SPL: 12 To Watch - Part Three

The third and final part of a random collection of players I'll be keeping my eye on as this SPL season progresses. Today a player each from St Mirren and Dunfermline.

Nigel Hasselbaink, St Mirren

"If football was played in the air," an old sage of Easter Road once told me, "then Paul Fenwick would be Pele."

That comment flashed through my mind at the fag end of last season when I saw Nigel Hasselbaink leave the field to a standing ovation from Hibs fans who had watched him torture their own defence.

"Nigel," I thought, "if you could play against Francis Dickoh every week, you'd be Lionel Messi."

Sadly for Nige, not every SPL defender switches between charitable positioning and complete bamboozlement as regularly as the former Hibs centre back. It's normally tougher than that.

The challenge for Haaselbaink is to make sure he's a threat to every defence he comes up against not just those of limited concentration and ability.

His first SPL season, which encompassed what I can only imagine was the shock of the culture swap from PSV Eindhoven to Hamilton, ended in relegation for his club but some favourable reviews for the player.

That was enough to ensure he stayed in the top flight, picked up as part of Danny Lennon's summer shopping spree at St Mirren.

At the risk of second guessing Lennon it would seem that Hasselbaink's role will be as a foil to the very different atttibutes of Steven Thompson, a little and large act accentuating the positives in both.

And he has positives, plenty of them. Many of them were on show that day at Easter Road when a combination of pace, skill and determination left Dickoh and the rest of the Hibs defence wondering what day of the week it was.

Yet in his 28 games for Hamilton he scored only four goals and, to this observer, rarely dominated proceedings as he did that day at Easter Road.

Being launched into an SPL basement battle might not be the best introduction to Scottish football but it does offer a real chance to stand out from the crowd. I don't think Hasselbaink took that opportunity often enough.

His ability to find that consistency at St Mirren - along with banging in a few more goals - will have a big influence on whether or not he is trapped in another stodgy relegation fight this season.

On Monday night at Dunfermline, St Mirren and Hasselbaink drew a frustrating blank. It was an encouraging start but one with just the whisper of familiar failings in front of goal.

Lennon's made his signings, backed his judgement. It's now up to Hasselbaink and his new colleagues to prove him right.

Paul Gallacher, Dunfermline

It's getting rarer for me to find SPL players older than me these days (honourable mention, as ever, to the ancient Davie Weir) and even more unusual to find one the same age as my elder brother.

So Dunfermline's contribution to this SPL dirty dozen was very close to being auld timer Martin Hardie. And I am genuinely interested to see how Hardie, heroic as his team closed out promotion last season, copes this year.

But my affection for the lonely art of the goalkeeper means I instead have to give the nod to Paul Gallacher. Yet another player returning to a former club in the SPL's summer of friends reuniting, Gallacher's career has been something of a mystery.

He was young and highly rated as he started out with Dundee United. Scotland's number one? The little lamented Berti Vogts thought so. Capped in his early twenties this was a goalkeeper with the world, Scotland's small share of it at least, in his hands.

A move to Norwich, then as now a top flight club, followed but injury, a propensity for errors and a neverending managerial merry-go-round combined to deny him a regular start.

When chances came his way he seemed unable to take them, saving his most dramatic mistakes for those exact moments when his fortunes seemed to be on the rise.

By the time he joined up for his first stint at Dunfermline he was barely considered a contender at Carrow Road.

East End Park offered salvation, a Jim Leighton style career trajectory with a return to Scottish football providing the road to redemption. Like his illustrious predecessor Gallacher took the chance and his form and reputation recovered.

By 2009 he was in the SPL with St Mirren and back in the Scotland squad, although he didn't add to his eight caps.

The road to international glory now seems closed but Gallacher just about survived a tricky season for St Mirren last term. Again in Paisley we saw a goalkeeper with many qualities but one who often gave in to his old frailty of "chucking" the odd goal or two in.

Dunfermline need to be confident of their defence in their first season back in the SPL and, although St Mirren apparently offered him a new contract, I don't look at Gallacher and see a 'keeper who will save a number of crucial points in a season. Points that could be the difference between survival and relegation.

You can see the attraction for his new manager Jim McIntyre, the goalkeeper adds, along with players like Hardie and Andy Kirk, experience as Dunfermline take their first steps back in the SPL.

