PREDICTED LEAGUE FINISH: Seventh
LAST SEASON: 9th, 44pts
NOTABLE INS: Ian McShane (Queen of the South, £50k), Andrew Davies (Bradford City), Richard Foster (Rangers), Scott Fox (Partick Thistle), Jonathan Franks (Hartlepool United), Michael Gardyne (Dundee United, loan made permanent), Brian Graham (Dundee United), Darren Holden (Hartlepool United), Jackson Irvine (Celtic, loan made permanent), Stewart Murdoch (Fleetwood Town), Chris Robertson (Port Vale), Dan Bachmann (Stoke City, loan)
NOTABLE OUTS: Darren Barr (Dumbarton), Richard Brittain (Brora Rangers), Mark Brown (Dumbarton), Joe Cardle (Dunfermline Athletic), Graham Carey (Plymouth Argyle), Jake Jervis (Plymouth Argyle), Ruben Palazuelos (CD Guijuelo), Paul Quinn (Aberdeen), Antonio Reguero (Hibernian), Darvydas Sernas (Zalgiris Vilnius), Martin Woods (Shrewsbury Town), Cameron Burgess (Fulham, end of loan), Filip Kiss (Cardiff City, end of loan), Terry Dunfield, Ben Frempah, Abdoulaye Meite, Steven Ross, Steven Saunders
LAST SEASON'S BEST XI (departed players crossed out):
The last four transfer windows have been very busy up Dingwall way. It's as if they've tried to sign a new team each time. You'd be forgiven for thinking that this summer was more of the same, with the number of new faces running into double figures. But it isn't. It's not even close.
After two chaotic seasons spent dicing with the drop, Ross County are in no mood for more of the same. Their man(ager, Jim McIntyre) has a plan.
Step one - get some players who would run through brick walls for you. Step two - get organized in defence. Step three - sign busy forwards who will chase everything and snap at defenders. Step four- find a couple of creative wide players who can get up the pitch quickly on the break. Okay, it may not be out of Pep Guardiola's book, but County's springtime resurgence showed how effective the strategy is.
Crucially, most of the cogs in the machine have been signed up on long-term deals. Jamie Reckord and Marcus Fraser are very underrated full-backs who can defend well and overlap effectively; Michael Gardyne - in his third spell in Dingwall - seems to be twice the player in a County shirt as he is in any other; Raffaele De Vita has a beautiful right foot; Liam Boyce and Craig Curran are as important for their nuisance value up front as they are for their goals...which came increasingly frequently towards the end of the last campaign.
Meanwhile, the boss has been ruthless with those who just don't fit. Even club captain Richard Brittain was let go after eight years in the Highlands. It seemed like a ruthless move, especially since he played a number of matches last season with an injury, but it's the correct one. There is sufficient trust in McIntyre that the fans showed barely any dissent.
Most of the signings have been to provide depth, after a cull which has seen nineteen players leave. However, big striker Brian Graham will not have turned down a permanent move to St. Johnstone just to sit on the bench and may edge out Curran or Boyce. And Andrew Davies, installed as new skipper, could be one of the signings of the summer in the Premiership. A former England under-21 international who Stoke spent a seven figure sum on in 2008, Davies was outstanding for Bradford City in League One...at least, when he was fit. He has been injury-prone and started only a little more than half of their league games over his three years at Valley Parade. But Bradford wanted to keep him, and he should be a class above anything that's gone before him at the Global Energy Stadium. He's certainly an improvement over Paul Quinn, who has left for Aberdeen.
(Yes, they signed Ricky Foster as well, but he probably won't be a first choice. And, given that he's earned some decent wages in the last two years and he's from Elgin, he's probably a relatively inexpensive squad player, so let's not spend too much time on that one)
And to cap it all, they've managed to convince Jackson Irvine to remain in Dingwall on a permanent basis after a successful season on loan from Celtic. The Aussie was outstanding after Christmas, and his combination of physicality, stamina and technique is found in very few midfields in this country. Irvine and his new teammate Ian McShane (signed from Queen of the South) both cost small development fees, which tells you that Roy MacGregor, the club's sugar daddy, has not been afraid to splash the cash.
Irvine's partner in crime - or at least in central midfield - Martin Woods, has returned to England, so either McShane or another new boy, ex-Falkirk man Stewart Murdoch, will replace him. The latter has been playing with Fleetwood Town but his more defensive and cautious style make him more likely to be a backup for Irvine. McShane shone at times for McIntyre's old club but was just as often anonymous. He'll probably be better in possession than Woods, but less reliable without it.
The obvious potential weakness is between the sticks. McIntyre correctly recognised he needed a better goalkeeper than the mediocre Mark Brown and the error-prone Antonio Reguero, but Scott Fox has gone downhill since his surprise Scotland call-up in 2013 and his great reflexes do not entirely compensate for his vulnerability on crosses. He also has a terrible habit of letting shots in at his near post. The manager has spent all summer trying to find another keeper to compete with Fox and it'll be interesting to see if Dan Bachmann, brought in on loan from Stoke, gets the nod over a permanent signing who will not be on peanuts.
The travails of the last two years seem an age away. Ross County have learnt from their mistakes, and they are on the up again. Don't bet on them ending up in a third successive relegation battle. In fact, you'd be better off putting your cash on a top six finish. That might ultimately prove a little bit beyond them, but only a little bit. And, in a league where there is little to choose between most of the teams, this could be a fun season on the Black Isle.
THE SQUAD (players born after 1 January 1994 in italics)
Goalkeepers: Dan Bachmann, Scott Fox
Defenders: Scott Boyd, Andrew Davies, Richard Foster, Marcus Fraser, Darren Holden, Jamie Reckord, Chris Robertson
Midfielders: Raffaele Da Vita, Tony Dingwall, Jonathan Franks, Michael Gardyne, Jackson Irvine, Ian McShane, Stewart Murdoch, Rocco Quinn
Forwards: Liam Boyce, Craig Curran, Brian Graham
THE BEST XI?
Lawrie Spence (LS) has ranted and spouted his ill-informed opinions on Narey's Toepoker since September 2007. He has a life outside this blog. Honestly.
@Nareystoepoker Good article! I'd add Davies to the list of notable "ins".
I think top 6 is achievable, but not a cert!
— Peter MacDonald (@BlackIslePMD) July 28, 2015
@Nareystoepoker well written,yes it's a new team(again)but a permanent one
— Gary Bisset (@embogary) July 28, 2015
@Nareystoepoker well written. Think Graham could be key and Bachmann looks a quality keeper. Irvine a nice pre 1st match boost #excitingtime
— James MacPherson (@MacPhersonJg) July 28, 2015
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