></span><span style="font-size:100%;"><span style="font-weight: bold;">layers in their team like Pélé and Beckenbauer, many businessmen saw soccer as a way to make a quick buck and started opening franchises all over the United States and Canada. At its highest, there were 24 teams competing in the NASL. This resulted in the overall talent being spread too thinly between the sides competing, leading to the clubs having to spend big on foreign aging stars. When the money dried up, businessmen dumped their franchises just as quickly as they'd set them up. The league folded in 1984.</span><br /><br /></span><span style="font-size:100%;"><span style="font-weight: bold;">While precautions have certainly been taken to assure that the sam</span></span><span style="font-size:100%;"><span style="font-weight: bold;">e thing does</span></span><span style="font-size:100%;"><span style="font-weight: bold;">n't happen to MLS, the decision to expand to 14 teams in 20</span></span><span style="font-size:100%;"><span style="font-weight: bold;">08,</span></span><span style="font-size:100%;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://soccerlens.com/wp-content/uploads/2007/05/mls-badge.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer; width: 137px; height: 128px;" src="http://soccerlens.com/wp-content/uploads/2007/05/mls-badge.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a></span><span style="font-size:100%;"><span style="font-weight: bold;"> wit</span></span><span style="font-size:100%;"><span style="font-weight: bold;">h future expansion in the works, has similar pitfalls. ML</span></span><span style="font-size:100%;"><span style="font-weight: bold;">S teams don't have </span></span><span style="font-size:100%;"><span style="font-weight: bold;">youth teams. They can't go out and sc</span></span><span style="font-size:100%;"><span style="font-weight: bold;">out the country looking for the best players to play for them. They rely on players gaining experience in the USL Premier Development League (PDL), usually while they work their way through college, before they're drafted to MLS teams once they come of age. This is the same way in which other American sports function, such as American football, baseball and basketball, where the most promising players coming out of college are snapped up on muli-million dollar deals.</span><br /><br /></span><span style="font-size:100%;"><span style="font-weight: bold;">The same cannot be said for young soccer players. It's nice work if you can get it, but you only get it if you're good enough. Every year, a certain amount of players are selected to be Generation Adidas players. The aim of this initiative is to enco</span></span><span style="font-size:100%;"><span style="font-weight: bold;">urage early entry (without college graduation) of American players into MLS. These players are few and far between. There were eight players who were awarded Generation Adidas status for 2007, not even enough to go around the present 13 teams. If the league continues to expand, it corresponds that the amount of young American/Canadian talent will have to increase at the same time. Otherwise MLS clubs will be forced to look outside of the US for talent, which as a by product will stifle youth progression further.</span><br /><br /></span><span style="font-size:100%;"><span style="font-weight: bold;">Th</span></span><span style="font-size:100%;"><span style="font-weight: bold;">e MLS</span></span><span style="font-size:100%;"><span style="font-weight: bold;"> is unique in world football. It functions differently to any other league a</span></span><span style="font-size:100%;"><span style="font-weight: bold;">nd in the ten years since its inception it has steadily develo</span></span><span style="font-size:100%;"><span style="font-weight: bold;">ped into t</span></span><span style="font-size:100%;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1sfCjNVpL48QRcbP4T_P4bpFWHLYuUIm4a47rqYQY_iOm6Fc7u3bb-s-mKjCgwiLL0oFlyh1KgnSr9Lt533omc0-XWy_tcrpQtCJnR-zZ_qtHX-DmvkSHEme6gT89SEpnBVkLAMyANLtR/s1600-h/sfnbecks125.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 93px; height: 130px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1sfCjNVpL48QRcbP4T_P4bpFWHLYuUIm4a47rqYQY_iOm6Fc7u3bb-s-mKjCgwiLL0oFlyh1KgnSr9Lt533omc0-XWy_tcrpQtCJnR-zZ_qtHX-DmvkSHEme6gT89SEpnBVkLAMyANLtR/s200/sfnbecks125.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5103469541398298034" border="0" /></a></span><span style="font-size:100%;"><span style="font-weight: bold;">he entity we know it as now. The standard of football has improved, and with the arrival of Beckham (left) and his fellow DPs, crowds are seemingly on the rise too. But the most important factor for progression, as any football coach will tell you, is development at a grass roots level. If more teenagers opt to play soccer as opposed to football, basketball, hockey or baseball, then the standard of the MLS and in turn the US national team will continue to improve. Otherwise the league should not look to expand any further than it already has, lest we end up with another NASL situation.