Neymar the Brilliant Pt. 6

Lovely skills again from Neymar, this time against Argentina in last night's Superclasico. Brazil won the game 2 - 0 with Neymar getting his name on the scoresheet.

Top man.

Neymar the Brilliant Pt. 5

Lovely bit of skill and the end product is there:



Currently stuck in a really tedious transfer saga with Real Madrid, let's just hope he arrives soon and his skill isn't compromised by the change of scenery.

Neymar the Brilliant Pt. 4

A wonderful bit of play from the Santos man in the Argentina - Brazil game last night.



Does incredibly well to work the space for himself, then plays a crackin' pass to Leandro Damiao, who somehow hits the post.

Andy's Huge Transfer Round-Up.

After a busy summer of wheeling and dealing in the English Premiership, you could be forgiven for missing some transfers. Here at The Side Netting we realised this and Andy gallantly took it upon himself to provide you with a club-by-club walkthrough of the Summer window. He's detailed not only all the ins and outs of each club, but also identified their best value signing, as well as who the club should have signed and rated how each club performed. 

With a lot of new faces coming into the Premiership, reading this will keep you on top of all the possible conversations you'll have about English football.

ARSENAL

Ins - Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain (Southampton, £11m), Gervinho (Lille £10.7m), Chu Young Park (Monaco, £3m), 

Carl Jenkinson (Charlton, £1m), Per Mertesacker (Werder Bremen, undisclosed), Andre Santos (Fenerbahce, £6.2m), 

Yossi Benayoun (Chelsea, loan), Mikel Arteta (Everton, £10m).

Outs - Cesc Fabregas (Barcelona, £35m), Samir Nasri (Manchester City, £24m), Gael Clichy (Manchester City, £7m), Emmanuel Eboue (Galatasaray, £3m), 

Armand Traore (QPR, undisclosed), Jay Emmanuel-Thomas (Ipswich, undisclosed),

Best Value Signing - Per Mertesacker

Should Have Signed - A real replacement for Fabregas (not a goalkeeper).

Transfer Window Rating - 6/10 - Lost their two key players and replaced them with good players, but not world beaters.

ASTON VILLA 

Ins - Charles N'Zogbia (Wigan, £9.5m), Shay Given (Manchester City, £3.5m), Alan Hutton (Tottenham, undisclosed), Jermaine Jenas (Tottenham, loan).

Outs - Stewart Downing (Liverpool, £20m), Ashley Young (Manchester United, £16m), Luke Young (QPR, undisclosed), 

Brad Friedel (Tottenham, free), Nigel Reo-Coker (Bolton, free), John Carew (West Ham, free)

Best Value Signing - Alan Hutton

Should Have Signed - An experienced winger.

Transfer Window Rating - 5/10 - Lost two of their key players and replaced only one of them.

BLACKBURN 

Ins - Simon Vukcevic (Sporting Lisbon, £2m), David Goodwillie (Dundee United, £2m), Radosav Petrovic (Partizan Belgrade, undisclosed), 

Bruno Ribiero (Gremio Prudente, free), Scott Dann (Birmingham, £6m), Yakubu (Everton, undisclosed).

Outs - Phil Jones (Manchester United, £16.5m), Frank Fielding (Derby, undisclosed), Nikola Kalinic (Dnipro, undisclosed), 

Zurab Khizanishvili (Kayserispor, free), Benjani (Portsmouth, free), Brett Emerton (Sydney FC, free)

Best Value Signing - Scott Dann

Should Have Signed - A right back who is under the age of 25.

Transfer Window Rating - 6/10 - Phil Jones is a loss but he's been well replaced in Scott Dann, and they have bought some useful attacking players.

BOLTON

Ins - Chris Eagles and Tyrone Mears (Burnley, joint £3m), David Ngog (Liverpool, undisclosed), Darren Pratley (Swansea, free), 

Nigel Reo-Coker (Aston Villa, free), Tuncay (Wolfsburg, loan), Dedryck Boyata (Man City, loan), Gael Kakuta (Chelsea, loan),

Outs - Ali Al Habsi (Wigan, £4m), Matt Taylor (West Ham, £2.2m), Johan Elmander (Galatasaray, free), Tamir Cohen (Maccabi Haifa, free), Joey O'Brien (West Ham, free)

Best Value Signing - Chris Eagles

Should Have Signed - Someone to replace either or both fullbacks.

Transfer Window Rating - 6/10 - They've gone for quantity over quality but the squad has slightly improved.

CHELSEA

Ins - Juan Mata (Valencia, £29m), Romelu Lukaku (Anderlecht, £20m), Thibaud Courtois (Genk, £5m), Oriol Romeu (Barcelona, £4.4m), Lucas Piazon (Sao Paulo, undisclosed),

Raul Meireles (Liverpool, undisclosed)

Outs - Michael Mancienne (Hamburg, £3m), Slobodan Rajkovic (Hamburg, £1.8m), Yury Zhirkov (Anzhi, undisclosed), Nemanja Matic (Benfica, undisclosed), 

Fabio Borini (Parma, undisclosed), Thibaud Courtois (Atletico Madrid, loan), Jeffrey Bruma (Hamburg, loan), Ulises Davila (Vitesse Arnhem, loan), Patrick van Aanholt (Wigan, loan), 

Gael Kakuta (Bolton, loan), Yossi Benayoun (Arsenal, loan)

Best Value Signing - Juan Mata

Should have Signed - Another centre back. Terry and Alex are both aging and David Luiz needs a partner for the future.

