The Scottish Football News Scorecard

Tag: premier-league

  • Hibernian 25/26 Season Preview

    Hibernian 25/26 Season Preview

    Hibernian have recovered well from a atrocious start to the 24/25 season to record an impressive 3rd place finish but how will they fair next season?

    Hibs were unlucky to lose out on guaranteed European group stage football, as Aberdeen unexpectedly claimed the Europa League playoffs through their victory over Celtic in the Scottish Cup final, which would have otherwise been awarded to Hibs. The Hibees now have to settle for the 2nd round of Europa League qualifiers, which will prove to be a considerable challenge as they face European football regulars FC Midtjylland. The Danish team will pose a significant challenge and may prove too much for the Edinburgh club to handle. It is likely Hibs will be forced to drop into the Conference League, where they have a good chance of qualifying for the league stage.

    Hibernian have so far made two statement signings. Firstly, they have acquired 28-year-old Jamie McGrath on a free following the conclusion of his Aberdeen contract. McGrath will prove to be an excellent signing for Hibs if they can keep the Irish international fit, with him amassing 10 goal involvements (4 goals and 6 assists) in just 21 starts last season. The versatile playmaker can play on either wing as well as the 10 position, and has been unlucky to miss a large part of last season with a shoulder injury. It’s a slight gamble, but if McGrath can continue his league form and remain injury-free, then Hibs may have got themselves a bargain.

    Hibs’ second significant acquisition has been the signing of 29-year-old Austrian goalkeeper Raphael Sallinger. The Austrian shot stopper impressed last season for Austrian Bundesliga side Hartberg and will almost certainly be a considerable improvement between the sticks, as the position was a critical weakness the previous season, especially during the early stages. If the Austrian can adapt to the Scottish League, then Hibs have repaired an evident weakness in their side.

    Overall, Hibs have so far utilised the transfer market effectively, making key acquisitions in strategic areas while retaining many of their core players. I believe that if they can retain all these players while finding a suitable Triantis replacement and have a decent number 9 who remains fit throughout the season, then Hibs could definitely hold onto their third-place position.

    Predicted Position: 3rd

    Player of the Season: McGrath

    Surprise Performer: Rudi Molotnikov

  • Scotland Suffers Injury Crisis in the Goalkeeping Department

    Scotland Suffers Injury Crisis in the Goalkeeping Department

    It has been well known that Scotland has been lacking a wealth of solid Goalkeeping options over the last few years, but the problems reached a head on Friday when second-choice goalkeeper Robby McCrorie suffered an injury in the warm-up before the match against Iceland. The woes continued when the first-choice keeper, Angus Gunn, was forced off in just the 7th minute, leaving the 3rd-choice goalkeeper Cieran Slicker to step in and make his international debut. However, it was not a debut to remember for Slicker as he struggled throughout the game, most notably, he was at serious fault for Iceland’s first goal just a minute after he came on when he gave the ball away too easily when playing out from the back which resulted in him being completely out of position. The Icelandic striker simply curled the ball around Slicker into the goal to give the visitors the advantage.

    Slicker is not the answer to Scotland’s goalkeeper crisis. The 22-year-old should’ve never been in that position, having only made one 9-minute appearance this season and only recording a total of 6 professional appearances in his whole career. With Liam Kelly, Zander Clark and Craig Gordon being left out over injury concerns, who does this leave to fill the void in the squad for the upcoming game on Monday?

    Steve Clark has chosen to call up two uncapped players in an attempt to plug the holes. The first and probably favourite to play on Monday is Scottish Cup winner and soon-to-be Celtic player Ross Doohan.

    Doohan has primarily played as the Aberdeen backup this season, filling in for the injured Mitov on 18 occasions. He has been impressive in spells and has been solid when called upon by Aberdeen. His highlights include a penalty save in the last minute against Hearts to secure his team a point in a 0-0 draw, as well as an impressive performance in a 3-0 loss to Rangers, where he managed an impressive 8 saves. Doohan has agreed to join Celtic following the conclusion of his Aberdeen contract this season.

    The second call-up has been that of 18-year-old Callan McKenna. Steve Clark has stated that the Scottish Under-21s goalkeeper has been training with the first team, making him an obvious option to fill in for the injured first-teamers. McKenna is currently a youth player for English Premier League side Bournemouth, but has yet to make any first-team appearances for them. He has only managed 9 appearances in his entire career, all of which came during a spell at Queen’s Park during the 2023/2024 season before he made the switch down south for a fee of approximately £300,000.