Scotland have thrown it away, again

Is their anything left to say about Wednesday's shambles? Be in no doubt, this was Scotland's chance... and having blown it, there goes another chance to take part in a World Cup. Mathematically there's still a chance of making runner-up spot in this group, but the dream of South Africa is over.

George Burley will probably stay on to try and prove otherwise, but we'll be looking for a new manager next year. Unless a great candidate for the job put themselves forward now, why bother - who is going to want to take on the job at this futile stage?

Burley has given the appearance of being the unluckiest man in the world, but he made mistakes too - dropping David Weir being just the latest one. He wants to prove he's "his own man", but allowed this to cloud his judgement. Too big selection errors against Norway in successive games (not bringing on Kris Boyd was the big mistake at Hampden) have scuppered his campaign.

Collapsed media deals, clubs being demoted after going into administration, humiliation on the European stage... the season's off to a flier, eh?

SPL 2009/10 - how's it's going to pan out

The new SPL season is about to kick off, so it's time to put our money where our mouth is and predict who's going to win it... and where everyone else will finish too. Firstly, a health warning: with the transfer window still open until the end of August, there's still time for players to come and go. If Rangers, for example, decide to spend a little of their Champions League windfall (unlikely, we know), then they could still improve their chances of retaining the title.


But this is We Love Fitba's season preview:

1. Celtic will be champions. We might have got it wrong in backing them last season, but we'll do it again this time around. A new management team, new players and the breaking of their European away day hoodoo have all brought optimism to Parkhead this summer. That victory over Dinamo Moscow reinforced the feeling that Tony Mowbray is the right man at the right time, able to inject some verve and flair into the side. With Nakamura and JVH gone and a few new faces, Celtic have refreshed a decent squad and will play with more pace this term.
   
   Key man: Aiden McGeady. Looked like he was on the verge of leaving the club in January, the girl-faced Irishman is an unquestioned talent. If Mowbray can get him back to his best, Celtic will be too strong for everyone else.
   


2. Rangers. Celtic might have thrown away a position of strength last season but Rangers deserve credit for winning the title. Walter Smith has helped to keep the wolf from the door, but there are still clear financial problems at Ibrox. So far this summer, players have gone but none has arrived. Fans can reassure themselves that their club has probably got the best years out of Barry Ferguson, and Birmingham have done them a favour (cheers, Alex McLeish), while Charlie Adam and Alan Gow weren't involved last season anyhow. But Celtic have got stronger while Rangers have stagnated. The squad is looking too thin to defend their crown.
   
   Key man: Kevin Thomson. Talented but fragile, the oft-injured midfielder has a vital role to play this season. With Ferguson gone, Rangers need someone to anchor the midfield and control games. It's telling, though, that Thomson has barely played for Scotland, despite his talent - he needs a solid, uninterrupted season to make his mark.
   


3. Hearts. On the basis that they finished 3rd last time, and no one else looks better placed to challenge them, the "Best of the Rest" title is theirs by default. They have steadily improved throughout pre-season and they seem to have brought in some decent replacements to cover departures. But Bruno Aiguar will be a big loss, and they still need a decent striker. And of course, the swirling rumours about financial problems and Vladimir Romanov's crazy unpredictability threaten to capsize the boat at any moment. Hearts better hope that Lithuanian bank holds out, because it's the only thing stopping them from following Livingston into crisis.
   
   Key man: Andy Driver. If Hearts continue to play with a fence post upfront, then the winger's attacking threat will be even more vital. An injury during the summer probably rules out his transfer this summer, a boost for the team if not the bank balance back in Vilnius. He could well go in January, though.



4. Hibernian. Another new manager for Hibs, and one that Falkirk fans weren't exactly sorry to see go. John Hughes certainly likes his teams to play well, but his results at Falkirk, plus the sales of Rob Jones and Steven Fletcher, suggest little more than top-6 anonymity this time around. However, there is a feeling, just like Mowbray at Celtic, that Hughes is the right man for the job, and that this appointment could work out very well indeed. After all, it was Hughes who got Falkirk to the SPL and kept them there, and got them to the Scottish Cup Final in May as well. He seems to know what's doing, and his roots with the club are doing him no harm at all. And, of course, the Hibs academy just keeps on churning out promising looking players, seven of whom have been promoted to the senior squad.
   
   Key man: Merouane Zemmama. Hibs will still rely on prodigal son Derek Riordan to score the goals, but it's the little Morrocan who Hughes will build his team around. If it works, Hibs could be looking to take 3rd from Hearts.



5. Dundee Utd. As Director of Football, Craig Levein has been busy restructuring the club's academy, admitting that it was not fulfilling its function. A smart move, but not one that's going to have an immediate impact on the first team. As manager, Levein once again traded to try and replace decent players who have gone. The Arabs will be tough competitors but it's hard to see them improve much on last season.
   