Gallacher, adding another twist in his strange career path, could be one of their most important players this season. A chance for the loneliest position to become one of the most celebrated.

12 to watch - part one
12 to watch - part two

SPL: 12 To Watch - Part Two

Part two of a completely scattergun selection of a dozen players whose progress I’m keen to track in 2010/11 SPL. St Mirren and Dunfermline will follow tomorrow.

Sean O’Hanlon, Hibernian

The returning Ivan Sproule and Garry O’Connor have left Sean O’Hanlon’s arrival at Easter Road somewhat overshadowed.

If that has allowed him to go about his business while avoiding association with the fug of despondency that seems to have settled in Leith then he might be quite relieved, he could hardly have expected when he signed how unsettled the pre-season would be become.

But O’Hanlon has a key role to play. At 28 he’s been signed to become the experienced quarter of a back four that is rich in youthful potential but also carries the risks of callow naievety.

61 goals were shipped last season. More than any other team in the league and two more than both relegated Hamilton and Aberdeen, who leaked nine in one game, conceded. Since the wheels came off the John Hughes experiment clean sheets have been rarer than a Rod Petrie smile.

Captain Paul Hanlon will start with O’Hanlon in the centre while at full back the exciting Callum Booth will be joined by either untried or out of position youngsters until (or if) there is more movement in the transfer market.

The need for O’Hanlon to play big brother is obvious and his success in doing that will be intrinsically linked to how Hibs fare this season.

No pressure then. Coming through Everton’s youth system O’Hanlon moved first to Swindon - where he often captained the side - and then MK Dons.

He played over 150 league games for the Dons and scored as Paul Ince’s side won the Johnstone’s Paint Trophy.

A knee injury rule him out of much of the 2009/10 season and, although he played over 30 games last term, there seems to be a feeling in Milton Keynes that he struggled to recapture his best form. Hints also surface that it was fears over that injury that led to his release this summer.

Colin Calderwood, and any potential successors, will be hoping that he can stay fit and prove any medical doubters wrong by commanding a defence that has too often recently looked like a ragbag of exciting but rudderless talents.

Scott Brown, Celtic

Is it really four years since Brown left Easter Road and became the most expensive player to be transferred between Scottish clubs?

I recall seeing him at a function just before the deal was confirmed. By then it was an open secret but Brown seemed without a care in the world, playing up to his reputation as the extrovert’s extrovert, playing the fool.

Little seems to have changed. If you want someone to turn up at the golf course dressed like Ronnie Corbett on acid then Broonie remains your man. If you want someone to wear their heart on their sleeve during a match then give Scotty a call.

Yet somewhere along the line this one dimensional characterisation has deepened at Celtic, the wide eyed youngster developing into something of an enigma.

Not all Celtic fans took to their expensive signing. Neil Lennon moved him to the right and showed his faith by making him captain. That assuaged some but it would be wrong to say the jury is unanimous in appreciating his worth.

The same applies with Scotland. Brown is now a regular starter but not every fan is convinced of the value he brings to the team.

At 26 he might be about to reach a crossroads. This is a big year for Celtic and a big year for Scotland. It will also be a big year for Brown.

His contract with Celtic runs out next summer. Neil Lennon is keen to keep him but rumours of interest from the English Premier League have never quite been silenced.

Clearly the managers who covet him and the fans who don’t completely trust him differ in their interpretation of his qualities.

He’d dearly love to lift the SPL trophy as Celtic captain and in Lennon he has the perfect manager to coax from his limitless effort and application the discipline and knowledge needed to consistently impose himself on midfield.

Could this be the season that we finally see Brown unlock the potential that so thrilled as the raw youngster developed at Easter Road?

If it is then I suspect both Neil Lennon and Craig Levein will allow themselves a satisfied smile.

John Rankin, Dundee United

An entirely selfish choice this. I’ve spent the last few seasons watching Rankin occasionally impress, often frustrate and sometimes completely disappear at Hibs.

One thing that’s never in doubt is his application, enthusiasm and willingness to graft. This is a player who can make warming up as a substitute look like an Olympic decathlon.

That wasn’t enough at a struggling Hibs and it was no great surprise that he was one of the many players allowed to slip quietly into the Scottish footballing night when his contract expired.

