SPL January dealings - team by team

ABERDEEN
THE BIG STORY
The return of the prodigal son, Russell Anderson, four and a half years after he left the club for Sunderland. The former club captain was released by Derby County in December; the Dons have signed him till the end of the season, though a hamstring injury will prevent him from contributing for a few weeks yet.

UNDER THE RADAR
There's a bit of a Dad's Army feel to the Pittodrie squad now after Anderson (now 33) was joined by former Scotland international midfielder Gavin Rae (now 34), who left Dundee to join his home town club. Craig Brown also brought in two players from his Motherwell days, midfielder Stephen Hughes and defender Mark Reynolds, the latter on loan from Sheffield Wednesday. Little is known about his other signing, young Nigerian forward Daniel Uchechi.

The most notable departure was captain Ricky Foster, after Bristol City paid £250,000for the full-back. Promising youngster Jack Grimmer was poached by Fulham.

STRONGER OR WEAKER?
Dons fans could not be happier that Foster has gone; he burnt his bridges with them after agreeing to a one-year loan at Rangers last season and his performances over the last few months have been poor. Anderson's contributions depend on his fitness, Rae is a short-term fix, and the boss will hope that he can get Reynolds and Hughes back to the level they were playing at a couple of years ago. Overall Aberdeen have a bit more depth at the back, but they still lack creativity, particularly with Rob Milsom out for the season.


CELTIC
THE BIG STORY
For all the rumours, it was a docile window for Celtic. The biggest story was the arrival on loan of Polish striker Pawel Brozek from Trabzonspor - mainly because Rangers apparently wanted him first.

UNDER THE RADAR
Swedish international defender Mikael Lustig signed on a free from Brondby. Young Nigerian Rabiu Ibrahim impressed on a trial after being released by PSV Eindhoven and was given a contract, but he's probably one for the future. I bet Celtic bit Southampton's hand off when they offered £1.5million to sign Jos Hooiveld permanently. Defender Josh Thompson (Chesterfield) and forward Paul Slane (MK Dons) are off south on loan, while young full-back Lewis Toshney is off to Rugby Park for the rest of the season and Badr El Kaddouri returned to Ukraine after his unimpressive spell at Parkhead on loan.

STRONGER OR WEAKER?
Lustig and Brozek are somewhat unknown quantities at the moment - but the important thing for Neil Lennon is that his team haven't been weakened to the extend Rangers have.


DUNDEE UNITED
THE BIG STORY
One young player left - Scott Allan signed for West Brom for £400,000 after rejecting a new contract - but another, forward Johnny Russell, stayed despite Celtic supposedly offering £500,000 plus Danish forward Morten Rasmussen.

UNDER THE RADAR
Irish midfielder Richie Ryan arrived after starring in the Irish League last year with Sligo Rovers, while Slovakian forward Milos Lacny was signed from Sparta Prague on loan to replace Lauri Dalla Valle after the Finn rejected the chance to extend his loan from Fulham. Surprisingly, United declined to cash in on Garry Kenneth, even though the defender is certain to leave when his contract expires this summer.

STRONGER OR WEAKER?
If even one of Ryan or Lacny turns out to be a hit, boss Peter Houston will be laughing. He will certainly be relieved that some of his other promising youngsters did not leave. It's unclear whether they are better off than they were at the beginning of the month though.


DUNFERMLINE
THE BIG STORY
After the season-ending shoulder injury to Paul Gallacher and the performances in relief by Chris Smith (his blunders which earned Caley Thistle a cup replay and then a tie with Celtic earned us £160,000), it was no surprise that Jim McIntyre brought in ex-Everton keeper Iain Turner on loan from Preston - though Turner has not distinguished himself so far either...

UNDER THE RADAR
McIntyre's other solution to keeping the Pars up appears to be bringing in defensive midfielders - former Aberdeen skipper Mark Kerr returns to Scotland after a spell in Greece, while Kyle Hutton arrived from Rangers on loan. Another bluenose, full back Jordan McMillan, signed permanently after Jason Thomson returned to Hearts. This probably won't improve the defence as much as getting rid of John Potter (on loan to Queen of the South) will. Reserve striker Pat Clarke also dropped down a division, joining Raith on loan. Veteran Craig Easton will leave when his short term contract expires.

