In the words of their chairman Roy McGregor, Ross County are the Iceland of Scottish football.

"330,000 people got to the quarter-final of the European Championships. We have 330,000 people in the Highlands, why can't Ross County do as well as Iceland?"

There are certainly comparisons to be made between the Staggies and the tiny island. While Iceland surprised everyone at Euro 2016, Dingwall has a population of just over 5,000 people and yet Ross County are reigning League Cup champions, finishing in the Scottish Premiership's top six last season. Overachievers, they are already.

But with such success comes a difficult existential question for Jim McIntyre's side - where they do they go from here? Can Ross County really rise any higher than they have already risen? Can they possibly finish higher than sixth place, especially with newly promoted Rangers expected to claim a place in the top six this season?

Indeed, there would appear to be a glass ceiling up against which the Staggies are already pushing hard. For McIntyre, this season might be about consolidating their position as the Scottish game's greatest overachievers and stringing together a good run in the Scottish Cup.

Although County have already suffered a set-back, exiting the League Cup at the group stage, meekly conceding their title before the season has even hit its stride. That could benefit them in the league, but there is no doubting the failure to lodge a decent defence of their crown will have disappointed all at the club.

But if McIntyre can match the success of last season Ross County will have enjoyed another year of overachievement. But at what point does overachievement become the natural benchmark for a club that continually performs above expectations? Every year it's predicted that the Staggies' bubble will burst and every year it only seems to inflate further.

There's one thing the club will look to change this season, though. Too often in the past Ross County's squad has undergone drastic change from season to season. The pattern over the last few years has seen the Staggies overhaul their team in the January transfer window after a difficult start to the campaign, mounting a resurgence to finish strongly with their new names. This season, however, McIntyre is hoping consistency can see his team escape that trend.

County have largely managed to keep the same squad together over the summer, although McIntyre has one important position to fill. Australian midfielder Jackson Irvine was sold to Burton Albion after two impressive seasons in the Highlands, leaving a hole in the centre of the County side.

Stewart Murdoch has also left the Global Energy Stadium to sign for Dundee United as a free agent, but it is the loss of Irvine that stings most at Ross County this summer. McIntyre faces a tough task to replace the former Celtic man, even if he can still call upon Martin Woods and Ian McShane as his central midfield duo.

Much of McIntyre's efforts in the transfer market this summer have focused on his defensive ranks. Former Scotland international Jay McEveley has been signed from Sheffield United, with goalkeeper Aaron McCarey signed from Wolves and Christopher Routis also joining from Bradford City. County have also lured Dutch left-back Kenny van der Weg from NAC Breda as well as Slovakian right back Erik Cikos.

Andrew Davies will remain an integral figure for the Staggies. The English centre-back proved himself to be one of the best signings of last season, captaining the club to their most successful season on record. Strong and commanding at the back, Davies has very quickly become one of the most important figures at the Global Energy Stadium and a central pillar of McIntyre's side.

Liam Boyce has also become a defining figure for Ross County, with the Northern Irish striker netting 15 goals in 35 Premiership appearances last season (20 in all competitions). The 25-year-old will once again be the Staggies' frontman, leading the line and shouldering the goalscoring burden.

He will have help, however. Alex Schalk's name went down in Staggies folklore with his winning goal against Hibernian in last season's League Cup final, as the Dutchman impressed in the second half of the campaign. Brian Graham was also an astute signing from Dundee United, even if his goal tally for the season (five) wasn't quite as high as he would have liked.

County are well stocked in the attacking areas, with McIntyre primarily concerned with ensuring his new-look backline gels as quickly as possible. Their early exit from the League Cup means their Premiership preparations have been somewhat stunted, but that doesn't mean the Staggies can't underline their status as the Iceland of Scottish football this season.