His arrival at Tannadice might have raised eyebrows though. Relegated to a bit part player in Leith here was Rankin arriving at a club that had been Hibs’ SPL superiors in recent seasons.

More than that, the summer had ripped the Tannadice midfield asunder, faced with the need to replace quality with quality Peter Houston had settled on John Rankin, purveyor of honesty and the fleetingly famous squiggler.

Were the Hibs fans to blame for his failure to impress at Easter Road? Eager to please at the best of times, did the unforgiving gaze of the crowd lead Rankin to put too much pressure on himself?

Maybe there’s an element of truth in that. At one stage last season Rankin took the armband for the closing stages of a match. The reaction of those around me is not fit for publication but might be best articulated as a feeling that this was the moment the football club jumped the shark.

Now he finds himself with a level of seniority in a squad having to cope with change. It’s a fair turnaround in his own fortunes and his success will have a bearing on the success his new club and his new manager enjoy this season.

I wish him well. He’s always seemed like a good bloke and he’ll certainly not shirk. It will be interesting to see if that combination is enough.

Danny Buijis, Kilmarnock

In a summer of flight from some Scottish clubs Kilmarnock have not had their troubles to seek. More than half a team of first team regulars - a first team that so impressed last season - have upped sticks.

That’s presented Kenny Shiels with quite a challenge but his activity in the transfer market looks like being reasonably impressive. The progress of Gary Harkins, much admired at Dundee, will be closely monitored as he sets out to prove himself in the SPL.

But it’s another of Shiels’ recruits that I’ll be keeping my eye on. Danny Buijis arrives from ADO Den Haag offering a blend of experience and midfield-defensive versatility that could add more of a spine to Kilmarnock this year.

Scottish football is forever in thrall to to the continued technical ability and success of Dutch football. Quite rightly we stare, mouths agape, in wonderment at the scale of their achievements compared to the paltry return of our own toils.

With a career spent in the Eredivisie following a decade as part of Feyenoord’s academy, Buijis has the Dutch pedigree that we can’t seem to replicate.

Yet I’d suggest he’s also made of the sort of stern stuff that will allow to cock a snook at the physiciality of the SPL.

I’ve actually seen him play. A tetchy, disjointed 1-1 draw between Den Haag and NAC Breda played on the kind of February night, and the sort of pitch, that would leave Scots feeling at home.

Buijis more than held his own, the sort of performance that impressed Derby County coach Johnny Metgod and twice saw Nigel Clough come close to taking him to Pride Park.

Clough’s loss could well be Kilmarnock’s gain, if there was a powder puff element to their undoubted quality last season then Buijis should provide a stable foundation this year.

A Dutch master in Ayrshire? He can control the ball and play a pass too. They’re just too bloody clever, these foreigners.

SPL: 12 To Watch - Part One

Part one of an entirely prejudiced, unscientific look at 12 players I'll be keeping track of in the SPL this season. Maybe not the biggest stars but a player from each team whose progress I'm interested to follow.

Steven Naismith, Rangers

Steven Naismith turns 25 this September. No longer a kid bursting with potential but a senior member of a championship winning squad with a five year contract under his belt.

That he was considered among the runners and riders in the annual player of the award festivities last season points at a season of great accomplishment. He also played over 40 games for the first time since he moved to Ibrox.

But here's the thing, I think he pulled the wool over a lot of eyes last season. True he nabbed a player of the month gong in October - the same month he scored his first Scotland goal against Spain - and that was well deserved. But much of his best form was restricted to the opening months of the season.

It's a different Rangers now. And Naismith needs to prove himself as a main man in a squad that is being largely written offer before they've even begun. And he needs to do that in the warm glow of late summer, in the autumnal sun, the bogged down winter and the championship deciding spring.

He also needs to grab his chance for Scotland. Ten caps since 2007 is not a huge return - although injuries have played a part there - but Craig Levein seems keen to give him his chance. Time to repay the faith with a season of disciplined consistency and sustained achievement.

Andy Webster, Hearts

From the inspirational captain of a Scottish Cup winning side to the trembling mass of wibbly wobbly self doubt that saw him relegated to barely even a bit part player with Rangers.

Andy Webster's contradictions and riddles would be better suited to a British Psychological Soceity convention than a profile in a "matchday magazine".

Odd. Odder still that he's so nonchalantly returned to Tynecastle where he earned such plaudits but left amid such rancour first time around.

