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Championship - How's it going to go?


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New season is upon us and one very different to what we are used to. First time since I've supported Killie that we've not been in the top flight! I honestly don't have a scooby how we will be going into this season. On the whole I have liked the recruitment, Fraser Murray looks a player, Polworth, Armstrong and Robinson look like good attacking options. Happy with the goalkeepers, stokes, Naismith and Euan Murray all good signings at the level. The burning question is are they good enough to win this league. 

Ultimately (and I don't care how we do it) we must win promotion. It is a big ask but a necessary one. One season out with the nucleus of a decent squad could see us in good shape for regaining our place among the elite for another 28 years. I have faith in the manager. Yes, we were relegated under his watch but that was an aging poisonous squad with a load of imposters. Tommy's record at St Johnstone was not by chance over such a long period..unless Calumn Davidson was the brains behind it all. 

We still lack a bit of cohesion, missing chances, players not really sure what others are doing, making runs, covering players runs etc. That is understandable with a new squad. Preseason has shown this but at the end of the day we got the job done in the cup even with the Armstrong fiasco. The striking position is a concern but we know Tommy is working on it. Under Alessio we went into a season with Cameron as main striker. Struggling to make any impact against Morton and a league 2 team shows he's not the answer, he may be part of the answer but we need at least 2 forwards of quality to match our competitors. 

I think Dunfermline are the team to beat, they seem to scoring, have recruited well and Peter Grant is a decent acquisition. Thistle will also be strong and Inverness will also be challenging. You know Broadfoot is going to come back to haunt us. Hamilton will also annoy us. 

Looking forward to the football starting against Ayr. Strange Derby to kick us off. We'll find out how good we really are shortly. 

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I am quietly confident. Although not sure if that’s a good or bad thing. 

There are a few players on the squad that are a cut above most in the league when on form. Naismith, Stokes, E Murray, Polworth, McGinn, Robinson, F Murray, Burke and McKenzie. The two goalkeepers look quality as well. 

If the team can gel and get off to a decent start and build some confidence I don’t see why that core of players can go on and win the Championship. 

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It’s going to be competitive but the make-up of the division almost dictates this.

Ten teams, one automatic promotion and relegation place, three promotion and one relegation play-off places.

Not many if any will have nothing to play for and the margin between being promotion and relegation candidates in narrow.

While we have had major changes, most others have had widespread alterations too.

We need to make RP a fortress and be capable of breaking down packed defences.

On the road we need to be resilient in defence and ruthless in taking chances.

I can see Dunfermline and Hamilton being challengers. The thought of having to go through a play-off again is a nightmare to be avoided at all costs.

We have more experience than any other club, possibly too much with an eye on building a team for the Premiership. But we have to capitalise on that experience and show the character which the TB era team had in spades.

 

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I think I read somewhere that since the leagues were reconstructed in 1974/75 it's only ourselves and Stenhousemuir that haven't won a league title in that time?  Of the clubs present in the divisions at that time.  You could of course now add Annan, Edinburgh City, Elgin City, Kelty Hearts - although it's worth noting that all of them won the various leagues they were part of prior to being added to the SFL.

Anyway, I think we'll change that this year.  I can't see us starting too well if I'm honest - while we're focusing on our lack of a cutting edge up top, the goal that we conceded on Saturday was appalling, as were some of the chances we conceded immediately afterwards.  The impact of virtually a complete overhaul of the squad in the summer is still being felt at both ends of the pitch, and I feel like it'll take us a good while to get over this - however, I'd expect us to start a real tilt around the second cycle of matches and be very difficult to beat.  The way we're moving the ball around the middle of the pitch, and to wide areas, for a team that's only been together for a few weeks is really encouraging.  Really looking forward to the season now.

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Make no doubt about it, in addition to their local derbies we are the scalp that all the other clubs want. 
The players will need to be up for it every single week, any time we aren’t we’ll get punished.

Looks like TW has assembled a decent squad of hungry players (striker still to come) so if he can keep them fit, organised and motivated we can win it. Important to start well, we want them chasing us from the off.

Edited by historyman
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I don’t think anyone is going to run away with the league as teams will all take points off each other. As previously mentioned, good home form is essential. I think we’ll be in the mix to win the league and with the addition of a good striker, I would have us as favourites.

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Key thing for me is not to panic if results don't go the way we want them at the start. Also need to have faith in TW and give him the full season. Other than SC the last manager to actually start a season and finish it was Allan johnston. Too much chopping and changing never does a club or squad any good. 

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It's all about resolving the mess that we find ourselves in. The parachute payment says we've got this season to do it and I don't care how we do it as long as we do it. 

Every team will see us as a cup final and make it hard for us. Unless we sign 2 strikers and possibly an advanced centre mid then our task will be hard. The squad looks competent on paper, but the final 2 or 3 pieces of the jigsaw can make all of the difference. 

It's up to us, all eyes on the Killie.... 

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Isn't it brilliant though that we're in a league where every fixture is likely to be competitive and where every position in the league is there to be battled for. Some fantastic games against old rivals Ayr, Partick, Dunfermline. No old firm contamination. I'm really looking forward to it.

I do fear a slow start similar to our 2nd Division start of many moons ago. It may be likely that it will be close to the end of the transfer window before we're able to add the required quality up front and into the 2nd quarter of the league before we are properly gelled and operating smoothly. The transfer policy has seemed sensible and hopefully we've added a couple of saleable assets too.

I didn't realise about the Killie / Stenny stat, but obviously every time we've been promoted since the 70s it's been as runners up. It would be fantastic to win a championship

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Based on the Morton game, I cant see us running away with it. Let's be realistic. Morton got an early goal and were able to just sit in, for which we had very few answers. Cameron certainly isnt the answer. Lots of teams will be happy to do this to us. 

I will revise this if we sign a starting centre forward and maybe a 10, but at the moment I think we will be fighting it out for 2nd or 3rd. 

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Think there will be a lot of games like Morton. (Teams camping in and playing on the break.) If we can get the likes of Robinson fit and a striker or 2 then we should have enough to win the league. That being said i don't think it will be easy by any stretch. We are the biggest team with the biggest budget but we'll be a scalp for teams.

We struggled to break teams down for the most part in the league cup games. But we did get a lot of crosses in, getting that striker with good movement should give us an edge in most games.

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