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Guess somebody best do one for Division 2!!

Anyway, mine's will be a four parter, running down the teams purely in descending order of the Average SL of their top 11 players:-

Partick Thistle (Top 11 Ave SL 23.8)

Most peoples, mine included, favourites for this season’s Division 2 title. Goalkeeping position has two quality options to choose from, a midfield most Division 1 sides would wish for, added to with great cover up front – they almost have it all.

There are only two question marks against Thistle’s hopes – a slightly thin defence, and perhaps not enough TP to cover all their youngsters. If manager O’Farrell can bolster that defence and use his resources wisely, my money will be on a Thistle title championship season.


Gretna (Top 11 Ave SL 23.4)
We are hoping that the squad we have at Rayview may be strong enough to gain promotion for the second successive season. We have quality throughout our defence, although we perhaps lack cover in the goalkeeping area (poor Sarti must have played more minutes than anybody in SESL last season – thanks to the three magic sponges we won at auction!).

Our midfield is pretty solid although not quite as impressive as Thistle’s. My only area of concern is up front, with the recent sale of Deuchar to Celtic looking like a trade I may live to regret come the end of the season.

If we can get some added cover in goals, and get the best from the remaining strikers we have at the club, I feel we can be a dangerous side in this Division over the course of the season.


Huntly (Top 11 Ave SL 23.0)

This is a team that will build their season on a strong defence; they have a solid first choice back line that will be hard to breach. Added to a strong, but ageing forward line, it is possible that Huntly may be this season’s long ball specialists in the Division.

They have good top 11, but some strength in depth must be added to maintain a promotion challenge – their success will hinge on manager Martin’s ability to adapt his squad, and their weak midfield could be a downfall, mid-season ageing could also hit Huntly hard with them having one of the oldest squads in the Division.


Dundee (Top 11 Ave SL 22.2)

Dundee have 4 goalkeepers – what that means in respect of tactics they are likely to play I am not sure! However it obviously shows they have cover in that area. They also have a decent defence, with plenty of cover and not overloaded with veterans.

Their midfield also looks to have some strength in depth, meaning they can switch between various tactics. However as they have a couple of good wingers it appears manager Ivo Kroon will be employing the Early Cross tactic this season. A decent balanced squad, and if the attacking options are coached fully – Dundee may well score a barrow load of goals.

The main concern for Kroon must be the difference between the youth of their defence, and the age of their attack – mid-season ageing looks like it will significantly impact on Dundee offensive threat. They are definitely one to watch regarding the promotion chase.

LOOK OUT FOR PART TWO COMING TO A FORUM NEAR YOU SOON......

...be a while before you get to us then

PART TWO HERE:-

Livingston (Top 11 Ave SL 22.0)

With their SESL veteran boss Adrian Nicholas, Livingston look to have a decent shout at promotion this season. They have a powerful looking attack, and if the defence can be brought up to scratch they will certainly be there or thereabouts come the end of the season.

They are perhaps a little short of cover in key areas, but that is sure to be something Nicholas will be looking into sorting out – and they have a decent sum of cash set aside for some auction bidding!


Elgin (Top 11 Ave SL 21.9)

Elgin look like a squad going places, they are by some distance the youngest overall squad in Division 2, aswell as having one of the highest average SL’s in the Division.

They are not only well equipped for the future, this team looks good for the coming season. Plenty of coaching is required for the young defence and midfield – if this is done quickly Elgin will be one of the top Division 2 teams this season. It all depends on whether returning SESL boss McCarthy is looking for quick gains, or for a slow develop so they are ready in Division 1.

The attack is immense, and made up of all age 1 and age 2 players. The main concern for the boss must be the limited TP resources and how to make best use of them – definately a team to watch over the coming weeks.


Hearts (Top 11 Ave SL 21.8)

Yet another Division 2 team with a solid defence. Manager Gordon also has numerous midfield and attacking options, enough TP to coach up all their youngsters, cover in the goalkeeping position not to mention a wad of cash for the auctions.

