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Here we are again at the start of another gruelling SESL campaign with everybody hoping to get off to a good start in an attempt to climb up the SESL ladder. Some will, some won't, but thats life I guess.
Its a good job we had that revolving door fitted at the end of last season as its taken some serious hammer in pre-season as many of the playing squad have left and been replaced. A true summer clearout has seen no fewer than 9 new players walk in the door with a similar number heading the other way in trades and retirements. This has seen the average SL in the squad rocket up to a fantastic 18.0 which can only be beaten by the top 4 teams in division 1 as we speak. This gives us the confidence that we will have enough fire power to top division 3 come the end of the season. We also have our targets set on the big boys of SESL who had best watch out in the cups this season, nobody is out of reach. And now its that time you've all been waiting for.............predictions for the season:-

1. Alloa - just too much for the rest of the division to cope with after some great summer transfer activity.
2 Gretna - A good all round squad and a proven manager give this team the edge over Elgin
3 Elgin - Defence looks a little light but this should impove as the season progresses but early goals leaked may cost them.
4 Dumbarton - Another good squad but a lack of fire power up front in the early part of the season may cost a higher position. Still more than good enough for a top 4 finish and automatic promotion.

After that, well lets face it, who really cares about the SESL dross?? But a special mention to a certain Mr Chapman at East Fife. I dont think he quite gets the special praise he deserves. After all it takes real skill to take one of the best squads in the bottom two divisions, hold them back in division 3 for two seasons and emerge with a truely rubbish team at the end of it with no hope of ever leaving the basement of SESL in a hurry. A true great Mr Chapman we salute you

I thought I was going to first to get their Division 3 ramble in first, but obviously Alloa beat me to it, let's hope that is all he beats me too this season! Here is a rundown on my team:-

This is the push for promotion this season from Gretna. A decent season last year, resulting in a 9th place finish was enough to keep boss Mark Findlay happy, and a sign that progress was being made, despite an early exit in the CECIL Cup, the Gretna side proved a surprise package with a run all the way to the semi-final before losing to eventual SESL Cup winners Celtic.

Anyway, onto this season, and Gretna are going for it, promotion at all costs. We have a solid young squad, with the main strength being in defence Sarti 2/25 GK, Tosh 2/27 DF, Collins and Innes both 3/23 DF’s, ably backed up by young Bonera 1/17 SD and Gatti 1/17 DM. We looked strong in midfield, but have now made a couple of trades, leaving midfield possibly the area now requiring strenghtened, aswell as Gatti, we have Bullen 5/18 MF and Hawkins 4/13 MF who will likely have to play a part. Young Donadoni 1/17 MF will be the lynchpin of midfield. Up front was our weak point, however the addition this week of Rudi Skacel 2/18 FW from Hearts has boosted our outlook up front, he can play alongside the likes of Captain Robben 5/21 MA, Grady 1/17 MA and star man Bingham 3/28 FW. All in all I think we have a decent all round squad, with reasonable back up to rotate the squad, so hopefully our promotion push can become a reality.

PLEASE OH PLEASE LET ME GET ALO IN THE CECIL CUP
or
I'll even settle for them in the first match in the CUP knock-out

HIB the Division 3 Killers

Bring it on hibby boy, bring it on!!!

Who said HIBs were a big boy of SESL?

Well i just assumed all teams in Division 1 are "The big Boy"

and the fact that i'm one of the top 4 teams above him that he
spoke about

Quick Gabbarelli help me get this big fish ashore!!
less than a day, impressive stuff!

To try to bring this discussion topic back on (well erm) topic......

A brief review of the teams in D3....

In no particular order:

ALO:

Wow. Where did this team come from - what are they doing here? A front line that contains an average SL of 24 across 6 guys (about 20 if you include all 7), so unlikely to be short of firepower at all throughout the season. I'd guess the MAs will be playing more midfield games than forward positions. A bit of juggling likely to be required in DF and MF slots, but with careful management a team to be feared this season.

ARB:

Another team with a decent smattering of talent. Not quite as prodigious up front as ALO, but still 4 good strikers and the same level of talent elsewhere. Jings crivvens and indeed, Help M'Boab. A cert to go up in first place and if they dont then maybe the manager should take up knitting.

BRE:

A good level of player throughout the squad, no real stars to speak of, other than Charlie King and that might be a problem unless some training is done early on. A team that will probably not give away many goals, but will probably not score that many either (I'm sure I'll regret that remark when its shown to me at the end of S15 )

CB:

Me. Wahey! My take on my season hopes are that I may challenge for part of the season again, but dip away and be a play-off hopeful again. Four decent players up front and a good youth in 1/17 Arbuthnott. A few good apprentices signed that need to replace aging blood that will require careful deployment not to weaken us too much. Four mid range MFS, and a poor defence that may be our downfall again. All the investment has gone in up front at the expense of the rear. A decent goalie will be trained and his replacement trained too to try to stem the flow a little. Probably wont work but the best we can do in the interim until our younger DFs gain a a little in the SL dept.

CLY:

A good backbone squad with two good players in each of the forward, midfield and defence departments. With two decent keepers they may be difficult to score against and with their T11 out will be hard to beat (or even get a draw against). Though if T11 were everything I think this would be a dull game. Phils management skills will be put to the test to manage a good squad out of this to garner results.

COW:

One decent striker, some average players elsewhere and one decent DF. Two aging keepers that will need coaching to retain skill levels throughout the season. Mid table at best?

DEV:

A midtable at best team. No notable players up front, but two decent defenders. May help them avoid losing, but nothing to help them win (ie score goals).

DUM:

Some decent MFs, a good striker and two excellent keepers should keep them at least mid table and if they can get the striker scoring whilst training the two apprentices I think a team for next season? A Rebuilding season? (who said that?)

