McLeish vows St Mirren will “fight” after difficult League Cup draw
Craig McLeish has vowed that his St Mirren side will do everything in their power to retain the Scottish League Cup after being handed a daunting trip to Ibrox in the next round. Speaking after his side’s narrow defeat to Dunfermline, which saw them slip to second place in Group C, McLeish was frustrated by the late penalty that allowed Chris Kane to snatch an 88th-minute winner. “Frustrated by the ending of it,” the manager said. “I don’t think it’s a penalty, but we kind of brought pressure on ourselves when we didn’t need to. Dunfermline were throwing everything at us to chase the game. “We need to be smarter in our decisions at that stage of the game.” Despite progressing as one of the best runners-up, St Mirren now face a difficult trip to Rangers after Dunfermline leapfrogged them at the top of Group C. The Pars were rewarded with what appears to be a more favourable tie against League One side Ross County. McLeish was also left to rue Samuel Ramos’ disallowed first-half goal, which was ruled out after referee officials deemed Eseosa Sule to have fouled goalkeeper Aston Oxborough. “I also don’t see how our goal has been disallowed in the first half,” McLeish said. “That kind of changes the game. I don’t think there were many clear-cut chances, but when we put together a good move and finish it off, I don’t see why we are penalised for it.” St Mirren lifted the trophy last season with a memorable 3-1 victory over Celtic in December, and McLeish knows his side must once again overcome the country’s biggest clubs if they are to retain the cup. “The frustrating thing is we’ve thrown away the opportunity to come through as one of the seeded teams, and we’ve ended up with probably the toughest draw possible in Rangers away. “But we are the holders, and I’ve told the boys we’re going to fight to make sure someone has to claw it off us. “If we are going to defend the trophy, we have to beat big teams, and we had to do that last year to win the cup.”
SNN Predict – Scottish Premiership Predictions Ahead of the New Season
As the SPFL season is just around the corner, let’s take a look at some of our SNN Predictions ahead of the Scottish Premiership season. Liam Smith Champions – Rangers I personally think Rangers have had an excellent window, especially with the signings of Devlin and Shankland, who did outstandingly last season, coming so close to the title, and of course McInnes — a manager who came so close to the title and is a big Rangers fan himself. I personally think they’ll do it this year, but I think it will be very tight between them and Celtic. Player of the season – Duran (Celtic) Despite me not thinking Celtic will win the league, I believe Duran will have an exceptional first season at Celtic, as we’ve seen at Qarabag. He’s very versatile across the attacking area and is known for his off-the-ball work and finding space in behind defenders. Just missing out on the top goal scorer award and the title, and with Daizen Maeda joining Ipswich, I think this will be a very good replacement for Daizen. Top goal scorer – Shankland (Rangers) Shankland is back at his boyhood side under McInnes, who we obviously know he thrives under, as he did last season leading the line at Tynecastle. For me, Shankland will score over 20 goals for the Ibrox side and be a crucial player for Derek McInnes’ side, as we saw during his time under McInnes at Tynecastle, leading the line for Hearts. Surprise team – Kilmarnock Killie for me must be the surprise team. They have recruited very well, as well as keeping John-Jules and Hugill in attack, as well as bringing in the former St Mirren captain, Mark O’Hara, to the midfield. I would say Killie may be in for a shout at top six, and some might even say Europe, compared to their relegation battle last campaign. Although their League Cup campaign so far hasn’t looked promising, I fully expect Neil McCann to get things heading in the right direction soon. First manager sacked – Craig McLeish A manager who I wasn’t impressed with during his interim spell, who then got the job full-time, which I found surprising despite avoiding relegation by a thread. I personally don’t rate McLeish at all and believe St Mirren could’ve taken in someone with higher quality. I don’t think he’s going to do well or last long at all, and he will be first sacked for me. Charlie Douglas Champions – Rangers It’s never easy to predict who will be the champions before the season is underway, as proven last season, but as of right now I fancy Rangers to win it. I’ve been impressed with how Rangers have gone about their business this summer; however, the same can’t be said for Celtic at this stage. A lot has been made over the recruitment at the Ibrox club in recent years, but this summer it feels as though they’ve got it spot on, especially with the additions of Lawrence Shankland and Cammy Devlin, who have already proven themselves in the league. Celtic managed to get the title over the line eventually last season, but the disconnect between the fans and the board has continued throughout the summer with the failure to re-sign Marcelo Sarrachi and Kelechi Iheanacho, and with only one signing in the door, Celtic have a lot to do between now and the end of the transfer window. Top goal scorer – Shankland (Rangers) Lawrence Shankland eventually got his move to Rangers this summer, reuniting with his old manager Derek McInnes. The Scotland international’s goalscoring record in recent seasons speaks for itself, and there are few better than him in the country. Shankland played a big part in the success that Hearts had last season, and I can see him thriving under Derek McInnes and proving to be a real asset this season. Player of the season – Duran (Celtic) If Celtic are to have the success they had last season again this season, then new signing Camilo Duran is certainly going to have a big say in that. With Daizen Maeda earning a move to the Premier League, Duran is now left to fill his boots, and I expect him to hit the ground running for Celtic and have an impressive first season in Scotland. Surprise package – Kilmarnock I expect Killie to have a strong season. The appointment of Neil McCann came as a surprise to some last season, but he came in and got results while making Rugby Park a real tough place for teams to come and get a result at. Despite losing some key players this summer, such as Findlay Curtis, David Watson, and Lewis Mayo, I think Killie could have a good shot at claiming a top six spot. First manager to be sacked – Craig McLeish Despite enjoying silverware success last season, St Mirren avoided relegation by the skin of their teeth and really struggled to get the required results at times, resulting in a relegation playoff. Craig McLeish was appointed permanent manager in the summer after managing to keep Saints up; however, I expect them to have another underwhelming season. I think Craig McLeish’s inexperience will end up costing him in the end. Mack Kelly Champions – Celtic Somehow, Celtic are in a weaker position than they were this time two months ago. Their board has put them and their reputation at risk of becoming a national, if not continental, laughing stock, but they usually (with the exception of last year) eventually get their business done, and I back their higher-ups to give Martin O’Neill what he wants — but equally it could be a car wreck. Top Goal Scorer – Lawrence Shankland Lawrence Shankland eventually gets his move to the team he has been destined to play for. No one this decade has scored goals on a more consistent basis than the former Hearts captain, and after reuniting with his former Tynecastle gaffer, Derek