Transfer Window Rating - 9/10 - Bought some exciting young players to try and solve the problem of an aging squad.

EVERTON

Ins - Eric Dier (Sporting Lisbon, loan), Denis Stracqualursi (Tigre, loan), Royston Drenthe (Real Madrid, loan).

Outs - Mikel Arteta (Arsenal, £10m), Jermaine Beckford (Leicester, £4m), James Vaughan (Norwich, £2.5m),

Best Value Signing - Royston Drenthe

Should Have Signed - A striker, or three since they sold two.

Transfer Window Rating - 3/10 - Another disappointing window for Everton who have sold some of their best players and failed to replace them adequately.

FULHAM

Ins - Pajtim Kasami (Palermo, £4m), John Arne Riise (Roma, £2.4m), Marcel Gecov (Slovan Liberec, undisclosed), Csaba Somogyi (Rakospalotai, free), 

Zdenek Grygera (Juventus, free), Bryan Ruiz (Twente, £10.6m), Orlando Sa (Porto, free)

Outs - Jonathan Greening (Nottingham Forest, £670,000), Kagisho Dikgacoi (Crystal Palace, undisclosed), Zoltan Gera (West Brom, free),

Diomansy Kamara (Eskisehirspor, free), John Paintsil (Leicester, free)

Best Value Signing - Zdenek Grygera

Should Have Signed - A young, creative midfielder to help their somewhat stale midfield.

Transfer Window Rating - 7/10 - Some smart signings from Jol, and some gambled that may pay off.

LIVERPOOL

Ins - Stewart Downing (Liverpool, £20m), Jordan Henderson (Sunderland, £16m), Charlie Adam (£9m), Jose Enrique (Newcastle, £6m), Alexander Doni (Roma, free), 

Sebastian Coates (Nacional, undisclosed), Craig Bellamy (Manchester City, free)

Outs - Joe Cole (Lille, loan) Christian Poulsen (Evian, undisclosed) Alberto Aquilani (AC Milan, loan), Paul Konchesky (Leicester, £1.5m),

Emiliano Insua (Sporting Lisbon, undisclosed), Daniel Ayala (Norwich, undisclosed), Milan Jovanovic (Anderlecht, free), 

Sotirios Kyrgiakos (Wolfsburg, free),Christian Poulsen (Evian, undisclosed), David Ngog (Bolton, undisclosed), Raul Meireles (Chelsea, undisclosed)

Best Value Signing - Jose Enrique

Should Have Signed - They signed everyone.

Transfer Window Rating - 9/10 - Spent so much money, but it's lead to a greatly improved squad.

MANCHESTER CITY

Ins - Sergio Aguero (Atletico Madrid, £38m), Samir Nasri (Arsenal, £24m), Gael Clichy (Arsenal, £7m), Stefan Savic (Partizan Belgrade, £6m),

Owen Hargreaves (Manchester United, free).

Outs - Jerome Boateng (Bayern Munich, £10m), Shay Given (Aston Villa, £3.5m), Felipe Caicedo (Levante, £880,000), Jo (Internacional, undisclosed),

Emmanuel Adebayor (Tottenham, loan), Dedryck Boyata (Bolton, loan), Roque Santa Cruz (Real Betis, loan), Vladimir Weiss (Espanyol, loan),

Michael Johnson (Leicester, loan), Shaun Wright-Phillips (QPR, undisclosed), Craig Bellamy (Liverpool, free).

Best Value Signing - Despite being extremely pricey - Sergio Aguero

Should Have Signed - A top quality centre back to partner Kompany.

Transfer Window Rating - 8/10 - Have spent the most, but Aguero and Nasri have made their attacking line-up terrifying.

MANCHESTER UNITED 

Ins - David De Gea (Atletico Madrid, £17.8m), Phil Jones (Blackburn, £16.5m), Ashley Young (Aston Villa, £16m).

Outs - Gabriel Obertan (Newcastle, £3.25m), Wes Brown (Sunderland, £1m), John O'Shea (Sunderland, undisclosed), Owen Hargreaves (Manchester City, free), 

Paul Scholes (retired), Edwin van der Sar (retired), Bebe (Besiktas, loan), Ritchie de Laet (Norwich, loan).

Best Value Signing - Ashley Young

Should Have Signed - Creative (and good) central midfielder ie Luka Modric.

Transfer Window Rating - 8/10 - Bought young, talented players to create a well, balanced team but have spent a lot in the process.

NEWCASTLE

Ins - Davide Santon (Inter Milan £5m) Yohan Cabaye (Lille, £4.3m), Gabriel Obertan (Manchester United, £3.25m), Sylvain Marveaux (Rennes, free), 

Mehdi Abeid (Lens, free), Demba Ba (West Ham, free).

