Scottish Premiership: Steven Thompson & Michael Stewart assess the clubs
- Published
Thompson & Stewart's Scottish Premiership predictions
Will there be a title race? Who will be scrapping for Europe? And which sides are in trouble?
With the help of Sportscene pundits Steven Thompson and Michael Stewart, BBC Scotland assesses and ranks all 12 Scottish Premiership teams as the league season looms.
See what they think of your team as the new campaign starts...
Last season: 1st (87 points) Pundits' prediction: 1st
Sportscene pundit Michael Stewart: There are a lot of question marks about them, with the new players they have signed and Neil Lennon coming in. I still think they will win it but it is going to be very interesting. Lennon has been questioned a lot but he's not a mug - he knows how to put a team together - and I think they are shaping up pretty well.
Last season: 2nd (78 points) Pundits' prediction: 2nd
Sportscene pundit Steven Thompson: They have been very active in the transfer market and I think Steven Gerrard has been aiming to get two players for every position. It will be interesting to see who is in his starting XI but he's added pace and quality in the wide areas. I think the title race will be closer than it has been in a long, long time but I'm not going to say they can win it because the evidence is there that Celtic know how to get the job done.
Last season: 4th (67 points) Pundits' prediction: 3rd
Sportscene pundit Steven Thompson: They have lost some influential players but have signed well and added quality. Derek McInnes' teams know how to get the job done and they will be up there challenging for the European places. He'll be desperate to try and get some silverware again, but I think they will certainly be competitive at the top end of the division.
Last season: 5th (54 points) Pundits' prediction: 4th
Sportscene pundit Michael Stewart: I quite like what I've seen of them so far. My one concern is how they are going to fit all their best players into a formation. It's almost like a Rubik's Cube. Do they play Florian Kamberi on his own up front? Or with a partner? And if you've got Scott Allan in behind, how do you get wingers in? I think they maybe lack someone in the middle of the park, but they have strengthened well and I like the look of them.
Last season: 6th (51 points) Pundits' prediction: 5th
Sportscene pundit Steven Thompson: Craig Levein is under pressure because they have under-performed two seasons in a row by finishing sixth. The supporters feel they should be pushing for third, and Ann Budge has said the same thing, so they need to get off to a good start. They have added quality, though, in Craig Halkett, Jamie Walker and Steven Naismith, but they have to finish in a European place.
Last season: 8th (51 points) Pundits' prediction: 6th
Sportscene pundit Steven Thompson: They have been lauded through pre-season and the League Cup and certainly seem to have recruited well. I was impressed with them in the second half of last season and if they can carry that into this season, they will be strong. And once David Turnbull gets back fit, that will be a great boost, and I think they will be pushing for top six.
Last season: 3rd (67 points) Pundits' prediction: 7th
Sportscene pundit Michael Stewart: Things have certainly not started particularly well for Angelo Alessio. The nucleus of the team are still there but they have lost a leader in Steve Clarke who was so instrumental and got off to a dreadful start in Europe by going out to Connah's Quay Nomads. It doesn't augur well. And some of the chat that there are problems behind the scenes would concern me if I was a Kilmarnock fan.
Last season: Championship winners Pundits' prediction: 8th
Sportscene pundit Steven Thompson: They were so consistent last season and have managed to keep most of their squad together. They have experience in the Premiership and a threat up front in Billy Mckay and Brian Graham. It will be a big season for Stuart Kettlewell and Steven Ferguson in trying to prove that the co-manager template can work in the top flight.
Last season: 7th (52 points) Pundits' prediction: 9th
Sportscene pundit Michael Stewart: Concerning times. They have lost some quality and not replaced it and had a terrible start in the League Cup. There doesn't seem to be any obvious additions coming in that will strengthen them and I think, having been a top-six side for a number of campaigns and slipped in the last year or two, it could be a really tough season for them.
Last season: 10th (33 points) Pundits' prediction: 10th
Sportscene pundit Steven Thompson: Everybody writes them off every season, and every season they prove people wrong. I like Brian Rice as a coach because I think he plays entertaining football and they have brought in experienced players such as Brian Easton and Blair Alston, who are decent at this level. They will be down there fighting as always, but I wouldn't write them off and I'd bet them to stay up.
Last season: 11th (32 points) Pundits' prediction: 11th
Sportscene pundit Michael Stewart: It's a big worry. They deserved to stay up in the end last season in the play-off but, equally, they deserved to finish down at the bottom end of the table. The team wasn't good enough and they've lost key players since then. The change of manager coming so late means they are playing catch-up and Jim Goodwin has said himself he is looking at every position, so it almost is case of just getting in what he can.
Last season: 9th (44 points) Pundits' prediction: 12th
Sportscene pundit Michael Stewart: They have lost the spine of their team, basically - Liam Kelly in goal, Declan Gallagher and Craig Halkett in defence, Shaun Byrne in midfield, Ryan Hardie up top. They were players who had been together for a number of years and it's really difficult to replace that with the budget they've got. Their good start and decent home record kept them up last season, but it tailed away and they need to try and pick up more points away from home if they are to survive.