EF:

Four decent players up front, a mediocre midfield and an OK defence. Combine that with two fine keepers and they sound like CB clones. I expect to be battling with them for playoff spots at the end of the season.

ELG:

Decent GKs, lop-sided DF with one or two stars, cracking midfield and a decent set of strikers to pick from. Another team I expect to lose lots at the back but have a good story up front. There or thereabouts this season in the qualifier range for the playoffs.

EST:

Mid table at best, with no real strike force to speak of, some decent players scattered elsewhere (especially midfield), but with a GK who needs coached I reckon a slow start to the season losing a few with a section from a few games in with a number of draws. Not sure where they will end up but I dont think they are in contention for a promotion/playoff spot.

FRA:

Decent midfield, decent defence, one good goalie and the other within sight of being a great goalie. One striker to speak of (perhaps two if trained/coached properly), wont lose many, but wont win many either (except perhaps an occasional 1-0, or 2-1 that Olmec will dole out).

GRE:

Solid Midfield, solid defence, makings of a great strike force. Will get off to a reasonable start and get better as the season progresses - a promotion prospect.

MON:

Like so many in the division, decent midfield, below par defence, one striker and an average GK. Mid-table, with some hopes of playoff spot if things are improved in the forward area.

NAI:

Read MONs write up - it applies equally here. The division is littered with these teams.

QP:

My first team in SESL before taking on the mighty Bankies. QP have an aging squad, with some youth coming through, but not soon enough - lower half of the table. No real strength anywhere.



GMcD.

GRE pre season ramble Part II - the rest of the Division

With 4 promotion places up for grabs it would appear around 7 teams look like real challengers for these spots. The pre-season favourite for the title must be ALO who have a top 14 with an average SL of 23 – as their manager says, only a few teams in Division One can claim to have a stronger squad as this early stage in the season.

So really it looks like a battle for runners up spot for the rest. ELG, FRA, MON, BRE and EST along with DUM are the likely prospects to be challenging for the 2nd to 4th place - obviously joined by my own GRE side. All of these sides have a strong core of around 13-15 players with SL over 15 – which means they can afford a bit of squad rotation without squandering too may points – they will hope anyway!

Of the rest ARB and QP may have an outside chance, they have a smaller core of good players, but with some clever coaching, they may well find themselves challenging for the play off spots.

That leaves CLY, NAI, DEV and CB who will be going some to break into the top half of the table, it will require some clever management. They have only around 10 players of SL15+, meaning some good auction buys to make the playoff challenge, or else “building for the future” will be this seasons target.

That leaves EF and COW, both these teams are gubbed and should probably be liquidated. These teams should provide 6 easy points for anybody that plays them (except GRE likely). Unless Roman Abramovich turns up at either of these teams, then they are doomed to last 2 spots in SESL.

The cheek of it!!!!! Liquidated indeed.

If only Gab could count he'd realise that COW also have 10 players with a 15 SL or higher.... an improvement on previous seasons, we may not be DIV 3 challangers but we are getting there....slowly and with a younger squad which I feel is quite stronger than last season with more tactical options now available.

Commish, should teams have money taken off them for badly researched previews? Wheres the SESL libel lawyer?

More from COW to follow.......

I was aware that COW had 10 over SL15 - however, the average SL of those that were over 15SL is much lower than that of the other teams that I included in the group above!

I didn't want to be too harsh you see, but now you have it!

Part I - Another season beckons for a team that in recent seasons has found itself languishing near the dreaded wooden spoon position. This season though they should be looking for mid table position security and maybe even a wee cup run if the draw is kind. The average SL of the top 11 has risen and there are also more tactical options available this time around. Here we’ll take a look at the areas of the COW team and how it might affect the challenge.

Goalkeepers:- COW have 3 at the start of the season, Howdy Reachdat SL22 will be the main man between the sticks with Club Captain Andy Carlin used sparingly. Rookie Calum McMath 0/3 will be used when appropriate and hopefully brought up to a respectable standard before too long. Summary:- Not doing too badly GK wise but the seasoning of McMath may be costly.

Defence:- With 5 defenders in the 16 to 21 SL range and CP in the bank allocated COW are reasonably confident that they have enough defensive SL in the tank to last the distance. Summary – defence is looking reasonable.

Midfield:- Traditionally the trouble area in the past for COW they still only have James Brannan as a their sole dedicated midfielder over the SL 15 barrier and Mauchlen and Fusco are fading badly. They do however have 2 MA’s who are shaping up nicely in Brown and Ward. It will be interesting to see how they are used. Summary – needs strengthening. Badly stretched in midfield.

Forward:- The COW forward line has aged a little and has become reliant on Stan Coulter. They sought to address this by bringing in promising youngster Boab McMillan. With TP earmarked for the lad it is hoped he can provide support to Coulter allowing the tactical use of the 2 MAs. Summary – Reasonable but may be mid-season before it’s effective.

Overall – We don’t think we have a bad top 11, it’s the strength in depth that’s lacking. However we think it’s looking better than at the start of previous seasons. Main aim this season is to stay away from the bottom and get the young lads SL’d up. Hopefully we can get some dosh in the bank for the start of next season and with a couple of trades just maybe have enough depth to push for promotion next time around. Part II to come, how COW thinks the others will do…….

Wot's wrong with knitting. It's the future!

Guaranteed to win the Division I reckon I'll be lucky to make the play-offs! Better get my needles ready!

Just back from hols so my review is still to follow but methinks a certain wee beardy bloke has already provided some ammo to work around!

...still laughing!!!

Here I sit broken hearted,
start of the season,
needle started.

Either the write up is taking years,
Or you can't see a thing for the tears.

poetry I write when I am sad.
Cos I play SESL really bad.

GMcD.