STRONGER OR WEAKER?
The goalkeeper situation could relegate Dunfermline, unless Turner finds form. No strikers were brought in, and I'm not convinced that the current options (Andy Barrowman, Andy Kirk and Liam Buchanan) are enough to keep them up.


HEARTS
THE BIG STORY
So much for the mass exodus! In the end the sale of Eggert Jonsson to Wolves for a rather generous £200,000 allowed Romanov to pay the players and give Rudi Skacel a contract extension till the end of the season. No new players were brought in though.

UNDER THE RADAR
After he went on strike over the wages issue, it wasn't surprising that Ryan Stevenson signed for Ipswich for £50,000. John Sutton, out of favour with boss Paulo Sergio, will move on loan to Australia's Central Coast Mariners if international clearance is given. Third-string goalie Janos Balogh was let go, as was Calum Elliot; the latter signed for Lithuanians Zalgiris Vilnius, who aren't the team owned by Romanov. A few other young players, including Robert Ogleby and Conrad Balatoni, were released as well.

STRONGER OR WEAKER?
Most Hearts fans will be relieved at how the squad looks, considering the rumours of the previous few months. Whilst there were no reinforcements brought in, the Tynecastle club still have the talent and depth to be considered the favourites to finish third.


HIBERNIAN
THE BIG STORY
There was much embarrassment for Rangers (and amusement for everyone else) when their Honduran trialist midfielder Jorge Claros chose to sign on loan for Hibernian instead. Not content with the team, manager Pat Fenlon seems to have decided to loan an entire new one - in came defenders George Francomb (Norwich), James McPake (Coventry) and Matt Doherty (Wolves), midfielder Tom Soares (Stoke) and striker Roy O'Donovan (Coventry).

UNDER THE RADAR
I think we know what Pat Fenlon thinks of the signings his predecessor, Colin Calderwood, made - he punted most of them during the window. Junior Agogo is a-gone-gone (couldn't resist it, sorry), as are Matt Thornhill, Akpo Sodje and Victor Palsson. Michael Hart, a John Hughes signing, is offski too. It's easy to forget that, at the beginning of the month, Hibs signed Irish forward Eoin Doyle, while on deadline day they also brought in Pa Saikou Kujabi, 'the Gambian Roberto Carlos', apparently. Draw your own conclusions.

STRONGER OR WEAKER?
Whilst the Hibees have shifted a lot of dead wood, integrating eight new players is going to take a bit of time...which they don't really have, given that they are locked in a relegation battle. I can't help remembering that Calderwood tried a similar stunt last January, and look how that went...


INVERNESS
THE BIG STORY
ICT's failure to convince on-loan Wolves midfielder David Davis to stay at the club beyond January was a huge disappointment; the young Englishman was in outstanding form and it is galling that he chose to return south to join Chesterfield (bottom of League One) rather than stay in the Highlands.

UNDER THE RADAR
Another Wolves youngster, striker Sam Winnall, has joined up on loan for the rest of the season, as has 6ft 4in centre back Steve Williams from Bradford. Meanwhile, not being content with just one Gregory Tade, Terry Butcher has brought in another French player of exactly the same style - Claude Gnakpa, of Walsall. Oft-injured winger Aiden Chippendale was shunted back to Huddersfield when his loan spell expired, while it was a shame to find out that young midfielder Lee Cox, whose season has been blighted by injury, had been sold to Swindon Town for £50,000.

STRONGER OR WEAKER?
With so many players out with long-term injuries, the new players at least provide some depth. The team are just a goalscorer away from being real top six challengers - will Winnall be the answer?


KILMARNOCK
THE BIG STORY
Somehow Killie found enough cash down the back of the sofa to sign the manager's son, Dean Shiels, on a permanent deal after his impressive loan spell from Doncaster - a critical move as he has been the star player for the team this season.

UNDER THE RADAR
Shiels also did well to bring Ben Gordon, the Chelsea full-back, in on loan for the second time - Gordon had a successful six months at Rugby Park last season. Veteran centre-back Michael Nelson arrived from Scunthorpe and should provide experience. Another loan player, Celtic's Lewis Toshney, offers another defensive option, while little is known about Belgian forward Dieter Van Tornhout other than that he has an awesome name.