</span></span><br /><span style="font-size:130%;"><span style="font-style: italic;"></span></span></div>Abigail Richardshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16464037844763085175noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7158256216553761473.post-80000168854583254232007-08-27T03:18:00.000+01:002007-08-27T04:00:26.472+01:00The Job of a Referee<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://i30.photobucket.com/albums/c315/abigail84/Marie/anotherbrunette.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 200px;" src="http://i30.photobucket.com/albums/c315/abigail84/Marie/anotherbrunette.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a><br /><span style="font-size:130%;"><strong>The Toughest Job In Football?</strong></span><span style="font-size:85%;"><em><span style="font-size:130%;"><br />By Abigail Richards</span><br /><br /></em></span><div style="text-align: justify;"> <span style="font-size:85%;"><em> </em></span></div><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size:85%;"><strong><br /></strong></span></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size:100%;"><strong><br />Did it cross the line or didn't it? Penalty or no penalty? Was it a handball or not? We've been hearing plenty from the Premiership about bad refereeing decisions. And I bet everyone thought that was over the day Graham Poll announced he was hanging up his whistle.</strong></span></p><div style="text-align: justify;"> <span style="font-size:100%;"><strong> </strong></span></div><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size:100%;"><strong>High profile "mistakes" by Rob Styles (Liverpool vs. Chelsea), Lee Mason (Fulham vs. Middlesbrough) and Howard Webb (Manchester United vs. Tottenham) have lead to wide-spread comp</strong></span><span style="font-size:100%;"><strong>laints that refereeing in England's top league is not up to a good enough standard. Styles was even dropped from the referee list for this weekend's match program, which was dismissed as routine by referee's chief Keith Hackett, who told BBC Radio </strong></span><span style="font-size:100%;"><strong>5live that "It is just like with players, if they miss an open goal they are likely to be dropped."</strong></span></p><div style="text-align: justify;"> <span style="font-size:100%;"><strong> </strong></span></div><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size:100%;"><strong>I have to s</strong></span><span style="font-size:100%;"><strong>ay that it's <em>not </em>the same thing. Yes, Styles made a refereeing error, but t</strong></span><span style="font-size:100%;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://newsimg.bbc.co.uk/media/images/44068000/jpg/_44068223_stylespa203.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 200px;" src="http://newsimg.bbc.co.uk/media/images/44068000/jpg/_44068223_stylespa203.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a></span><span style="font-size:100%;"><strong>he solution is not to drop him and hope that he learns his lesson. Referees aren't players. Players are dropped when they're losing form or struggling from injuries, and usually return to the side when they've recovered. But Styles (left, with the infuriated Liverpool players) didn't suffer a loss of form, he made an</strong></span><span style="font-size:100%;"><strong> error in his judgment. And who can blame him? With Chelsea's players surrounding him insisting it was a penalty, and the intense atmosphere of a buzzing Anfield, can anyone honestly say they wouldn't have done the same thing?</strong></span></p><div style="text-align: justify;"> <span style="font-size:100%;"><strong> </strong></span></div><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size:100%;"><strong>Sure, it could be argued that referees are paid to handle the pressures of taking char</strong></span><span style="font-size:100%;"><strong>ge of the big matches, but they're not machines. They don't have built-in goal-line technologies and can't rely on television replays before their decisions are made final. Like it or not, the referee and his assistants assume total control when they step out onto the field. They're trusted to do their jobs and should not be dropped for making bad decisions.</strong></span></p><div style="text-align: justify;"> <span style="font-size:100%;"><strong> </strong></span></div><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size:100%;"><strong>Instead more help and support should be given to the men in black. They do, I would argue, have the toughest job in football. Neither set of fans particularly like you and you're just as scrutinized (and possibly more so) if you make an error as any of the 22 players on the field. I for one am not totally convinced that goal-line technology is the answer, but surely there is more that can be done rather than 'dropping' the referee for a week? What does tha</strong></span><span style="font-size:100%;"><strong>t achieve other than humiliating those who make the mistake? They're already practically forced into apologising and then after they do so they're told that they won't be able to do their jobs the following week. This is not the way to go about things.