Chick Young on the SPL

It is game on in Scotland as the Premier League action gets underway.

BBC Sport Online gave you the chance to quiz BBC Scotland's Chick Young on the season ahead.

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Scotland's football fanatics can revel in the fact that the start of the SPL season is only days away.

With more old Firm classics and relegation battles to enjoy and despair, the man in the SPL know is BBC Scotland's very own Chick Young.

Chick answered your questions on the forthcoming SPL season.

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Paul, Glasgow

Given the distinct lack of transfer activity at Parkhead in the close season, do you think that Celtic will dominate this season as they did the last, and how do you think they will fare in the Champions League?

To take the second part of the question first, they've been given a very tough European draw against Ajax. I do think that Martin O'Neill is a very shrewd character, and although has not had the success in the transfer market he would have liked this summer, they are capable of beating Ajax. Ajax are not the mighty force they once were and Celtic have a good chance of beating them. O'Neill will continue to look for players and continue to demand money from chairman Dermot Desmond, and I think that they will continue to sign new players.

A club of Celtic's stature should be capable of competing even for people like Sol Campbell. O'Neill wants Celtic to be in the marketplace when like him become available. They're a huge club, they play to 60,000 fans every week, and they should be expected to compete in the European arena. I don't think they'll dominate in the way they did last year. I think they'll face a much more ferocious challenge from Rangers, who've been stung badly by the failure of last year. I also think that if Celtic can achieve the form the form of last year, and Rangers make an early exit from Europe, then Dick Advocaat could be on his way out of Ibrox by Christmas.

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Ryan, Glasgow

Rangers were well behind Celtic last season, yet they've only made only three signings and have lost their best player in Giovanni Van Bronkhurst. Have they got a chance of winning the SPL?

Of course they've got a chance. Genuinely there are only two teams that do have a chance and Rangers are obviously one of them. I agree that they've lost their best player in Van Bronkhurst, and they¿ve also lost Jorg Albertz - a hugely influential player. In Rangers' game against Maribor last week we saw a good partnership between Claudio Caniggia and Tore Andre Flo.

Don't under-rate what Flo can achieve this season. I think he'll get an awful lot of goals for Rangers. Celtic depended heavily on Henrik Larsson last season, and if Flo can get over 30 goals it will make an awful lot of difference to what Rangers can achieve. Caniggia looks good and they've got Latapy who is an excellent player. So I wouldn't be as pessimistic as some Rangers fans seem to be. I think by Christmas time we'll know exactly how the season will really unfold.

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Gordon, Edinburgh

Hibernian surprised many with their success in the SPL last season. Do you think they can mount a similar, or even stronger challenge this time around?

If you look back at the teams that have challenged the Old Firm in recent seasons (i.e. Kilmarnock and Hearts) they seem to collapse the season after. That's what Hibs have to look out for. They¿ve signed a couple of good players but I was disappointed that they couldn't hang onto Mark Libbre who looked to me like an outstanding player when he came on loan last season. They've also lost Latapy and Paatelainen, so they wouldn¿t be my tip to finish third again. But I certainly think they'll finish in the top six.

I think that Hearts will be up there challenging the Old Firm this season, and I think the surprise package might be Dundee United. They narrowly escaped relegation last season, but I think Alex Smith is buying very shrewdly. He's putting together a lot of young Scottish talent, and I think that they could come in and surprise a lot of people.

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Doug, Glasgow

How do you think Livingston will fare this season? They must be among the favourites for a quick return to Division One, but I think they have enough experienced players in the squad to survive. Do you agree?

Yes I do. I think they're buying their way through, which is the only way to do it. It's a big money game and that's why Rangers and Celtic are so successful. Livingston have spent a lot of money on players. They've bought in a couple of experienced players and I think they will survive. I think they looked at St Mirren last season, who for me, were as good as any of the seven clubs above them even though they went down.

St Mirren didn't bring anyone in last season but Livingston have, and I think they will be good enough to stay up, and finish in a very respectable position. They've got a good management team and although they¿re in new territory, the likes of Davie Hay (ex-Celtic) and John Robertson (ex-Hearts) will provide experienced management.

They've bought in 17 players so far, and some might say that they'll have trouble gelling together. But they're 17 players of SPL quality. They've got experience and they've been over the course, so I think they'll do well.