Division 2 is going to be hard fought this season; there are some really strong teams in here.


Alloa (Top 11 Ave SL 21.7)

Alloa pushed us all the way in the title race for Division 3 last year, and they still have a dangerous squad. One of the main problems facing manager Butterworth is that they are an ageing bunch – they were one of the oldest in Division 3 last year, and an injection of youth was required (which has been seen with 3 top class age 1 players in this seasons squad).

Again a team based on a solid defence, however their potent attack from last season has suffered from ageing, and Butterworth, who is known to like a trade or two will be trying to resolve this. If the midfield forward can be sorted then Alloa could also be going for a double promotion push.


PART THREE WILL FOLLOW IN A WEEK OR TWO - ANYBODY ELSE IN DIVISION 2 GOING TO CONTRIBUTE???

Yep, I have ARB pencilled in for around August sometime!

How on earth did we get promoted last season with this load of old rubbish?

…we didn’t get one single vote for manager of the season, so it couldn’t have been through good management!

It’s going to be a long, hard season based on the factual, statistical analysis. But it SHOULD have been last season! Using all the data analysis last season we should have been a bottom 6 Division 3 side. We beat those odds and secured promotion with gas left in the tank! Shame on you Division 3 managers I left behind!

We don’t want to be a yo-yo club but after successive promotion / relegation / promotion seasons it’s not going to be easy to break this cycle, especially with this current squad. Relegation looks a certainty, we are firm favourites to go straight back down. The challenge for us this season is clear – try and avoid relegation!

The T17 stat is always a great guide for a clubs expectations, and after a quick review, my predictions would almost mirror these stats.

T11 T17
1. Partick Thistle 23.8 21.2
2. Gretna 23.3 20.0
3. Dundee 22.2 20.0
4. Hearts 21.8 19.5
--------------------------------------------
5. Motherwell 21.5 19.5
6. Huntly 23.0 19.4
7. Elgin City 21.9 19.1
8. Alloa Athletic 21.7 18.9
9. Falkirk 21.8 18.4
10. Ross County 21.5 18.1
11. Livingston 22.0 17.7
12. Stirling 20.8 17.1
--------------------------------------------
13. Cowdenbeath 20.8 16.9
14. Raith Rovers 20.0 16.9
15. Saint Mirren 19.7 16.7
16. Arbroath 19.4 16.7
I think there are a couple of teams with the potential to exceed their T17 stat prediction. My ‘dark-horses’ are;

Huntly have plenty resources and a T11 well capable of getting one of the promotion slots.

Livingston may not have depth in their squad but they do have a good manager and a T11 capable of being in the mix at the end of the season.

Ross County. The richest club in the division and one of the younger looking squads will push the top teams hard.

Is there anything we can do to avoid relegation?
Pray? Didn’t work last time were in Division 2!
Buy our way out of trouble? Got no money!
Trust the youngsters? Can’t even get an apprentice at the minute!
Trust the star players? We only have 4 20+ players, these 4 will be vitally important for us just to win a game – let alone stay up this season!
Stars in the making? 3 excellent prospects who came through the ranks last season including goalkeeper Cairns who WILL be our most important player this season. He was a key reason for our promotion – we hope he can perform a miracle and keep us up this season!

Anyone who can help us get out of this predicament please feel free to let us know how (or send us some top players in exchange for some of our dross… thought not!)

Division 2 is going to be hard fought this season; there are some really strong teams in here.

HEA have a solid defence, adequate midfield and attacking options, and enough TP to coach up all the youngsters.

So now we know who will win the division, lets look at the other main contenders!!


Gretna 23.3 20.0 - manager who has experience of winning titles in SESL and a solid squad from great GK options right thru squad. Defo top 4.

Huntly 23.0 19.4 - if resources used well the the HUNs can sneak a promotion place. Thing Kev was a long ball fan in previous season so how will new team tactic ratios suit his team?