</strong></span></p><div style="text-align: justify;"> <span style="font-size:100%;"><strong> </strong></span></div><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size:100%;"><strong>Referees do not receive enough protection when they make these alleged "mistake</strong><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://newsimg.bbc.co.uk/media/images/40918000/jpg/_40918595_frisk203.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer; width: 200px;" src="http://newsimg.bbc.co.uk/media/images/40918000/jpg/_40918595_frisk203.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a></span><span style="font-size:100%;"><strong>s". Do we really want another Anders Frisk situation? Frisk (right) was the referee for the Champio</strong></span><span style="font-size:100%;"><strong>ns' League clash between Chelsea and Barcelona a couple of years ago. After a match where no</strong></span><span style="font-size:100%;"><strong>ne of his decisions were incorrect, at least according to the chairman of Sweden's football refer</strong></span><span style="font-size:100%;"><strong>ees' association Bo Karlsson, Frisk and his family received numerous death threats and he decided enough was enough. Thi</strong></span><span style="font-size:100%;"><strong>s was not an isolated incident however. Frisk was also struck on the head by an object thrown from the crowd at Roma's Olympic Stadium during a Champions League match against Dynamo Kiev the previous September. UEFA punished Roma, but clearly the situation was no better 5 months on at Stamford Bridge.</strong></span></p><div style="text-align: justify;"> <span style="font-size:100%;"><strong> </strong></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size:100%;"><strong>On that occasion what did UEFA do? They blamed Chelsea manager Jose Mourinho. They declared him the "enemy of football" as they pleaded Frisk to reconsider. Unsurprisingly Frisk did not change his mind. In a game where players are coddled and outspoken managers revered by their fans, the men in black are the outcasts, quite literally cast aside when they do something wrong. Along with working on goal-line technology, the FA, UEFA and FIFA should be doing everything they can to help out the men with the undoubted toughest job in football.</strong></span></div><p> </p>Abigail Richardshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16464037844763085175noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7158256216553761473.post-79814503798213773312007-08-27T01:32:00.000+01:002007-08-27T05:53:33.109+01:00The Season Ahead<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://i30.photobucket.com/albums/c315/abigail84/Marie/anotherbrunette.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 200px;" src="http://i30.photobucket.com/albums/c315/abigail84/Marie/anotherbrunette.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a><br /><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-weight: bold;font-size:130%;" >Scottish Football in 2007/08</span><span style="font-size:130%;"><br /></span><span style="font-style: italic;font-size:100%;" >by Abigail Richards</span><span style="font-size:100%;"><br /><br /></span></div><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size:100%;"><strong><br /></strong></span></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size:100%;"><strong><br />The season may only be four games old but already I can see Rangers and Celtic running away with it once again. Total domination seems likely after last week, when Rangers hit seven against Falkirk who managed ju</strong><strong>st two in reply. That was followed up by Celtic hitting Hearts for five this weekend, this time with no response</strong><strong> from a lackluster Gorgie side who look a shadow of their side of two years ago.</strong></span></p><div style="text-align: justify;"> <span style="font-size:100%;"><strong style="font-weight: normal;"> </strong></span></div><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size:100%;"><strong>Rangers spent big this summer, with David Murray announcing that </strong><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://newsimg.bbc.co.uk/media/images/44079000/jpg/_44079162_killie_rangers_gall1.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer; width: 200px;" src="http://newsimg.bbc.co.uk/media/images/44079000/jpg/_44079162_killie_rangers_gall1.