Football Season Guide

Aberdeen have been able to secure second place in the last few years through Rangers' struggles, but this is sure to be the toughest challenge yet. With another heavy recruitment drive at Rangers, the challenge is sizeable in terms of notching second place once again. The Dons will also be looking to continue challenging Celtic after their morale-boosting 1-0 win at Parkhead in the final game of last season. However, so far it's been a modest recruitment drive from Derek McInnes as he tries to assemble his squad. Big-name departures such as Ryan Christie, Kenny McLean, Anthony O'Connor, and Kari Arnason have left huge holes int he squad that have still yet to be fully plugged. Chris Forrester and Stephen Gleeson have been brought in, whilst Lewis Ferguson will be seen as a long-term prospect. In recent days, Dominic Ball has joined the new recruits, but question marks over his quality last season will no doubt carry into the new campaign as the former Rangers man looks to show what he's all about. With a mouth-watering Europa League qualifier against Burnley on the horizon, Dons supporters can't be criticised for wondering why their side haven't shown more ambition or indeed activity in the transfer market. It's questionable as to whether McInnes has been able to replace the quality previously part of his squad last season. Even then, Aberdeen only just clinched second place against a Rangers side that stumbled towards the finishing line. Another real issue is where the goals will now come from, after Adam Rooney departed for Salford City during the summer. An out-and-out replacement has yet to be brought in and, with the new season creeping upon us, it feels as though there's still some tweaking to be done with this Dons squad. Yet, whilst more bodies and perhaps more quality is still required for an improvement or sustainability from last season, Aberdeen have been a club rising in confidence each year. This year will be no different, as they look to stand their ground as the best of the rest.