Outs - Jose Enrique (Liverpool, £6m), Kevin Nolan (West Ham, £4m), Wayne Routledge (Swansea, undisclosed), Joey Barton (QPR, free), 

Ben Tozer (Northampton, free), Sol Campbell (released), Shefki Kuqi (Oldham, free), Kazenga Lua Lua (Brighton, loan), Xisco (Deportivo La Coruna, loan), 

Fraser Forster (Celtic, loan),

Best Value Signing - Yohann Cabaye

Should Have Signed - A small, quick striker to partner their three tall ones (Peter Lovenkrands doesn't count).

Transfer Window Rating - 7/10 - Controversially, I think Newcastle have improved over the window despite selling their best players. Santon is a very good replacement for Enrique and Cabaye is better than Barton/Nolan.

NORWICH

Ins - Steve Morison (Millwall, £2.8m), James Vaughan (Everton, £2.5m), Anthony Pilkington (Huddersfield, £2m), Daniel Ayala (Liverpool, undisclosed), 

Elliott Bennett (Brighton, undisclosed), Bradley Johnson (Leeds, free), Ritchie De Laet (Manchester United, loan), Kyle Naughton (Tottenham, loan).

Outs - Owain Tudur Jones (Inverness, undisclosed), Cody McDonald (Coventry, undisclosed), Luke Daley, Steven Smith (Preston, free), (Plymouth, free), 

Matt Gill (Bristol Rovers, free), Sam Habergham (Tamworth, free), Jens Berthel Askou (Vejle Kolding, free), Stephen Hughes (released), 

Cody McDonald (Coventry, undisclosed).

Best Value Signing - Bradley Johnson

Should Have Signed - An effective winger.

Transfer Window Rating - 6/10 - Unsurprisingly better since they've been promoted but not improved as much as they could have done.

Q.P.R

Ins - DJ Campbell (Blackpool, £1.2m), Armand Traore (Arsenal, undisclosed), Danny Gabbidon (West Ham, free), Kieron Dyer (West Ham, free), 

Jay Bothroyd (Cardiff, free), Joey Barton (Newcastle, free), Shaun Wright-Phillips (QPR, undisclosed), Anton Ferdinand (Sunderland, £3m).

Outs - Mikele Leigertwood, (Reading, undisclosed), Georgias Tofas (Anagennisi Dherynia, free), Josh Parker (Oldham, free), Joe Oastler (Torquay, free), 

Lee Brown (Bristol Rovers, free), Pascal Chimbonda (released), Gavin Mahon (Notts County, free), Romone Rose (Muangthong United, free), 

Peter Ramage (Crystal Palace, loan), Angelo Balanta (MK Dons, loan), Leon Clarke (Swindon, free), Kaspars Gorkss (Reading, loan), Michael Doughty (Crawley, loan).

Best Value Signing - Joey Barton

Should Have Signed - Another centre back - still the area where they are poorest.

Transfer Window Rating - 7/10 - Rangers have improved impressively for their first season in the Premiership.

STOKE 

Ins - Jonathan Woodgate (Tottenham, free), Matthew Upson (West Ham, free), Cameron Jerome (Birmingham, £4m), Peter Crouch (Tottenham, £10m), 

Wilson Palacios (Tottenham, £8m).

Outs - Carl Dickinson (Watford, undisclosed), Eidur Gudjohnsen (AEK Athens, free), Abdoulaye Faye (West Ham, free), Ibrahima Sonko Ipswich, free)

Best Value Signing - Jonathan Woodgate 

Should Have Signed - A creative midfielder to give them another option if they go behind.

Transfer Window Rating - 8/10 - Despite getting terrible value for money, they have certainly bought effective players for their style and are definitely better as a result.

SUNDERLAND

Ins - Connor Wickham (Ipswich, £13m), Craig Gardner (Birmingham, £5m), Ahmed Elmohamady (ENPPI, £2m), Ji Dong-won (Chunnam Dragons, £2m), 

Wes Brown (Man United, £1m), James McClean (Derry City, £350,000), John O'Shea (Man United, undisclosed), Sebastian Larsson (Birmingham, free), 

David Vaughan (Blackpool, free), Keiren Westwood (Coventry, free), Nicklas Bendtner (Arsenal, loan).

Outs - Jordan Henderson (Liverpool, £16m), Steed Malbranque (St Etienne, undisclosed), Bolo Zenden (released), Cristian Riveros (Kayserispor, loan), 

George McCartney (West Ham, loan), Anton Ferdinand (QPR, £3m).

Best Value Signing - Sebastian Larsson

Should Have Signed - Much like Stoke, a creative central midfielder - one who is better than Cattermole.

Transfer Window Rating - 6/10 - The most active side in the window are better off but could be accused of going for quantity over quality.