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a><strong>around £13million was spent with only £2million coming in. With that sort </strong><strong>o</strong><strong>f spending, Rangers fans will be expecting success of some form. Another trophy</strong><strong>les</strong><strong>s season will no doubt be unacceptable for the Ibrox faithful and I suspect t</strong><strong>hey just might have it in them to take the title ba</strong><strong>ck from their neighbours. Their signings have impr</strong><strong>essed, and perhaps more vitally, Walter Smith has managed to dispose of practically all the remnants of Paul Le Guen's ill-fated tenure. Daniel Cousin and Jean-Claude</strong><strong> Darcheville look good </strong><strong>up front, DaMarcus Beasley (above) looks lively either up front or on the wing, and Carlos Cuellar looks class at the back. Add in the Scottish additions of Kirk Broadfoot, Steven Whittaker and Graeme Smith, and Smith's 27-man squad look very impressive.</strong></span></p><div style="text-align: justify;"> <span style="font-size:100%;"><strong style="font-weight: normal;"> </strong></span></div><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size:100%;"><strong>Celtic have bought well too. Massimo Donati looks like he has the</strong><strong> required attributes to replace Neil Lennon in midfield, and Scott Brown has to be one of the most exciting youngsters to come out of Scotland for a long time. His £4.5million p</strong><strong>rice tag may be steep, but I feel he has it in him to live up to the tag and not fade away into the background at Parkhead, like his former Hibs teammate D</strong><strong>erek Riordan.</strong></span></p><div style="text-align: justify;"> <span style="font-size:100%;"><strong style="font-weight: normal;"> </strong></span></div><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size:100%;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/b/bb/Craaiggordon.jpg/200px-Craaiggordon.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 151px; height: 219px;" src="http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/b/bb/Craaiggordon.jpg/200px-Craaiggordon.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a><strong>And wha</strong><strong>t</strong><strong> of Hearts? Gone from their Scottish Cup winning side are </strong><strong>Pressley, Hartley,</strong><strong> Skacel and most importantly of all, Craig Gordon (left). It remains to be seen if Hearts will actually spend any of the reported £7mill</strong><strong>ion received from Sunderland, but if they're going to even match last season's fourth place finish, they'll surely have to. It will infuriate the fans if the only reinforcements brought in following Gordon's departure are another gaggle of Lithuanians who'd struggle in the Scottish First Division. Perhaps most important to Hearts' hopes is to find a strong leader in the dugout. Coach Stephen Frail has ad</strong><strong>mitted that there needs to be a stronger voice barking orders to his players. And with days till the </strong><strong>end of the transfer window it seems unlikely that anyone will be put in place in time to make any kind of impact.</strong></span></p><div style="text-align: justify;"> <span style="font-size:100%;"><strong style="font-weight: normal;"> </strong></span></div><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size:100%;"><strong>Last season's third placed team are also struggling. Like Hearts, Aberdeen lost their best player to Sunderland. But unlike their rivals, they were </strong><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://newsimg.bbc.co.uk/media/images/42210000/jpg/_42210470_anderson203.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer; width: 200px;" src="http://newsimg.bbc.co.uk/media/images/42210000/jpg/_42210470_anderson203.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a><strong>not quite so handsomely compensated. Russell Anderson (right, in red)</strong><strong> </strong><strong>fetched just £1million.</strong><strong> A price that no doubt reflects the former skipper's inability to fight his way into t</strong><strong>he Scotland starting XI. Given that Anderson was given a start against South Africa at Pitt</strong><strong>odrie last week despite hardly featuring for Sunderland so far this term, many Aberdeen fans (myself included) will be feeling that it's not how well you're playing, it's who you're playing for. And these days, if you're not in the Premiership or playing in Glasgow or Edinburgh, your chances of making it into the Scotland first team are slim. Craig Brewster has undoubtedly been Aberdeen's strongest player in the opening four matches, and his imminent return to Inverness means that surely the two Jimmys will need to step up t</strong><strong>heir search for a striker, with just five more days till September.</strong></span></p><div style="text-align: justify;"> <span style="font-size:100%;"><strong style="font-weight: normal;"> </strong></span></div><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size:100%;"><strong>Hibernian l</strong><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://es.uefa.com/MultimediaFiles/Photo/footballeurope/FootballEurope/423040_MEDIUMSQUARE.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 200px;" src="http://es.uefa.com/MultimediaFiles/Photo/footballeurope/FootballEurope/423040_MEDIUMSQUARE.