   Key man: Morgaro Gomis. That Levein signed the Senegalese midfielder from Cowbenbeath shows the global reach of the game these days. That Roy Keane has offered £800,000 for him shows yet again Levein's eye for a player. With money tight, though, can they hold on to him?
   
   
6. Motherwell. New man, fresh ideas, and a few new faces from the English lower leagues for fans to get used to as well. Jim Gannon is by all accounts a talented manager, and - crucially - used to operating at the "value" end of the transfer market. Motherwell have sold most of their assets and need a manager who can spot a bargain, but Gannon also likes his teams to pass the ball, which the Well fans will lap up. This just could be an inspired appointment.
   
   Key man: Stephen Craigan. With all the youthful enthusiasm ahead of him, the Well skipper could do with a nice, consistent, mistake-free season to show leadership to the young charges and keep the goals against tally respectable.
   
   
7. Aberdeen. The Dons were delighted to get Mark McGhee, who of course was part of the increasingly distant mid-80s glory years, after becoming so exasperated with the two Jimmys. But they've lost Scott Severin and Jamie Smith, the squad looks thin, and pre-season has not gone well. Without more investment, Aberdeen have to be realistic about their prospects. And could it be that Messrs Calderwood and Nicholl actually knew what they were doing? This season may be one to forget for the Dons, while inertia elsewhere leaves the club in seemingly perpetual limbo, wondering whether they are going to leave Pittodrie or not.
   
   Key man: Zander Diamond. Without a prolific striker, Aberdeen need to be tight at the back. Diamond's progress has been erratic but he's shown signs of maturing into a consistent centre-half.
   
   
8. Kilmarnock. Everyone knows that Killie don't have a pot to piss in, and the last couple of seasons have had fans biting fingernails at some point as relegation fears bubble up again at Rugby Park. But Jim Jefferies knows what he's doing and Killie also have the habit of stringing a set of results together when needed. Given the circumstances, they've done well to keep the squad more or less together and - you never know - Mark Burchill might announce his return to Scottish football with goals aplenty. Or not.
   
   Key man: Mehdi Taouil. The Morocco midfielder has tricks and talent, and is just plain good. He should be the difference between Kilmarnock and the teams below them.
   
   
9. St Johnstone. Gretna apart, the promoted club has tended to survive their first season in the SPL, and St Johnstone should do at least that. A well-run club with a solid support, the Saints have been waiting to get back to the top flight for a long time, and finally have their chance. Manager Derek McInnes is both realistic and ambitious, a nice combination to have. They've added a bit of depth to a squad that already looked pretty solid.
   
   Key man: Paul Sheerin. Craft and invention in Perth.
   
   
10. St Mirren. They've not been in the SPL long enough to feel completely secure, but the Buddies should be ok in their first full season in their new home. Gus MacPherson seems to have strengthened the squad, with Michael Higdon from Falkirk earmarked as the man to help score more goals than last season.
    
    Key man: Andy Dorman. Struggled last term, but if he returns to his best then he will make the Buddies tick.
    
    
11. Hamilton. Second Season Syndrome might hit hard at Hamilton, especially having seen James McCarthy and Brian Easton go for big money down South. But Billy Reid has been given some of that cash to rebuild the squad, and has made some big changes to freshen things up. More youthful exuberance/naivety this time around, but it should still be enough.
    
    Key man: Tomas Cerny. To balance out all that youthful inconsistently, an experienced pro between the sticks. A good keeper makes the difference, you know.
    
    
12. Falkirk. Apologies to the Bairns, but their time might be up. Escaped relegation on the last day of last season, and while Eddie May talks a good game (and has the odd pop at previous gaffer John Hughes while he's at it), he also lacks experience. The fans seem optimistic, though, so they won't be bothered by others backing them for the drop.
    
    Key man: Danijel Marceta. The striker has been signed on loan from FK Partizan's academy, which sounds like plenty enough pedigree for the SPL. If he's another Anthony Stokes, then Falkirk may well be laughing in the face of relegation threats.

Mon Scotland!

August is the wrong time to be playing crucial World Cup qualifying matches, as George Burley knows. Still, now's not the time to discuss how we got into this - instead, all the focus needs to be on beating Norway this afternoon.

Scotland seem to have enough up front to cause Norway problems, and surely between Ross McCormack, James McFadden, even Kenny Miller or Steven Fletcher, we can get a goal. The real test will be at the back: if the Caldwell brothers play together as expected, let's hope they use some brotherly understanding to form a tight grip on the game, especially if Alan Hutton and Steven Whittaker are the two full backs.