Livingston 22.0 17.7 - will be slow starters, but have the squad to challenge if a couple of MF are recruited to team.

Dundee 22.2 20.0 - solid squad with emphasis on Wingers that many other teams ignore. if manager is cleaver and varies tactics then top 4 possible, but not title contenders IMO.

Alloa & Partick are sure to get a play-off place at the very least also.

Contrary to popular belief division 2 is actually where its all at. Last season of course it was rotten but now there are some class sides in it. Unfortunately COW are not one of them. Yip you read right COW are underplaying their chances in season 16. In fact that should read being realistic about their chances because underplaying would suggest that we think we are good enough to do some damage But we're not. Avoiding relegation will be a major feat. Would we settle for a play off spot? Probably not. Well not in less it was for a division 1 spot. But seriously I think COW are going to have to spend lots of CP in the first half of the season and get some home points on the board. Otherwise mid season aging will kick in and the second half will be be difficult. Of course that would mean if we need to buy our way out of trouble we may struggle as all our money will have been spent CPing. See it's a tricky game this SESL, theres some tough decisions. Mind you if it was easy then we'd all be winning promotion. Come to think of it scrub that as that's obviously nonsense. But is it the tiny decisions like that that make all the difference in SESL?

Anyway heres a quick summary of Cows hopes and ambitions for season 16.

CECIL cup: mmmn, difficult one this one. It is of course tempting to try and go for a cup when you realise any chance of league glory is way beyond you and then you recall the glory days that Clyde enjoyed last season and think, 'feck that would be nice'. A cup run would be especially nice with all that extra CPing and extra revenue. However can COW really afford to deflect attention away from the league? The league is our bread and butter competition and we don't want to be in Division 3 ever again, that wooden spoon thing is too much of a distraction. We want to be a big boy. COW have yet again been unlucky with regards to fixtures. Right after our CECIL qualifiers we find ourselves with 2 home games on the trot in the league. How unlucky is that???? I mean that's 4 games on the trot that we really really really wanna do well in. Magic sponge already?

League: This is simple. Win our home games, finish in the top 10 and avoid the pain of relegation worries. We also want to do this in the first half of the season. Easy eh? If we can do this then we might have a chance at a run in the SESL cup...

...SESL cup: Crystal ball anyone? Our hopes for the cup as we've written above depend on how our league position come SESL cup time. I pretty much expect COW not to be able to drinking at this particluar swally as league survival is sure to be our primary concern and the last thing we want is a hangover from cup duties.

NEXT INSTALLMENT...... The contenders

Waiting for flurry before the 1st deadline...
...maybe they were right about Div 2 last season, scrap us?

Come on lads, does anyone think Arbroath can stay up?
Does anyone think they can stop the Gabarelli Promotion juggernaut?
Has anyone got any partisan views that could entice fellow managers into a response?

Not my division, Les, but unless you get lucky in the auctions and lucky in games then you're straight back down. Arbroath is even worse then Deveronvale

There's no doubting that the Gretna manager knows his footie. Not only does he have several league championships under his belt, his analyses of the other squads are accurate as well. A quick recap of his recaps:

PT - strong midfield will carry team early while DF develops and late when FW need some help. If they get an auction pickup for the front lines these guys could be deadly. As is, they're still one the two teams to beat and have no glaring weakness.

GRE - another team with no weak area and definitely the manager to beat. Age 1 players will develop to fill aging-caused gaps, while the 64 CP (2nd most in entire league!) will keep the older players well-stocked all season. My picks for winning Div 2 this season and PT's only real competition.