SWANSEA 

Ins - Michel Vorm (Utrecht, £1.5m), Danny Graham (Watford, £3.5m), Leroy Lita (Middlesbrough, £1.75m), Wayne Routledge (Newcastle, undisclosed), 

Jose Moreira (Benfica, undisclosed), Steven Caulker (Totteham, loan), Federico Bessone (Leeds, undisclosed), Darnel Situ (Lens, undisclosed).

Outs - Dorus de Vries (Wolves, free), Darren Pratley (Bolton, free), Albert Serran (AEK Larnaca, free), Cedric van der Gun (released), 

Gorka Pintado (AEK Larnaca, free), Yves Ma-Makalamby (released)

Best Value Signing - Michel Vorm

Should Have Signed - A strong, defensive midfielder - Swansea are a quick but lightweight team.

Transfer Window Rating - 7/10 - some good signings to benefit their quick style as well as a target man, which they needed.

TOTTENHAM

Ins -  Brad Friedel (Aston Villa, free), Cristian Ceballos (Barcelona, free), Souleymane Coulibaly (Siena, undisclosed), 

Emmanuel Adebayor (Man City, loan), Yago Falque (Juventus, loan), Scott Parker (West Ham, £5m)

Outs - Peter Crouch (Stoke, £10m), Wilson Palacios, Stoke, £8m), Jamie O'Hara (Wolves, £5m), Robbie Keane (LA Galaxy £1.8m), Alan Hutton (Aston Villa, undisclosed), 

Jonathan Woodgate (Stoke, free), Kyle Naughton (Norwich, loan), Steven Caulker (Swansea, loan), Bongani Khumalo (Reading, loan), 

Ryan Mason (Doncaster, loan), Jonathan Obika (Yeovil, loan), David Bentley (West Ham, loan), Jermaine Jenas (Aston Villa, loan).

Best Value Signing - Souleymane Coulibaly

Should Have Signed - A centre back who isn't made of glass.

Transfer Window Rating - 8/10 - Have shifted alot of dead wood and have bought sensibly for the present and the future.

W.B.A

Ins - Shane Long (Reading, £6.5m), Zoltan Gera (Fulham, free), Marton Fulop (Ipswich, free), Gareth McAuley (Ipswich, free), Billy Jones (Preston, free), 

Ben Foster (Birmingham, loan).

Outs - Scott Carson (Bursaspor, £2.1m), Ishmael Miller (Nottingham Forest £1.2m), Borja Valero (Villarreal, undisclosed), Marek Cech (Trabzonspor, undisclosed), 

Abdoulaye Meite (Dijon, free), Gianni Zuiverloon (Real Mallorca, free), Giles Barnes (Doncaster, free), Dean Kiely (retired), Boaz Myhill (Birmingham, loan), 

Chris Wood (Birmingham, loan), James Hurst (Blackpool, loan), Marek Cech (Trabzonspor, undisclosed), Pablo Ibanez (Birmingham, undisclosed).

Best Value Signing - Zoltan Gera

Should Have Signed - Some good defenders, the area they need most improvement, but which they seemed to ignore.

Transfer Window Rating - 6/10 - Again, shifted a number of fringe players (mostly to Birmingham), and brought in some good players, but in the wrong areas.

WIGAN 

Ins - Ali Al Habsi (Bolton, £4m), Shaun Maloney (Celtic, £1m), Albert Crusat (Almeria, undisclosed), David Jones (Wolves, free), Nouha Dicko (released, free), 

Patrick van Aanholt (Chelsea, loan).

Outs - Charles N'Zogbia (Aston Villa, £9.5m), Antonio Amaya (Real Betis, undisclosed), Daniel de Ridder (Grasshopper Zurich, free), Mauro Boselli (Estudiantes, loan),

Steven Caldwell (Birmingham, free), Jason Koumas (released).

Best Value Signing - Patrick Van Aanholt

Should Have Signed - A better winger replacement than Shaun Maloney.

Transfer Window Rating - 4/10 - Lost their best player and bought a lot of mediocrity.

WOLVES

Ins - Roger Johnson (Birmingham, £7m), Jamie O'Hara (Tottenham, £5m), Dorus De Vries (Swansea, free)

Outs - Greg Halford (Portsmouth, undisclosed), David Jones (Wigan, free), Geoffrey Mujangi Bia (Standard Liege, free), Marcus Hahnemann (released), 

Steven Mouyokolo (Sochaux, loan),

Best Value Signing - Roger Johnson

Should Have Signed - Another defender, as well as Johnson.

Transfer Window Rating - 6/10 - Relatively inactive but Roger Johnson could be the key to improving their terrible defence.

