Football Season Guide

Aberdeen go into the new season hoping to carry on where they left off and force a challenge at the top end of the table. They'll be delighted that they're doing so with their manager Derek McInnes still in charge following heavy interest from down south but he has chosen to stay and sign a new contract. It's hard to top finishing 2nd for Aberdeen as Celtic are so dominant, and two defeats in the cup finals to Celtic meant they had nothing to show for what was a promising season. They go into this campaign on the backfoot having been knocked out of Europe in the qualifying stages, following a tough defeat in Cyprus. Players wise, the return of Ryan Christie on loan for another season from Celtic is a bonus as he impressed in the latter half of the last campaign and will certainly be a key player. Meanwhile, the Dons also picked up Gary Mackay-Steven from the champions to offer an extra attacking threat. It's the players out that will cause concern for Dons' fans however as two of their key men and their club captain have all left. Niall McGinn and Jonny Hayes will be massive losses on the wings, while they will need to plug a Ryan Jack shaped hole in the centre of the team which will be tough to do. They'll hope that Kari Arnason provides some experience at the back and that Greg Tansey can replicate his Caley Thistle form in midfield for the Dons.