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Sheila, Dunfermline

Which teams do you think will struggle in the SPL this season?

If you take three or four of the top teams out then I think anything can happen. I think St Johnstone and Motherwell might struggle this season. They could be in relegation trouble by the end of the season. I think there's too much uncertainty about these clubs and we're getting the wrong vibes out of them. But really, anyone outside of Celtic, Rangers, Hibs, Hearts, Dundee and Dundee United could involved in the dogfight.

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Simon, London

How do you think it worked with the league splitting in two last season?

I think people were far too critical early on. I wasn't sure it was a great idea to begin but I think it worked quite well. It certainly made the bottom half more interesting. St Mirren made a late charge and nearly saved themselves at the end. I don't think that excitement would have happened if St Mirren had to play Celtic or Rangers.

The teams at the bottom were paying teams of their own standard and it was really interesting there. The league title was a foregone conclusion so it wasn't as exciting at the top, but it made for excitement in the bottom half. So I don't think it was a bad thing at all, although I think we should just have an SPL made up of 16 teams. That wont happen now because Rangers and Celtic have different agendas.

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David, Scotland

Do you think that gates at the rest of Scottish football and especially the SPL will be seriously affected with the Rangers-Celtic games being live on television at 1pm on Saturday afternoon?

I don't think that will make a difference. I think the hard core supporters will always go to the Old Firm games, so I don't think it will really have much of an impact.

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Iain Macadie, Scotland

Can Scotland's international team possibly improve with the old firm and arguably the best teams after them (Hibs, Hearts, Killie) buying abroad. Rangers' first choice striker Dodds couldn't get a game against Maribor! What's the answer? Do we need to bring younger players through more effectively?

Spot on. The starting eleven that Rangers put out in Slovenia didn't have on Scot in the side, and there are very few young players coming through. People who criticise Craig Brown should look at the job he's trying to do an the tools he has for that job. It's very difficult when the top clubs are not bringing through any young talent. Admittedly both Barry Ferguson and Neil McCann came on for Rangers, but Scotland really are struggling for a striker. If Craig Brown gets them to Japan and Korea then he should be given a Knighthood!

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Alistair, London

Given that the chairmen of both Celtic and Rangers have given their public support to the idea of the Old Firm joining the English Premiership, do you think this is now inevitable? What effect do you think this will have - both on the old firm and the Scottish Premiership? I don't think it's inevitable but I think it's odds-on. Rangers and Celtic have their own agendas, and they're huge clubs by any standard. If they were to join the Premiership I believe that it would be split into a Premiership One and Two, with Rangers and Celtic starting in Premiership Two. If that happens I can see them alongside Manchester United within ten years. They would be able to build even bigger stadia and attract more players, so we're looking at a different agenda.

My worry would be what happens to the Scottish game they leave behind. Rangers and Celtic have said for years that they would never leave Scottish football because of their concern for the Scottish game. That concern has obviously been blown away. Scottish football willl drift into the backwater, and I don't believe it will be good for the clubs they leave behind.

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John, Livingstone

Rangers chairman David Murray has talked about the Old Firm playing in the English league and playing reserve sides in the SPL. What effect do you think this would have on the SPL?

If Rangers and Celtic go I don't think they should have reserve teams here. You make your bed and lie it. If you're going to go then go, but don't concern yourself with putting reserve teams in the SPL. You let the rest of them get on with it and find their own level. I just don't think that level will be very high.

History dictates that Rangers and Celtic became as big as they did through reasons that were nothing to do with football, although in the last few years they've done a lot to try and knock it down. The money was invested, they became huge football clubs, and they stand were they are today because of their religious backgrounds. They've reached the stature they are, and now they have to decide which way they want to go. It's easy for the people in charge of Celtic and Rangers to say that they're the giants, but they should remember why they are and what history made it that way.

It's a sad indictment of life in Scotland if the old Firm play their reserve teams in the SPL. I'm a Glaswegian and I'm terribly proud of what Rangers and Celtic have achieved. Anywhere you go in the world most people have heard of them, which is a tremendous thing foe Scotland, and they can build themselves up internationally the way that Man Utd have. But I think there's something sad about the idea of them keeping Scotland ticking over with just a reserve team. I don't like the idea of that.