*****************

As an added bonus, here are the Premier League teams who I think have grabbed a bargain and who has been the victim of daylight robbery:

Top five best value Premier League transfers:

1. Yohann Cabaye - Lille to Newcastle - £4.3m

2. Zdenek Grygera - Juventus to Fulham - Free

3. Michel Vorm - Utrecht to Swansea - £1.5m

4. Souleymane Coulibaly - Siena to Tottenham - £1.7m

5. Jose Enrique - Newcastle to Liverpool - £6m

Top five worst value Premier League transfers:

1. Jordan Henderson - Sunderland to Liverpool - £16m

2. Alex Oxlade Chamberlain - Southampton to Arsenal - £12m

3. Cameron Jerome - Birmingham City to Stoke - £4m

4. Stewart Downing - Aston Villa to Liverpool - £20m

5. Peter Crouch - Tottenham to Stoke - £10m

*****************

And, as an even sweeter bonus, here's a round up of the ten best value transfers from the rest of Europe this window:

1. Nuri Sahin - Dortmund to Real Mardid - €10m

2. Diego Forlan - Athletico Madrid to Inter Milan - €5m

3. Goran Pandev - Inter to Napoli - Loan

4. Arda Turan - Galatasaray to Athletico Madrid - €12m

5. Phillipe Mexes - Roma to Milan - Free

6. Miralem Pjanic - Lyon to Roma - €10m

7. Jeremy Toulalan - Lyon to Malaga €10m

8. Taye Taiwo - Marseille to Milan - Free

9. Pablo Piatti - Almeria to Valencia - €8m

10. Blaise Matuidi - St. Etienne to PSG - €8m

Neymar the Brilliant Pt. 3

After the hangover of the Scotland - Czech Republic game, we're in some need of light relief.

I can honestly say I have never been disappointed by Neymar, or for that matter, the Brasileirao. Defensively, it's not the best, but for pure footballing entertainment it's better than the English Premier League. Here's an example, both these goals happened in the same game:

You should probably give Brazilian league football more of your time.

Scotland - Czech Republic Preview

Ahead of tomorrow's European Championship Qualifier, Adam (AH) and Craig (CH) take a look at the two sides and make an assessment so that you don't have to. To refresh your memory, here's what the Group I table currently looks like:

Clipped from Wikipedia

SCOTLAND

CH: The Tartan Army will be hoping for a much more positive approach from Craig Levein after he played no strikers when these two sides met in Prague last October. Only Iain Turner has dropped out of the squad, being replaced by David Marshall but barring an injury Allan McGregor will start in goal. Kris Commons was a surprise exclusion but returns from injury from Alan Hutton, Steven Naismith and Darren Fletcher will hand Scotland a boost. However Hutton and Fletcher have not yet played a competitive game this season and so giving them a starting place may be a risk. Levein also has to decide who will partner Gary Caldwell at the heart of the defence and whether he will play Miller up front on his own or with a strike partner, as Scotland need a win. Scotland will be hoping for a similar display to their last game against Denmark which they won 2-1 following an impressive defensive performance. Defeat in this game could spell the end of Scotland’s pursuit of a place in a major finals for the first time since 1998. Victory however closes the gap on the Czechs to two points and Scotland still have a game in hand, against Lithuania next week. Scotland will hope to have these two victories in the bag before heading to Spain to play the group leaders in October.

AH: After a decent performance against Denmark in a friendly last month, Scotland fans might get their hopes up for three points tomorrow. When these two last met in Prague, Craig Levein adopted a horribly defensive approach and was duly punished for it. That game, coupled with an equally shit performance in Lithuania, mean that Scotland now have to win this game to stand any realistic chance of reaching the play-offs. With no first team injuries, Levein can select a strong, attacking eleven and go for the win from kick off. Alan Hutton, Darren Fletcher and Steven Naismith have all been passed fit, but don't be surprised if they start on the bench; Hutton and Fletcher haven't played yet this season. Kenny Miller should start, but it's practically impossible to say for certain whether he'll start with a strike partner or on his own. Rather than the usual 4-5-1, Scotland need to be able to play a 4-4-2 or at least a more attacking 4-4-1-1 and really take the game to the Czechs for this must win game. Anything other than a win and Scotland simply will not qualify for another major tournament again.

From:
Goalkeepers: Matt Gilks (Blackpool), Allan McGregor (Rangers), David Marshall (Cardiff City)

Defenders: Phil Bardsley (Sunderland), Christophe Berra (Wolverhampton Wanderers), Gary Caldwell (Wigan Athletic), Stephen Crainey (Blackpool), Grant Hanley (Blackburn Rovers), Alan Hutton (Tottenham Hotspur), Steven Whittaker (Rangers), Danny Wilson (Liverpool)
Midfielders: Charlie Adam (Liverpool), Barry Bannan (Aston Villa), Scott Brown (Celtic), Don Cowie (Cardiff City), Graham Dorrans (West Bromwich Albion), Darren Fletcher (Manchester United), James Forrest (Celtic), James Morrison (West Bromwich Albion), Barry Robson (Middlesbrough), Robert Snodgrass (Leeds United)
Forwards: David Goodwillie (Blackburn Rovers), Craig Mackail-Smith (Brighton and Hove Albion), Kenny Miller (Cardiff City), Steven Naismith (Rangers)

CZECH REPUBLIC

CH: Czech Republic only have one notable absentee for the clash at Hampden, Petr Cech misses out through injury so head coach Michal Bilek will look to Jaroslav Drobny or Jan Lastuvka to deputise. Other than this Bilek has a full strength squad to choose from and will be able to select a strong side. The Czechs will be looking to improve on their performance following their last game, a disappointing 3-0 loss to Norway. Currently sitting five points ahead of Scotland, having played a game more, a draw would suit Czech Republic better as both teams chase Group I’s runners up spot behind Spain.

