Reid relishes season with strongest squad

Aug 13 2009 by Andrew McGilvray, Hamilton Advertiser

AS he prepares to move into his fifth season in charge, Hamilton Accies boss Billy Reid reckons he’s got his strongest squad yet.

Pundits may have labelled Accies joint-favourites for the drop, along with Falkirk, but ‘Badger’ believes the strength and depth at New Douglas Park will prove a lot of people wrong.

Although Hamilton obviously lost midfield ace James McCarthy and left-back Brian Easton to Premiership sides Wigan and Burnley respectively, Reid believes the players he’s brought in this summer – Marvin Andrews, Izzy Iriekpen, Luis Rubiales, Marco and Flavio Paixao, James Wesolowski, David Louhoungou and John Paul Kissock – will make a major difference.

Reid won’t make any bold predictions, and never has before, but he won’t entertain the concept of ‘relegation’ unless he has no other option.

He said: “We’ll always be favourites for the drop and that was the case last year as well, but we proved people wrong.

“We know that we’re Hamilton Accies in the Premier League and we’re one of the smallest clubs, but that doesn’t always mean that you’re going to be at the bottom of the league.

“I don’t set any predictions for a season, I never do, because you can fall flat on your face – but while people have us down again as favourites for relegation I won’t use that word because I don’t think we have to.”

Reid added: “There are major changes at the club this summer, I think everybody can see that.

“We’ve brought some new players in and people say it will take time to gel, but I don’t think so – I think they’ll be ready to go and I’m hopeful that we’ll show that at Kilmarnock on Saturday.

“I think by the time we assemble the squad this will be the strongest I’ve worked with at Hamilton and I’ve got confidence in the players I’ve brought to the club.

“We’re stronger at the back after adding Andrews and Iriekpen, and in the middle of the park we’ve added Louhoungou and Wesolowski – who I’m a big admirer of – and the two twins, Marco and Flavio Paixao, are in up front as well now.

“I look at the middle of the park with Alex Neil, James McArthur, James Wesolowski, Simon Mensing and John Paul Kissock, and that’s as strong as it’s been.

“The twins give us a bit of flair up front, Richard Offiong is still here at the moment, and at the back we’ve got two goalkeepers who are outstanding.

“With Trent McClenahan and Luis Rubiales I’ll have two excellent full-backs, and four centre-backs are vying for two places, so it’s really strong at the back and right through the spine of our team, which is really healthy.”

Injuries will rob Accies of captain Alex Neil until Christmas, while young left-back James Gibson is out for the season.

On top of that, defender Mark McLaughlin is suspended for the first two games of the season against Kilmarnock and Aberdeen, while midfielder McArthur and defender Martin Canning are both banned for the Rugby Park opener.

That leaves Hamilton with a weakened line-up until their third game... a visit to face champions Rangers at Ibrox.

Reid commented: “We won’t have our full squad – apart from Alex and James Gibson – assembled until we’ve got Rangers at Ibrox, which is probably one of our biggest tests.

“It’s frustrating and disappointing that we don’t actually start with a full squad, but we’ve picked up suspensions, we must adhere to that, and we’ll just get on with it.”