Looking Good...
Rangers have avoided any more departures, and that's a good thing for them. The income from the Champions League (they don't have to share any of it with Celtic now) will help with the cash flow at least, and the arrival of Jerome Rothen on loan from PSG adds experience and guile for those ties too.
Given that they are not even offering new contracts to anyone currently on the payroll (Kris Boyd is now in his final year), don't expect much business in January either, unless they sell first. They remain dependent on a few key players staying fit - otherwise, that title looks very vulnerable. For now, though, the Champions have made an impressive start.
A year ago, Derek Riordan returned to Hibs from Celtic for a rumoured £400,000 (big money these days for a non-OF outfit), and the Edinburgh club's chief executive described the deal as a "statement of intent". This summer, they've invested a similar sum in Anthony Stokes. Hibs now have lots of options up front and John Hughes has done some fairly radical reshaping of the rest of the squad, with Liam Miller the latest to join. It might take time to gel, but Hibs are looking promising.
So are the Arabs, with Craig Levein again pulling a rabbit out of the hat with Danny Cadamateri. Who knows how, but the well-travelled and wayward striker has hit the ground running. Dundee Utd have started well and still have a number of injured players to come back into the team. These two clubs are surely favourites for third place.
Motherwell will be pretty happy with a top six finish, but that looks on the cards following a decent start. Jim Gannon is living up to his reputation, and he's been given some money to bring in much needed strength in depth.
St. Johnstone, meanwhile, managed well-earned draws against Motherwell and Hearts, but got thumped by Celtic. That's a tough start for a promoted team, even if Hearts aren't anywhere near as good as they'd like to be, so probably a job well done. And they are scoring goals, which is crucial for the confidence.
Steady as she goes...Neither wonderful nor woeful, St Mirren and Kilmarnock have both made respectable starts, and have legitimate reasons for optimism. As both clubs are vulnerable to being dragged into a relegation scrap, any early points are a bonus.
Early signs of shakiness...
After being dumped out of the Champions League, there were rumours that a few Celtic players might be on their way, but in the end they've all stayed. Things should be pretty peachy at Parkhead, yet somehow problems seem to be surfacing early in Tony Mowbray's tenure. The bad natured and narrow win at Hibs looked ugly, with Mowbray first orchestrating a "huddle" at the end of the game and then refusing to accept that McGeady dived (he did, and everyone knows it). A siege mentality at the end of August - is that really healthy?
Still, at least they are winning games, which is more than can be said for Hearts. Manager Csaba Laszlo has been spilling the beans about his difficult relationship with Vladimir, and we all know that Mr Romanov does not tolerate insubordination. Is his employee asking to get sacked? Hearts had a woeful summer, the new signings (much hyped by some supporters) have looked substandard so far, and Larry Kingston is stirring the pot, too. Oh dear.
Things aren't much happier at Aberdeen, where the manager also seems content to moan about his squad in public. Best get your excuses in now, Mark McGhee, because those fans who were so excited about your arrival in the summer might just be having second thoughts.
And so to Hamilton and Falkirk. Both managers were sounding very optimistic during the summer, but that optimism has looked seriously misplaced so far. Falkirk have, at least, held on to Darren Barr and Scott Arfield, two vital players. They are going to need them, while Hamilton look well short of the required standard.
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