AH: The absence of Petr Cech will be devastating for the Czechs, regardless of what striker Milan Baros believes. Jaroslav Drobny looks likely to replace him, but with only three previous caps, he could well prove to be a liability. They might not be as strong as they were a couple of years ago, but the Czech Republic are still more than capable of causing Scotland a lot of problems. Baros will trouble Caldwell, and although he's looked sluggish at Arsenal, Rosicky has the vision and passing ability to put Scotland on the backfoot. A draw would certainly suit the Czechs, and they might well play for one, but I'm sure head coach Michal Bilek won't copy Levein's embarrassing 4-6-0 formation.

From:
Goalkeepers: Jaroslav Drobny (Hamburg), Jan Lastuvka (Dnepropetrovsk), Ales Hruska (Pribram)
Defenders: Zdenek Pospech (Mainz), Jan Rajnoch (Ankaragucu), Tomas Sivok (Besiktas), Theo Gebre Selassie (Slovan Liberec), Roman Hubnik (Berlin), Daniel Pudil (Genk), Petr Jiracek (Viktoria Pilsen), Michal Kadlec (Leverkusen)
Midfielders: Tomas Rosicky (Arsenal), Tomas Hubschman (Shakhtar Donetsk), Daniel Kolar (Viktoria Pilsen), Jaroslav Plasil (Bordeaux), Kamil Vacek (Sparta Prague), Jan Rezek (Famagusta), Vaclav Pilar (Viktoria Pilsen), Milan Petrzela (Viktoria Pilsen)
Strikers: Milan Baros (Galatasaray), David Lafata (Jablonec), Tomas Pekhart (Nuremberg)

Form (All Competitions):
Scotland (Last five at home): L-W-W-W-W
Czech Republic (Last five away): D-L-L-D-L

SPL Transfer Window Round Up

A number of sides in the SPL have had to cope with the loss of key players this season and may still be considered to be in transition as new signings and younger players try to settle in. Following the shutting of the transfer window, we will have a look at who has left and who has been brought in and how this will affect their respective teams. Who has recruited well and who looks ill equipped to cope with the demands of the 
league this season?

Aberdeen
IN: Kari Arnason; Jason Brown; Mohamed Chalali; Chris Clark; David Gonzalez (loan); Youl Mawene; Isaac Osbourne

OUT: Sone Aluko; Myles Anderson; Nick Blackman (end of loan); Zander Diamond; Paul Hartley; Mark Howard; Nicky Low (loan); Chris Maguire; David McNamee; Michael Paton (loan); Joe Shaughnessy (loan); Steven Smith; Nikola Vujadinovic (end of loan); Derek Young

Aberdeen have signed players that few in Scotland will know much about. They will have to settle in and prove themselves quickly in order to please the Dons support. David Gonzalez may prove to be a good loan signing as cover, or a possible replacement, for Jamie Langfield and Youl Mawene looks to be a big strong player so defensively Aberdeen could be solid. However they will miss the creativity of the likes of Sone Aluko and the talented Chris Maguire so may struggle for goals this season. Michael Paton will hope a loan spell at Stockport leads to more starting opportunities in order for him to reach his potential.

Celtic
IN: Mohamed Bangura; Badr El Kaddouri (loan); Fraser Forster (loan); Adam Matthews; Victor Wanyama; Kelvin Wilson

OUT: Graham Carey; Ryan Conroy; Sean Fitzharris; Jos Hooiveld (loan); Ben Hutchinson; Efrain Juarez (loan); Fredrik Ljunberg; Shaun Maloney; Niall McGinn (loan); Paul McGowan; Daryl Murphy (loan); Darren O’Dea (loan); Josh Thompson (loan); Richie Towell (loan)

Celtic seemed short of options up front so the signing of Bangura, who is fast and powerful with a good scoring record, may prove an important one. However he seems a similar type of player to Gary Hooper and Anthony Stokes so doesn’t offer much in the way of different options. Kelvin Wilson looks to have settled in well and El Kaddouri will provide cover at left back until the return of the injured Izaguirre in January. Young Adam Matthews looks like a good acquisition. He was reportedly courted by Manchester United and Arsenal before signing for Celtic and should develop well under Neil Lennon. Lennon will hope that the likes of Juarez, McGinn, Thompson and Towell will benefit from their loan spells and force themselves into his reckoning on their return. Celtic have also lost Shaun Maloney to Wigan and may miss his creativity from the bench. Georgios Samaras was linked with a move away from Celtic Park but Celtic were holding out for a larger sum and he will now remain until January at least, much to the displeasure of a number of Celtic fans.