They are both decent footballers, but they are not the most defensively-minded.

Celtic's season starts tonight

We love fitba will hold its hands up and admit that it didn't get everything right when predicting what would happen last season. In fact, aside from forseeing Inverness Caley Thistle's relegation, much went wrong.

Mind you, this blog was not alone in being unable to predict Celtic's implosion as they chased a 4th title in a row. It was all looking peachy during the first half of the season, with Rangers clearly in trouble and Celtic looking pretty comfortable at the top.

But, with the chance to land a mortal blow to their rivals in their hands, Celtic failed to strengthen the squad in January (they merely signed Willo Flood to weaken Dundee Utd's instead) and Rangers, despite their own desperate problems, sensed a chance of salvation.

As SPL Champions, Rangers now have some guaranteed Champions League income to help with the overdraft, and while they still cleared out Barry Ferguson, don't seem to have the same need to sell their players to balance the books.

Celtic, meanwhile, have a very tricky-looking qualifier against Dinamo Moscow to contend with. The Russians are no mugs, and as they are half way through their season they should be much sharper than the Celtic squad.

If new boss Tony Mowbray could have chosen his first competitive fixture, you can bet that this wouldn't be it. If Celtic do come through, they will carry momentum and confidence from a promising pre-season into the SPL and look odds-on to regain the title. Miss out, and they will also have to reassess how much money they can spend on overhauling the squad.

There are uncomfortable echoes with the infamous defeat to Artmedia Bratislava, which started Gordon Strachan's tenure on the wrong foot and made some fans suspicious of him from day one. Losing to Dinamo will be no disgrace, but Mowbray will be desperate to get off to a positive start.

Burley's big decision pays off

If the result is the "only thing that matters", as everyone agreed was the case prior to the Iceland game, then there is no point moaning about the performance. Scotland won 2-1, and while they will need to improve if they are still to get to the World Cup next summer, at least that is still a possibility. Anything other than a victory on Wednesday would have been a disaster.

Scotland rode their luck at times, but every team needs luck on their side - something that George Burley has seemed to lack so far in the job. Having dropped Bazza and Alan MacGregor for going drinking after the Holland game - and got away with it - hopefully the manager will now feel vindicated, and exude more confidence next time out.

Dropping the two Rangers players was the correct decision from a discipline point of view, but it was also the correct footballing decision as well. Craig Gordon is clearly a better keeper than MacGregor, whether playing for his club or not, while dropping Bazza is a decision that should have been made years ago.

Rangers favourites for the Cup but problems mount

On the face of it, it was a great weekend for Rangers. They beat Hamilton 5-2, and are now clear favourites to go back to Hampden in May and hold on to their trophy. It could be seen as another step in the development of Ally McCoist, who takes charge of the Cup competitions these days. Meanwhile, Celtic inexplicably got knocked out 1-0 by St Mirren, who they thrashed 7-0 in the SPL a week ago.

This is certainly Ewan Murray's take on things, who reckons that the pressure is now all on Gordon Strachan from now until the next Old Firm encounter, the League Cup Final next Sunday. Absolute shit. Rangers are sinking deeper into the mire, as their problems just keep on getting bigger.

Another Scottish Cup will do little to appease the masses if a 4th straight League title goes across the City. The "peepl" are restless and angry at Rangers continued inability to win the SPL - but that doesn't look like changing anytime soon. Celtic have a 3 point advantage, and after Rangers' failure to take the last derby, confidence that they can repeat last season's late charge to the flag.

Meanwhile, with that £25m overdraft with the bank, Rangers this week asked their staff to consider voluntary redundancy. Busines as usual, according to the club, but everyone else recognises this as yet another sign of money problems at the club.

The only thing likely to keep the fans from baying for blood is winning the SPL. Arguably, Rangers would have been better served by being dumped out of the Cup to conserve resources for the only prize that matters.

Caley shock Gers

A rare midweek night of fixtures in the SPL, and it didn't disappoint. After withstanding the expected Rangers barrage for 90 minutes, David Weir of all people conceded a penalty, got himself sent off, and Ian Black put the chance away to give Inverness Caledonian Thistle a highly unlikely win at Ibrox.

As well as handing advantage back to Celtic at the top it's also made things much more interesting at the bottom of the table. ICT are now above Falkirk, who are in terrible form at the moment. Terry Butcher looks to be desperate to upset we love fitba's prediction that the Highlanders would be relegated this season.

Falkirk say they won't countenance getting rid of John Hughes - but must feel less loyalty to their man after he expressed ambitions of managing in England. Hamstrung by a cautious club who - rightly in the current climate - will not agree new deals for any players until they know what division they'll be in - Hughes' managerial stock is dropping by the week.