Scottish centre backs - the rocks upon which Craig Brown built so many of his international achievements - are suddenly a bit thin on the ground. As part of a strengthened Hearts squad can Webster grab his moment? Already known to the international manager, will this be a season of redemption?

And can he silence the doubters in Govan as a pivotal part of a Tynecastle title tilt?

Fraser Fyvie, Aberdeen

A proper Scottish youngster. By which I mean he's actually young in a country almost unique in world football in excusing players for various crimes of crapness and bad behaviour because they're "young" even as they approach their mid twenties.

But Fraser Fyvie is the real deal. He's going to be playing catch up though having just about missed last season in it's entirety.

Given how things panned out for Aberdeen that might have provided just a hint of solace for him, at the age of 17 he was able to avoid any guilt by association as the Dons misfired once again.

A new season and a fresh start. A quick blast of my creaky mental arithemetic suggests that, in Craig Brown, Fyvie's development this season will be overseen by a manager old enough to be his great grandfather.

Given the hints of quiet confidence that seem to be swirling around Pittodrie at the moment could the Fyvie-Brown double act become a defining image of the season? The youngster's heroics on the pitch being rewarded by an avancular smile and a Werther's Original from the dugout?

Brown has apparently said Fyvie has the potential to be the best midfielder he has ever worked with. High praise if not, perhaps, the best way to keep pressure to a minimum.

It's going to be interesting to find out if he's right though.

Cillian Sheridan, St Johnstone

I don't think I was alone in expecting Cillian Sheridan to be a Hibs player by the start of the season.

But St Johnstone struck like a bolt in blue to nab him on a six month loan deal. There are conflicting accounts of exactly how that happened but, whatever the reasons, St Johnstone will be hoping to have a found a solution to their goalscoring travails.

He's got some form here, nabbing a goal from every other league start in an earlier loan deal in Perth.

His time in Bulgaria with CSKA Sofia has not been as satisfying as he would have hoped but he still managed seven goals in 26 appearances, a return that would have rocketed him up the St Johnstone scoring charts last season.

So what St Johnstone may have got, and what Hibs may have lost out on, is a 22 year old striker out to prove himself by scoring goals. Even on a short term contract that could be quite a mix, a dose of Viagra for Derek McInnes' impotent front line.

Nicky Law, Motherwell

Obviously Stephen Craigan is the one Motherwell player I'll be forced to watch, a man so keen to tout himself on TV and radio that he makes tabloid hack stereotype Paul McMullan look reclusive.

But one player I'll actually be interested to see is Nicky Law. Picking up an out of contract Rotherham player for free is not perhaps the kind of thing to get the pulse racing.

Yet Law, who came through Sheffield United's youth academy and is now 23, seemed highly rated in his two seasons with the Millers. He twice made the League 2 team of the year, was near the top of the assists table and picked up a fan's player of the year award. He was also said to be attracting the interest of clubs further up the English league food chain.

A certain pedigree then.

Will that be enough? Some Rotherham fans talk of a drifter who shuns the physical element of the game. I'm tempted to borrow a pundit's phrase and ask how much will he relish a rainy night in Lanarkshire?

Time will tell. But Motherwell have unearthed a few gems in the past couple of seasons and the pressure will be on Stuart McCall to do the same.

With Law he might just have struck lucky.

Gregory Tade, Inverness

As Terry Butcher moans about the early start to the season, and the rest of us wonder why he doesn't just buy an appointments calendar, the focus must surely be on his team's ability to survive the loss of Adam Rooney.

A striker whose style perfectly complements the strengths of the rest of the squad and who also pitches in with 20 goals is a rare commodity. Difficult to find, even harder to replace.

All of which leaves Gregory Tade some unenviable boots to fill.

And Tade is no Rooney. He's not without qualities - lots of them and many that SPL defenders will not relish - but he's some distance from being the finished article and remains untested at this level.

But he's bundled his way through the Scottish leagues - something of an oddity for a Frenchman - and while he might lack some of Rooney's subtlety he should be able to offer Inverness a strong and quick focus in attack.

He doesn't score a hell of a lot of goals though so much will depend on his teammates' ability to feed off his strengths in other areas and pitch in with goals themselves.

For better or worse Tade's SPL baptism could come to define the season in Inverness.