Dundee United

IN: Lauri Dalla Valle (loan); Willo Flood; Gavin Gunning; Gary Mackay-Stevens; Keanu Marsh-Brown (loan); John Rankin

OUT: Prince Buaben; Craig Conway; Darren Dods; Morgaro Gomis; David Goodwillie; Ross McCord; Ryan McCord; David Robertson; Andis Shala

Dundee United have had to cope with the loss of a number of key players this season. The loss of Buaben, Gomis, Conway and Goodwillie will have a major impact on the team. Willo Flood had a successful couple of loan spells and will hope to emulate these now that he is back and John Rankin has SPL experience and is technically a good player. These two may step in to the void left by Buaben and Gomis in the centre of the park. Gunning performed well on loan at Motherwell last season and will continue to develop as a player. Supporters will hope that loan signings Dalla Valle and Marsh-Brown will be able to provide goals to fire the Arabs to a top four finish.

Dunfermline

IN: Andrew Barrowman; Paul Burns; Patrick Boyle; Craig Easton; Paul Gallacher; John Potter; Kevin Rutkiewicz; Jason Thomson (loan)

OUT: Graham Bayne; Alex Burke; Chris Higgins; Jake Hyde; Neil McGregor; Greg Paterson; Calum Woods

Dunfermline have brought in experienced players in John Potter, Kevin Rutkiewicz and Paul Gallacher, and these players could be crucial in the Pars maintaining their premier league status. Andrew Barrowman will hope to bring the sort of form and goals he showed during his time at Ross County but may struggle in the country’s top division. Likewise, Patrick Boyle and Paul Burns have made the step up from the first division and may take some time to adapt to the demands of the SPL.

Hearts

IN: Danny Grainger; Jamie Hamill; John Sutton; Mehdi Taouil; Callum Tapping

OUT: Ismael Bouzid; Dawid Kucharski; Jamie Mole; Ruben Palazuelos; Mark Ridgers (loan); Craig Thomson (loan); Jason Thomson (loan); Lee Wallace

Hamill and Sutton are established SPL players and will improve an already good side. Mehdi Taouil however can be a bit hit or miss, he is capable of great skill but at times his work rate is lacking. Callum Tapping, who has been capped at under-19 level for Scotland, will join the youth squad and looks to be a player for the future. The loss of Lee Wallace is a bit of a blow as he is a talented player, but Hearts got a great price at £1.5m for him. Danny Grainger should be a decent replacement.

Hibernian

IN: Junior Agogo; Phil Airey (loan); Leigh Griffiths (loan); Adam Mitter; Garry O’Connor; Sean O’Hanlon; Isaiah Osbourne; Ivan Sproule; Richie Towell (loan)

OUT: Kurtis Byrne; David Crawford (loan); Francis Dickoh; Darryl Duffy (end of loan); Edwin de Graaf; Kevin McBride; Kevin McCann; Liam Miller; Colin Nish; John Rankin; Derek Riordan; Scott Smith (loan); Steven Thicot; Valdas Trakys; Ricardo Vaz Te

Hibs have lost some good players in Miller, Rankin and Riordan and look as if they may struggle again this season. The departure of Colin Nish is less of a blow, although he is 10^th in the all-time leading scorer charts in the SPL. Junior Agogo is an experienced player and if Calderwood can get them playing well together the combination of Griffiths, O’Connor and Sproule could provide goals. Sean O’Hanlon and Richie Towell will hope to form a good defensive line along with Paul Hanlon and Callum Booth as Hibs haven’t started the season well defensively.

Inverness Caledonian Thistle

IN: Aiden Chippendale (loan); David Davis (loan); Aaron Doran; Roman Golobart (loan); Billy McKay; Josh Meekings; Thomas Piermayr; Andrew Shinnie; Gregory Tade; Greg Tansey; Owain Tudor Jones

OUT: Gil Blumenshtein; Russell Duncan; Stuart Golabek; Chris Innes; Roy McBain; Grant Munro; Eric Odihambo; Adam Rooney; Dani Sanchez

Losing Adam Rooney is a massive blow to Inverness and they will miss his goals this season. Gregory Tade will have to quickly step up to fill Rooney’s boots and Terry Butcher will look to other players to provide goals as well. Greg Tansey looks a decent acquisition and can contribute goals from midfield, he has scored two in three games already. David Davis and Roman Golobart come from English premier league sides and could add quality, as might Aaron Doran who joins following a successful loan spell last season. Andrew Shinnie, signed from Rangers, will get more starting opportunities and may develop into a good player.

Kilmarnock

IN: Patrick Ada; Danny Buijs; Jorge Galan (loan); Gary Harkins; Paul Heffernan; Ben Hutchinson; Zdenek Kroca; Rory McKeown; Leon Panikvar; Daniel Racchi; Dean Shiels; Mohamadou Sissoko (loan); Jonathan Stynes; Jude Winchester

OUT: Kieran Agard (end of loan); Craig Bryson; Tim Clancy; Alexei Eremenko (end of loan); Jamie Hamill; Rui Miguel; Mehdi Taouil; Frazer Wright

