Ross County: Guide to 2015-16 season

A profile of Ross County as part of a comprehensive guide to the 12 top-flight teams ahead of the 2015-16 Scottish Premiership season.

Ross County have discovered perennial survival instincts since their promotion in 2012 but had to dig deep to preserve their Scottish Premiership status last season.

Four straight losses at the start of the campaign resulted in the harsh dismissal of boss Derek Adams – who in two spells since 2007 had guided the club from the Second Division to a recognised top-flight club with a Scottish Cup final in between.

The arrival of experienced former Dunfermline boss Jim McIntyre from Queen of the South initially failed to stop the rot as County were condemned to seven successive defeats before getting off the mark against Dundee in September.

Inconsistency remained throughout the autumn with results primarily alternating between draws and defeats with the Staggies suffering the longest winless run of any top-flight side in 2014-15 consisting of 11 games.

But an influx of January arrivals, including ex-Swindon striker Raffaele de Vita and centre-back Abdoulaye Meite, heralded a turning point and brought a fresh outlook to the side which yielded eight wins in an unbeaten nine-game spell.

The impressive turnaround earned McIntyre recognition in the shape of back-to-back manager of the month awards in February and March and clinched safety for the Dingwall men when situated in a perilous position during which an 11th placed finish seemed inevitable for several months.

After pipping Kilmarnock to ninth place on the final day, McIntyre immediately began his summer recruitment drive gearing up for his first full campaign in charge with 12 new faces ahead of their league opener at the home of the champions.

And, as the Staggies prepare for their fourth successive top-flight season, they will be desperate to be assured of Premiership football at the Global Energy Arena for another year as quickly as possible so they can have another crack at finishing in the top six for only the second time.

ROSS COUNTY:

Learning curve: The former Queen of the South is still stamping his own blueprint on County since replacing Derek Adams last September (Picture from Sky Sports)

Manager: Jim McIntyre Assistant Manager: Billy Dodds Captain: Andrew Davies (Defender) Chairman: Roy MacGregor Star Player: Liam Boyce (Striker) 2014-15 player of the season: Liam Boyce (Striker)

Stadium: The Global Energy Arena (Dingwall) Capacity: 6,541 2014-15 Average Attendance: 4,700 This is the second smallest stadium currently in the Scottish Premiership Last season's league finish: 9th (Won 12, Drawn 8, Lost 18 - 44 points) Last season's goals for/against: 46/63

Possible line-up:

Players out:

Darren Barr (to Dumbarton, free transfer) Richard Brittain (to Brora Rangers, free transfer) Mark Brown (to Dumbarton, free transfer) Cameron Burgess (to Fulham, end of loan spell) Joe Cardle (to Dunfermline, free transfer) Graham Carey (to Plymouth Argyle, free transfer) Terry Dunfield (released) Benedict Frempah (released) Jake Jervis (to Plymouth Argyle, free transfer) Filip Kiss (to Cardiff City, free transfer) Abdoulaye Meite (released) Ruben Palazuelos (released) Steven Saunders (released) Darvydas Sernas (to Zalgiris Vilnius, free transfer) Martin Woods (to Shrewsbury Town, free transfer) Paul Quinn (to Aberdeen, free transfer) Antonio Reguero (to Hibernian, free transfer)

Signings in:

Brian Graham (from Dundee United, free transfer) Ian McShane (from Queen of the South, undisclosed fee) Michael Gardyne (from Dundee United, free transfer) Scott Fox (from Partick Thistle, free transfer) Darren Holden (from Hartlepool United, free transfer) Stewart Murdoch (from Fleetwood Town, free transfer) Jonathan Franks (from Hartlepool United, free transfer) Richard Foster (from Rangers, free transfer) Chris Robertson (from Port Vale, free transfer) Andrew Davies (from Bradford City, free transfer) Jackson Irvine (from Celtic, free transfer) Dan Bachmann (from Stoke City, season-long loan)