HUN - We'll spend more time here since it'll also be our own pre-season preview. Prior previews have definitely pegged us well. We are really trying to get the midfield up to snuff before aging decimates us. Last season was probably our best chance at promotion for the next three seasons, and we missed it by losing in the promotion playoffs. Starting strong and then falling back to 5th or 6th this season seems about right again. We'll drop at least 3-4 games while getting the apprentice GK trained and seasoned, though the strong defense should keep things close. With that defensive line as it is, we'll have a good chance of a draw in nearly every match, though we probably won't score enough to be seeing any Captain's Bonus points this season. That's too bad as we could use the extra points for our only decent midfielder right now. Here's hoping for a few auction steals to keep us competitive past mid-season... though it's likely that a top 4 finish will be beyond our reach if we don't start really strong this season. If we get distracted by a CECIL Cup run as other teams from Kirksville have been known to do, then it'll be over for us before the season even starts rolling.

DEE - They've cut two GK's since prior previews, though they now need a true #2 GK in a hurry. Also, with the aging tables reverted to MSWL standards instead of the juiced up SESL ones we're used to, aging will not have quite the same devastating effect as it's had in past seasons. With over 50 CP & TP this season, DEE can build up early and coast out. They also have the least drop between T11 and T17 scores (2.2) which speaks well of their depth while also raising concerns about the star power in their top line. Still, they'll never be giving up easy points this season and there's no good reason this team can't be in strong contention for an automatic promotion spot.

LIV - Having the largest drop between T11 and T17 scores is a strong concern (4.4 SL). Once you get past the top line it gets pretty thin in a hurry. Getting past that top line will be a problem, though. They are one of the youngest teams in the division and took their lumps last season while surviving relegation fights. Good resources will see them build up quickly, and they won't lose much in aging from their best players. They will need to win some shootouts early as their defense is their weakest area, with their midfield following that, so goal protection will be sparse at times. More than any other team this season, if these guys run into DP problems they'll be finished in a hurry. These guys will be competitve in most matches, but will drop a few heartbreakers that will leave them outside the top 4 at the end of the season as things currently stand.

ELG - Good youth, but the 2nd fewest TP in the division to invest in them. Fortunately, their all-age-2 MA/WG/FW combo will be among the strongest front 4's in the division very soon. Unfortunately, it will have to be as their defense is too weak to stop the top squads and their GK situation is not pretty and will be scary after mid-season unless a lot of CP is invested to patch the leaks in goal for another season. Good resource investing and a smart trade/auction buy could easily have this team in strong contention by season's end, though the probably won't be able to catch PT or GRE and will have to settle for competing for 4th.

HEA - This team's success will be based on how quickly they get their coaching/training in. They have all the potential, and enough resources to go around. Right now, their T11 would lose when matched up against any of the top 4 contenders. By season's end, that could easily be the opposite. This team will be strong by mid-season and should be a nightmare for the return legs of the home-away season division series. The MA versatility will be a big plus for them this season, and I like this team to surge late and pick up a promotion spot.

ALO - While they've already made some moves to boost the T11 since Gretna's comments above, this team's real worry is hard to avoid. They're among the oldest squads in Div 2, and really lack the firepower to compete against the teams listed above them here. Investing CP into age 4 and 5 players is usually not wise for long-term gains, yet this team has only 3 age 3 players and a mere 1 age 2 player! By the end of this season, ALO will most likely be in mid-table form and will need to stay on track with their two star-potential age 1 players and both apprentices in order to rebuild for the future. Barring a beneficial trade frenzy, ALO will hold this season and will then struggle to avoid relegation next year before being truly competitive again. Should any of the teams listed below them come on strong, ALO could easily slip into the lower half of the division this year as well.

Ranking picks as listed above for the 8 teams covered (by end of season, not now):
GRE
PT
DEE
HEA
ELG
HUN
LIV
ALO

And the Other 8!
FAL - assuming the defense gets trained up in a hurry, this team will take a few early lumps and then coast out in mid-table. With a good trade/auction buy for the front line, this team could content for a playoff spot, though they'd have to get some lucky draws early this season against the top 6 teams for that to take place. Still, this team has the resources to develop well and be in great position for promotion next season. They just don't have the firepower for a slugfest this year.