There are a number of new faces at Rugby Park this season and it remains to be seen if they can match the impressive performances of last season. Killie have struggled for goals since the departure of Conor Sammon in January and will hope that Hutchinson and Heffernan can contribute. Killie have also lost a lot of creativity from the likes of Jamie Hamill, Craig Bryson, Mehdi Taouil and, of course, Alexei Eremenko. Jorge Galan, on loan from Osasuna, and Dean Shiels may be able to provide a bit of flair, but don’t look as good as the players they have replaced. Following Wright and Clancy’s moves to St Johnstone and Motherwell respectively, Kilmarnock look short at the back although Kroca looks to be a big solid centre half and many fans will be pleased to see the return of Sissoko on loan from Udinese. Ada and Buijs appear to be getting to grips with the SPL and reports suggest that Ada may leave, just over a month after joining, as he is not suited to Kilmarnock’s style of play. Stynes and Winchester appear to be signings for the future and possibly won’t feature much for the first team this season. Kilmarnock reportedly have at least one player, Mark de Man, on trial and may sign him in the next few days.

Motherwell

IN: Tim Clancy; Omar Daley; Nicky Devlin; Michael Higdon; Nicky Law

OUT: Esteban Casagolda; Angelis Charalambous; Gavin Gunning (end of loan); Steven Howarth (loan); Francis Jeffers; Steve Jones; Ross McKinnon (loan); Maurice Ross; John Sutton

Tim Clancy is a versatile player and can play anywhere along the back line so should provide good depth to Stuart McCall’s side. Michael Higdon has a big task ahead of him to fill John Sutton’s boots, but he is a good player with a good scoring record from last season. Motherwell had hoped to re-sign Gavin Gunning but he opted to join Dundee United. Nicky Law has started his Motherwell career in excellent fashion and may prove to be a great signing. Nicky Devlin appears to be have been signed with the future in mind, although Motherwell are a club with a reputation for giving younger players first team opportunities.

Rangers

IN: Kyle Bartley (loan); Alejandro Bedoya; Carlos Bocanegra; Dorin Goian; Matt McKay; Juan Manuel Ortiz; Lee Wallace

OUT: James Beattie; Madjid Bougherra; Archie Campbell; El-Hadji Diouf (end of loan); John Fleck (loan); Richard Foster (end of loan); Kyle Hutton (loan); Andrew Little (loan); Vladimir Weiss (end of loan)

Rangers perhaps haven’t made the sort of signings the fans would have expected following reports that Craig Whyte would be providing a high degree of transfer funds. Lee Wallace is a good young Scottish player but Rangers perhaps paid over the odds at £1.5m for him. Goian and Bocanegra bring with them a lot of experience but Ortiz is yet to impress the Rangers support. Kyle Bartley provides decent cover as he can play in defence and midfield, but still seems to be learning the game and at times can be a little petulant. Looking at the signings it would appear that Rangers have bought what some would call squad players, and not the kind of players who can make an impact on the first choice eleven. Hutton and Little will benefit from their loan experiences as will John Fleck, who was tipped for stardom but never made a great impact. Hopefully a good loan spell will get his development back on track. Holding on to Nikica Jelavic and Steven Davis will please the fans, but not the bank. Reports suggest Rangers rejected a last minute £9m bid for Jelavic from an unnamed English premier league side. The degree of truth in these reports however remains to be seen as, financially, Rangers are not in a position that they could turn this kind of money down.

St Johnstone

IN: Callum Davidson; Carl Finnigan; Willie Gibson (loan); Marcus Haber; Sean Higgins; Alan Mannus; David McCracken; David Robertson; Francisco Sandaza; Cillian Sheridan (loan); Frazer Wright

OUT: Scott Dobie; Michael Duberry; Danny Grainger; Danny Invincibile; Andy Jackson; Jonathan Lindsay; Peter MacDonald; Steven Milne; Jordan Robertson; Kevin Rutkiewicz; Colin Samuel; Graeme Smith; Cleveland Taylor

St Johnstone appear to have done some good business in this transfer window. The only notable losses seem to be Grainger and Duberry. St Johnstone’s biggest issue last season was a lack of goals but the signing of Sandaza may solve that problem. Sheridan and Gibson are capable of contributing goals also. Frazer Wright adds solidity to their defence and along with Callum Davidson provides good experience. Carl Finnigan looked a promising player at Falkirk and is still young so may yet develop further.

St Mirren

IN: Graham Carey; Ilias Haddad; Nigel Hasselbaink; Paul McGowan; Joe McKee (loan); Graeme Smith; Gary Teale; Jeroen Tesselaar; Steven Thompson

OUT: Garry Brady; Patrick Cregg; Craig Dargo; Paul Gallacher; Michael Higdon; Dominic Kennedy (loan); Sean Lynch; Jamie McKernon (loan); Paul McQuade; John Potter; Conor Ramsay; Jure Travner; Gareth Wardlaw

The Buddies have also done well in this summer’s transfer window. Securing a permanent deal for Paul McGowan was a great piece of business as he is a talented and creative player. The addition of Teale and Thompson should also excite the fans and Nigel Hasselbaink has started the season well. However St Mirren may miss the experience that was provided by John Potter, Paul Gallacher and Michael Higdon.