PREDICTED LEAGUE FINISH: Second
LAST SEASON: 2nd, 75pts
NOTABLE INS: Joe Nuttall (Manchester City), Paul Quinn (Ross County), Graeme Shinnie (Inverness Caledonian Thistle), Danny Ward (Liverpool, loan)
NOTABLE OUTS: Andrew Driver (De Graafschap), Kieran Gibbons (Livingston), Nicky Low (Dundee), Declan McManus (Fleetwood Town), Craig Murray (East Fife), Clark Robertson (Blackpool), Joe Shaughnessy (St. Johnstone), Donervon Daniels (West Bromwich Albion, end of loan), Russell Anderson (retired), Jamie Masson
LAST SEASON'S BEST XI (departed players crossed out): Brown, Logan, Taylor, Reynolds, Considine, Flood, Jack, Hayes, Pawlett, McGinn, Rooney
It turns out that after several years of playground chants correctly claiming otherwise, Aberdeen can, once again, "kick a jellybean". In 2013/14 they won silverware for the first time in aeons, lifting the League Cup. Last season, they didn't pick up a trophy, but they did finish second in the league - their highest league finish for twenty-one years. And for the second year running, they've done themselves proud in the Europa League qualifiers. The supporters, starved of success for so long, are once again sated.
They're not completely full up, though; for that to happen, they'd have to go one step further and win the league - which, at the moment, is unthinkable. The gap to Celtic at the end of last season was seventeen points (which, mind you, would have been accounted for if Aberdeen had won three of the four encounters with the champions, instead of losing all four). The priority, really, is establishing themselves as being much, much better than the rest.
Their summer activities suggest that they are doing so. They had three weaknesses last season - left-back, goalkeeper and general depth. The former wasn't even that much of a weakness, as Andrew Considine did so well that new boy Graeme Shinnie, one of the best left-backs in the country in recent years, has been deployed in midfield instead in the early European games. In goal, Derek McInnes no longer has to decide which of Scott Brown and Jamie Langfield was least likely to blunder; instead he has brought in Liverpool talent Danny Ward on loan and stuck him straight in the side.
Depth is less of an issue too, now that Shinnie and Paul Quinn, both of whom are extremely versatile, are on board. Last season they'd have struggled if Mark Reynolds got injured - last week they kept a clean sheet in Croatia without him. It helps, of course, that Ash Taylor has put all the blunders of last autumn well behind him and revealed himself to be very competent, while Shay Logan is a great right-back as long as he keeps his head and his concentration.
If David Goodwillie's performances against Rijeka were anything to go by, they even have an alternative to Adam Rooney up front, though interest in ex-St Johnstone man Stevie May persists. But Rooney was the Premiership's top scorer last season and there's no reason to think that he shouldn't get well into double figures again. Niall McGinn will also chip in with plenty of goals and assists coming in from wide areas. And there are hopes that Development League top scorer Lawrence Shankland will have a breakout year.
In midfield, there is a selection headache because there are so many decent options, especially if Shinnie is competing to play there. New captain Ryan Jack will play in the centre, and Jonny Hayes has to be in the side somewhere - whether it's on one flank, the other flank, or in the middle depends on circumstance. Also available are Willo Flood, Kenny McLean, Cammy Smith, Peter Pawlett and even veteran Barry Robson. Not too shabby, eh?
Aberdeen are in a kind of limbo at the moment - they are stronger in every area than pretty much every other Premiership side bar one, but they are probably weaker than Celtic in every area. The title may be impossible, but finishing third or lower would be an underachievement. The target therefore has to be to close that seventeen point gap, and to succeed in the cups. Oh, and actually taking some points off Celtic this time would be nice.
THE SQUAD (players born after 1 January 1994 in italics)
Goalkeepers: Scott Brown, Jamie Langfield, Danny Ward
Defenders: Andrew Considine, Shaleum Logan, Paul Quinn, Mark Reynolds, Graeme Shinnie, Ash Taylor
Midfielders: Willo Flood, Jonny Hayes, Ryan Jack, Kenny McLean, Peter Pawlett, Barry Robson, Frank Ross, Cammy Smith, Craig Storie
Forwards: David Goodwillie, Niall McGinn, Joe Nuttall, Adam Rooney, Lawrence Shankland, Scott Wright
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.
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