MOT - a true dark horse. You just can't be sure of what these guys will do. Their depth is impressive at forward (6 players & a MA at SL 16+), yet their defense is weak and their GK situation will be frightful by mid-season. They're also tied for the oldest average age in the division. What's worse is that they have 4 good age 1 players and 37 TP to invest in them. That leaves nothing for apprentices this season, and leaves the long-term stability of the club in question. They can compete early on, yet they don't appear to be in a position to finish well unless they sink a lot of cash into getting some defensive help from the auctions this year. Looks to be a relegation playoff team barring some nifty player pickups in a hurry.

ROS - a late surge last season on the back's of their age 3 stars will be unlikely this year. Being one of the younger teams will help them out late in avoiding automatic relegation, though being one of the weaker teams to start will not be in their favor to be any higher than 10th. They need help all over the team, and the resources will be stretched thin trying to hold the age 4 guys together for another season while the youth come of age. There's some decent trade bait with the age 4 guys if they move early, though I don't see the team being able to pick up enough in trades/auctions to make anything like a promotion run this year.

STI - having the fewest resources in the division is bad news for a pre-season prediction. This team is rebuilding well, though they're a season from seeing the fruits of their careful labors. With the other teams around them having more to invest in currently similar lines, STI will fade late into 12th-14th barring some great trading. I'd look for them to then rebound right back up to the 2nd Division next season with a good team that can actually compete in the upper divisions as well.

COW - This team's potential is not very high. They have a few players capable of maintaining star status, though their top eleven will not be able to compete with any of the top teams in the division all season. A continued rebuild is in order, though better care will be needed to keep the apprentices and age 1 players on track for stardom instead of B-level depth tracks. Look for a few upsets from these guys, though it's hard to see them clearing the relegation zone.

RR - A tough spot to be in. If they invest everything in the age 1-3 players, they can avoid relegation with a good run just past mid-season. That will leave them with a good top 11, and nothing else though. They will then be in a position to try and rebuild the following year while holding on yet again. Even with that strategy, their current lack of depth at GK and FW, as well as a need to quickly get the young defenders up to par, sees too many holes to patch with an auction buy or two. They will struggle both early and late, with a brief Indian Summer around mid-season, settling in 12th-13th by season's end.

SM - By the points right now, they stink. But this squad is set to power up as the season progresses and their manager is a crafty devil who knows how to find his way above the relegation zone. The youth will come of age as the current leaders maintain skill levels, making this team competitive in the return legs and setting them up well for next year. There is just too much potential here for the team to falter all season long. One hurdle that must be overcome to avoid relegation will be with the midfield however. No depth will hurt them and longball is no longer the saving grace it was, so look for a trade or three and for Robin to actually be aggressive in the auctions if he wants to avoid a 2nd straight drop in divisions.

ARB - They're weaker than all, and older than most. Not good. A T11 lineup can still create some waves, so any team that tries to rest up against them could be due for an upset. Past that, it gets pretty slim in a hurry. I don't see how they can find a way to win consistently with this team as it currently stands, and they'll need to be very active in auctions/trades and mortgage the future for today to avoid auto relegation. I'd recommend taking the lumps this year and being a miser so that rebuilding in Div 3 will only take a season before bringing a stronger team back up to Div 2. Still, I'm not picking them to finish last!

Other 8 picks:
9 FAL
10 MOT
Relegation playoff spots:
11 ROS
12 SM
Relegation:
13 STI
14 RR
15 ARB
16 COW

As with all pre-season picks, two good trades and/or auction pickups can change everything, so best of luck to all and, as always, may the luckiest manager win!

Part III.

Motherwell (Top 11 Ave SL 21.5)

Motherwell have what promises to be a very potent attack, backed up by a potentially formidable midfield when their two age 1 youngster are TP’d up. Len Lear’s main area of concern for this team will be the defence, which looks to have very little cover. Overall the squad as a whole looks a bit thin on the ground, and a play off place would be a great achievement for this side.