Leaving the club were Swedish defender Billy Berntsson (Hammarby), striker Ben Hutchinson (Mansfield) and defender Patrick Ada. Spanish striker Jorge Galan had his loan spell from Osasuna cut short. Young forward Rory McKenzie was sent out on loan.

STRONGER OR WEAKER?
Nelson's signing should allow Kenny Shiels to push Manuel Pascali back into midfield. Certainly the defence looks stronger. Unless Van Tornhout proves a hit, Kilmarnock will have a real problem up front if top scorer Paul Heffernan gets injured.


MOTHERWELL
THE BIG STORY
Estonian forward Henrik Ojamaa signed on a free transfer and hit the ground running, scoring 4 goals in his first 5 games. Motherwell want to sign him on a long-term deal pronto.

UNDER THE RADAR
A deadline day offer from Blackpool for young forward Jamie Murphy was accepted, but the under-21 international rejected the move. Stephen Hughes failed to impress after returning to the club for a couple of months and was let go; he signed for Aberdeen.

STRONGER OR WEAKER?
I'm pleasantly surprised Stuart McCall was able to hold on to everyone he wanted to keep. Ojamaa adds an extra threat that should keep Well in the fight for third place.


RANGERS
THE BIG STORY
Craig Whyte finally cashed in his prize asset, Nikica Jelavic - and completely failed to find a replacement. Ally McCoist declared at the start of January that he needed to bring players in, but all he got was Swedish under-21 winger Mervan Celik on a free transfer.

UNDER THE RADAR
Despite a lack of options, McCoist has loaned out the likes of John Fleck, Kyle Hutton and Darren Cole. David Weir finally decided it was time to start collecting his pension. Disturbingly, young players Thomas Bendiksen and Jordan McMillan turned down new contracts and moved on.

STRONGER OR WEAKER?
With Steven Naismith out for the rest of the season, McCoist now has to try to win the SPL with David Healy and Kyle Lafferty as his only notable attackers. Whilst quality players like Steve Davis and Allan McGregor have remained, this is as threadbare a Rangers squad as I can remember.


ST JOHNSTONE
THE BIG STORY
I can't help feeling a lot of the 'Rangers for Sandaza' stories were mainly an attempt to unsettle the Spanish striker before the game between the two sides. In the end, Sandaza has agreed to stay till the end of the season, when he'll be able to take his pick of suitors. Jody Morris was linked with a return south, but nothing came of that either.

UNDER THE RADAR
Extending the loan deal of Sandaza's strike partner, Cillian Sheridan, was a real coup. Steve Lomas did a lot of business in the loan market; whilst I'm unsure if Falkirk midfielder Jack Compton is good enough for the SPL, I've no doubt that Derby wideman Lee Croft is (and his other half is a looker too!). Young Celtic striker James Keatings is a highly-rated prospect, while I'd be lying if I claimed to know anything about Tottenham forward Kudos Oyenuga.

Lomas did well to clear the decks a bit; it was no surprise that Willie Gibson's loan spell from Crawley was allowed to expire, while backup strikers Sean Higgins (Ayr on loan), Sam Parkin (Queen of the South) and Stephen Reynolds, and defender Graham Gartland (Shamrock Rovers) came off the wage bill.

STRONGER OR WEAKER?
St. Johnstone seemed to be punching above their weight, but they've not only managed to keep their best players - they've brought in some intriguing loan signings too. A top six place seems assured - can they go any better?



ST MIRREN
THE BIG STORY
Who'd have thought the Buddies would be the biggest spenders of the window north of the border? Their £35,000 purchase of Dougie Imrie from Hamilton was the only transfer fee paid by an SPL club. There was talk of midfielder Kenny McLean leaving, but a fractured collarbone put paid to that, at least for now.

UNDER THE RADAR
Joe McKee was sent back to Burnley after an unsuccessful loan spell, while Dutch defender Ilias Haddad left at the end of his short-term contract. Young forward Jon McShane was loaned out.

STRONGER OR WEAKER?
None of Danny Lennon's best eleven departed during the window. Imrie is a hard-working player who can fulfil a number of roles. This is just as well as there doesn't seem to be too much depth in the squad. A few badly-timed injuries may scupper their top six ambitions.

L.