GLF 49: A Steelman's Slant

A STEELMAN'S SLANT.

15 August 2003

Ahhh, there is nothing like it. The freshly cut grass ( almost always in a wee fancy shape !! ), fans with their new fangled, latest team kit. Leaving Wullie Hills ( still wearing the shades you bought at the airport when heading to the sun ) with a coupon proclaiming that Motherwell will win the Handicap League, and best of all, the smell of your first Pie !!?! The big kick - off is a wonderful time of the year. Even if you’ve been relegated the previous season it’s all forgotten. Players you thought were gash three months ago have at least 25 minutes to prove they didn’t spend their summer lazing around as much as you did.

Yep, at the beginning of August the world seems a nicer place. Your Dream Team has been selected and to be honest every year it looks unbeatable, but by Halloween it’s got more holes in it than a Tumshie ( or, Falkirk’s “ Broomfield ” contract !! ). This particular Summer has of course been a bit of a worry to put it mildly. Relegation would’ve put our Club in serious difficulty, and it’s hard to reason that we would’ve recovered sufficiently to return to the top of Scottish Football in the foreseeable future. However, God proved to me what I’ve always thought, and done what any good fan of ours would’ve and secured our future in the short term. This season though, we can’t expect our most powerful fan to come to our rescue again and less mistakes have to be made to give our young team at least a chance to finish eleventh. As we know, our league is more than all about Motherwell FC. Indeed, where we end up come May probably will be more down to how our Opponents perform this season. Obviously money appears to be tight, not only in the SPL, but throughout Europe. Having said that there are probably more new players in our League this season than ever before. As I say to assess how Motherwell will perform, we must examine the others.

Here’s my take on Season 2003/4.

Aberdeen. I reckon that Stevie Paterson is doing a decent job at Pittodrie, and this season it’s hard not to see an improvement of some degree without setting the SPL on fire. That appears to be his way to build things, slowly but with good foundations.

Celtic. Despite most of your dislike for all things Celtic, they were desperately unlucky not to win anything last Season ( snigger, snigger!! ) and only the most ardent Rangers fan would think they’ll end up pot less come May. Their strike force is the most potent in the League and with Larsson desperate to go to Qatar with a bang, it looks like he’ll leave with another Championship medal around his ( manky ) neck.

Dundee. One of the few SPL teams who don’t particularly annoy me. A good season last term has increased hopes for this year. An improvement appears to be on the cards especially if, as seems likely, there’s a large investment of funds to be made available to Jim Duffy.

Dundee Utd. A healthy dislike of the Terrors has developed within the ranks of the Steelmen fans. All down to Ian McCall. A horrible little man who refuses ever to admit his team deserved to be beaten ( a new Alex Totten ?? ). Having said that some good buys over the summer will surely see them challenging for a top six spot rather than maintaining their top flight status.

Dunfermline. The Pars have been excellent over the past couple of seasons, particularly with their “ passing game ”. I just wonder though if they’ve reached the top of their cycle and maybe some of their players will begin to shade slightly. I see a similar performance this year, but with no improvement. And I wonder if that will be good enough for Jimmy Calderwood to survive the next two seasons .

Hearts. The Jambos have improved an already good squad with some good signings in Wyness and Hartley. I make them stick- ons to finish third and close the gap on the Old Firm. The atmosphere at their Tynecastle home gives them a great advantage over Opponents, something we at Fir Park can only dream about sadly. I also see them doing quite well in Europe, well, maybe getting into November still in the UEFA Cup.

Hibernian. Hibs fans and Bobby Williamson just don’t seem to click. And when that happens it’s very difficult for a manager to be successful, especially at Easter Road where the Hibees, for some reason, seem to think their due more success than they’ve had over the years. Like most other teams there is no money there and most guys brought in have been defenders. A poor start for Hibs can only result in another manager joining the unemployment queue however unfair that may seem to grumpy Bobby.

Kilmarnock. Our friend Mr Jeffries, has a happy knack of putting together decent teams, although with little entertainment on show. Sadly for Killie fans I see little difference this season. On paper a very poor squad will probably perform to a degree which will keep them out of trouble.

Livingston. Nobody can really see Livvy hitting the heights of their first season in the SPL. With the demise of Leishman / Robertson and key players like Bingham / Fernandez a struggle to survive is on the horizon. With a Brazilian in charge ( don’t tell Davie Hay !! ) and more foreigners in tow I don’t know if they’ll have the stomach for a mid winter battle.

Motherwell. In May, I reckoned that a Big Centre Half and a Midfield “ schemer ” would be required if an improvement was to be seen this season. Sadly that hasn’t materialised. If we get off to a bad start I don’t know if our squad will have the heart for another season like last year. Yes it’s a worry.

Partick Th. The second season is always the toughest as the Jags are gonna find out. I don’t think Thistle surprised anyone last term with their ( lack of ) quality, and I can’t see them doing so this season. Nothing ahead but a struggle.

Rangers. Everything fell into place for Rangers last term ( Europe excepted!!), and without signing anyone of note it’s hard to see them matching last season for achievements.

Anyway we all know Big Eck s record in his second season with Clubs, don’t we?

FINAL TABLE.

1. CELTIC

2. RANGERS

3. HEARTS

4. DUNDEE

5. DUNDEE UTD.

6. DUNFERMLINE ATH.

7. ABERDEEN

8. HIBERNIAN

9. KILMARNOCK

10. MOTHERWELL

11. LIVINGSTON

12. PARTICK THISTLE.

Eddie Steelman.