I won’t mention the fact that the squad overall are dominated by OAP’s!!


Ross County (Top 11 Ave SL 21.5)

Coach Mark Boland has a squad with the same average Top 11 SL as MOT, but his squad appears to have a brighter future. A solid defence, some quality in midfield with a few options up front. There is not an immediate weakness about this squad, except that it may take time for their coaching to bring up the standard they can achieve.

Ross County look like possible contenders for the promotion places if they put together a good second half of the season.


Falkirk (Top 11 Ave SL 21.8)

Veteran (!) manager Tipps has been active in the transfer market, increasing his top 11’s skill level in recent weeks. Falkirk look another dangerous squad in this league, with a top 11 that will give anybody a game.

Good cover in goals and at the back, with youngsters coming through. Solid in midfield, the only weakness being a lack of options up front, a bit like my Gretna side. Yet another team that could be challenging, if they get a bit of momentum behind them.


Cowdenbeath (Top 11 Ave SL 21.0)

Sheez, yet another pretty decent squad in this league, I am beginning to repeat myself! Some high SL players throughout, and youngsters breaking through at Cowdenbeath. One problem for manager Bishop may be that ageing could hit them badly, and their higher SL players are all getting on a bit.

Dangerous to write them off considering their achievement in getting a somewhat surprise promotion campaign from last season.

Who was the idiot that slated Division 2 last season, it looks like it will be very competitive this season!!

MOT is ready to go!

MOT Manager Len Lear admitted he learned a lesson from last season. "We were too conservative last season. That approach cost us dearly because we are in D-2 this season. We had a barn burner of a season over the last third of the schedule but we left it too late. This year, MOT is at the gate, snorting, pawing, scratching....just ready to hit the pitch a'runnin'.
The strength at MOT this season is in anumber of areas. We have tremendous depth up front with plenty of players that can bulge the twine of the oppostion's goal. Another strong area for us is at MF. Along with McTank, we have two MF's, Rahim, O'Regan 1/15's and the wily vet Cowan 3/24. This will plug up the MF and force our opposition to go the long route in most matches.
Our DF is probably the weak spot on the roster. I happen to agree with the forecasts of some of the pretend-to-be SESL experts who think they know what they are talking when it has been mentioned that MOT's Def is not in good shape and is rather old. All I can say is that we shall soon see. I have a secret surprise for the opposition. You will find out what it is when you play us.
Good luck to all SESL teams this season. See you in D-1 next season.

Well we're almost ready for the league campaign to start now. We need further cash injections hence an update from Arbroath...

The Arbroath Board are pleased to announce the following highlights, to both investors and supporters alike, covering their work during the pre-season:

1) Cash Flow Massively Improved to fund teambuilding effort
2) Good pre-season T11 improvements made (+0.9)
3) Huge T17 pre-season improvements achieved (+1.2)
4) Major New Signing Secured In Live Auction (3/20 DF)
5) Training & Coaching Plan Implemented
6) Successful qualification in preliminary stage of the Cup

These early successes both on and off the pitch mean that we are making huge strides forward in our effort to ensure consolidation in a very competitive Division 2 this season.

We now can point to statistics showing we no longer hold up the Division in terms of T11 or T17 - two key performance indicators indicative of likely success.

Our T17 has improved from 16th (worst) to 13th in the Division and we hope to make continued improvement in this vein.

Shares in the company are likely to rise on this trading update!

Other clubs which have caught the eye in the pre-season build up are;

Alloa - the only other club to have moved up the T17 "league table", indeed this move is significant as their manager Paul Butterworth has invested heavily but can now boast the 2nd best T17 in the Division. A 'leap' of 6 places! We now consider them as a challenger for promotion.

Dundee have moved ahead of Gretna in the T17 stats, but Gretna's T11 continues to improve and we still believe Gretna will finish ahead of Dundee.

Partick Thistle still have our vote for Div 2 Champions.