ROSS COUNTY
LAST SEASON: 5th, 53 points
NOTABLE INS: Graham Carey (St. Mirren), Melvin De Leeuw (Cambuur), Ben Gordon (Yeovil Town), Marc Klok (Utrecht), Kevin Luckassen (AZ Alkmaar), Darren Maatsen (Excelsior), Brian McLean (Dundee United), Steven Saunders (Motherwell)
NOTABLE OUTS: Mark Fotheringham (Notts County), Paul Gallacher (Partick Thistle), Andre Hainault (VfR Aalen), Paul Lawson (Motherwell), Iain Vigurs (Motherwell), Martin Scott (Hibernian, end of loan), Evangelos Oikonomou, Sam Morrow, Steffen Wohlfarth
LAST SEASON'S BEST XI (departed players crossed out): Brown, Kovacevic, Munro,
THE SQUAD (u-21 players in italics)
Goalkeepers: Mark Brown, Michael Fraser
Defenders: Scott Boyd, Ben Gordon, Mihael Kovacevic, Brian McLean, Branislav Micic, Grant Munro, Steven Saunders
Midfielders: Richard Brittain, Graham Carey, Alex Cooper, Melvin De Leeuw, Stuart Kettlewell, Marc Klok, Darren Maatsen, Rocco Quinn
Forwards: Gary Glen, Kevin Luckassen, Stephen Ross, Ivan Sproule
IF HE GETS INJURED, THEY'RE SCREWED: Having paid St Johnstone £40,000 to tear up his pre-contract, County need captain RICHARD BRITTAIN to produce the same quality, leadership and set-piece delivery he showed last time around, especially since Iain Vigurs has left.
STAR OF THE FUTURE? Pre-season reports of striker KEVIN LUCKASSEN have been very positive (from Tell Him He's Pele's John Maxwell, anyway) and County will be well chuffed if he is the answer to their quest for a goalscorer.
THE SEASON AHEAD: Last season went about as well as could be expected for the 2011-12 first division champions. The first half of the campaign was all about grinding out results; some superb January business gave the team more of a cutting edge in attack and County went on a magnificent run which culminated in a deserved top six finish. One suspects that Derek Adams didn't expect to lose so many important players this summer though - he'll have been disappointed to see regulars such as Iain Vigurs, Paul Lawson, Andre Hainault, Steffen Wohlfarth and Evangelos Ikonomou depart. Adams has brought in some seasoned replacements, but also a quartet of Dutchmen - it'll be interesting to see how they do. To St. Johnstone's chagrin and County's joy, Richard Brittain will remain in Dingwall this season, which can only be a good thing for the Staggies. The problem will be up front - who will score the goals?
THE BEST XI?
The defence has always been a strength and the arrivals of Ben Gordon, Steven Saunders (if he can stay fit) and Brian McLean make sure there is plenty of depth. Up front is a bigger concern, with County's current options at centre-forward consisting of the underachieving Gary Glen and unknown Dutch teenager Kevin Luckassen. Sproule was outstanding last season but will he regress back to the lousy form he displayed for the previous 18 months at Hibs? Kettlewell should anchor the midfield fine, with Quinn and Brittain providing the creativity and a few goals. De Leeuw has impressed in pre-season on the flanks, while Carey could also be used on the left hand side of midfield. County will get plenty of width from the full-back areas, with Kovacevic and Gordon happy to get up the pitch.
THE BOSS: It's almost undeniable that Derek Adams has the sourest face in Scottish football, but there is a case to be made for him also being the most tactically astute manager in this division. Whilst he is in charge, this side will always be well organized, and difficult to beat, but he is capable of tweaking the team and the system as the situation dictates. If the Staggies pick up where they left off last season, it will not be long till a bigger club come calling.
CLICHE YOU'RE MOST LIKELY TO HEAR: "second-season syndrome"
PREDICTION: I'm going to get slagged off almightily for claiming ICT will finish above Ross County again. But I'm not certain just how good County will be, given there are so many new faces and Iain Vigurs has left. It's not clear where the goals will come from. But I can't see them being drawn into a relegation battle. My conservative guess is SEVENTH.
L.
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