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a><strong>ook to be the best bet to finish 'best of the rest'. Some shrewd summer signings seem to have made up for the fact that they lost the majority of their best players over the s</strong><strong>ummer, with Chris Killen and Scott Brown making their way to Celtic, and Steven Whittaker arriving at Rangers. Yves Makaba-Makalambay is a giant between the sticks and should provide them with the stability they lacked in goal last term. Much will be expected of young Steven Fletcher (above), who will be looking to make up for a poor U20 World Cup display in Canada by getting in amongst the goals. Clayton Donaldson is t</strong><strong>he only major arrival up front and he will have the task of replacing the influential Killen. Despite some major personnel changes, I back Hibs for a third place finish.</strong></span></p><div style="text-align: justify;"> <span style="font-size:100%;"><strong style="font-weight: normal;"> </strong></span></div><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size:100%;"><strong>And what of the rest? Kilmarnock will surely be expecting another top six finish after seemingly managing to hold onto Steven Naismith for yet another transfer window. Their fans will surely be hoping he doesn't turn into another Kris Boyd, who left the club for a miserly £400,000 in January 2006 as his contract ran down. Naismith is a more complete player than Boyd, and must surely be worth more than the reported £1.5million Rangers et al have reportedly been offering.</strong></span></p><div style="text-align: justify;"> <span style="font-size:100%;"><strong style="font-weight: normal;"> </strong></span></div><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size:100%;"><strong>Dundee United will have hopes of a top six finish too. After an excellent start to the season Craig Levein's men look better than they ever have in recent years. They were unlucky against Kilmarno</strong><strong>ck following a dodgy red card shown to Christian Kalvenes and they were very impressive against Aberdeen and Inverness. Expect them to be mid-table and pushing for higher by the end of the season.</strong></span></p><div style="text-align: justify;"> <span style="font-size:100%;"><strong style="font-weight: normal;"> </strong></span></div><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size:100%;"><strong>Motherwell have also had a good start and under new manager Mark McGhee could be the surprise package of the season. McGhee has made some good signings and the side look far more organised than they did under Maurice Malpas last season.</strong></span></p><div style="text-align: justify;"> <span style="font-size:100%;"><strong style="font-weight: normal;"> </strong></span></div><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size:100%;"><strong>Falkirk, St. Mirren, Inverness and Gretna will no doubt form</strong><strong> thei</strong><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://newsimg.bbc.co.uk/media/images/44080000/jpg/_44080422_brewster270.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer; width: 118px; height: 158px;" src="http://newsimg.bbc.co.uk/media/images/44080000/jpg/_44080422_brewster270.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a><strong>r own 'mini-league' of relegation candidates this season. Of the four, Fa</strong><strong>lkirk and St. Mirren look the most likely to secure their places in the top flight for another year. Inverness will hope the imminent return of Craig Brewster (right) to</strong><strong> the dugout, and possibly the pitch, will inspire them to their first victory of the season. But sorry Gretna don't look like an SPL side. They haven't bought well and the confusion over who exactly is manager won't be helping matters any. Providing Inverness sort themselves out, Gretn</strong><strong>a will no doubt go back down where they came from at the season's end.</strong></span></p><div style="text-align: justify;"> <span style="font-size:100%;"><strong style="font-weight: normal;"> </strong></span></div><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size:100%;"><strong>My predictions:</strong></span></p><div style="text-align: justify;"> <span style="font-size:100%;"><strong style="font-weight: normal;"> </strong></span></div><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size:100%;"><strong>1. Rangers<br />2. Celtic<br />3. Hibs<br />4. Aberdeen<br />5. Hearts<br />6. Kilmarnock<br />7. Dundee United<br />8. Motherwell<br />9. St. Mirren<br />10. Falkirk<br />11. Inverness CT<br />12. Gretna</strong></span></p><div style="text-align: justify;"> <span style="font-size:100%;"><strong style="font-weight: normal;"> </strong></span></div><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size:100%;"><strong>CIS Cup: Hibernian<br />Scottish Cup: Celtic</strong></span> </p>Abigail Richardshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16464037844763085175noreply@blogger.com0