Given recent announcements, the festive period is not going to be quite as demanding for Premiership clubs as had been planned, with the league going into cold storage after the Boxing Day fixtures.
It will be a time for everyone to recharge their batteries and prepare for the second half of the season.
It is fair to say it has been a disappointing campaign thus far for the Dons, but we should really have anticipated that as the new regime bedded in.
I would certainly think Stephen Glass considers himself a better manager now than he did when he took over at Pittodrie in the springtime. He has had to settle into the role, introduce what is a different style of play for those who were already at the club, and integrate the new faces, some of whom clearly have not adapted to the demands of being an Aberdeen player.
He got off to an encouraging start, but the team hit the buffers with the League Cup exit in Kirkcaldy, and the next two months were a nightmare.
A brief revival ended with three straight defeats, the Dons then rediscovered the winning touch, only to lose disappointingly at Easter Road. It is going to take a much improved second half of the season to make it an acceptable one, but the signs are still there that the squad can achieve that.
There is always a ‘crisis club’ in the Premiership – and the Dons claimed that mantle for a few weeks in the autumn. It has subsequently been handed over to two more surprise strugglers, Hibernian and St Johnstone.
Hibs blinked first with the outrageous sacking of Jack Ross and will now hope for a sustained run of better form under new boss Shaun Maloney, an intriguing appointment. There is an element of risk, but the former Scotland star has the right pedigree, clearly knows the game, and looks to have the potential to succeed.
The biggest shock has been seeing the Perth Saints at rock bottom. They have obviously missed two key players in Jason Kerr and Ali McCann, but that shouldn’t have seen them hit the drastic slump they have experienced.
Their biggest issue has been finding the net. That is by no means unique for the club – they have regularly been among the top-flight’s lowest scorers – but it has been even worse this time round, and the tally of 10 goals in 19 matches is quite frankly embarrassing.
Callum Davidson proved himself an excellent manager as he brought the club the season of their dreams in 2020-21, but he has a tough challenge ahead if he is to preserve Saints’ Premiership status. There are worse teams in the division, but that will count for nothing unless Callum can reverse his side’s slide.
It is no real surprise to see both Dundee and Ross County also embroiled in the basement battle. It was always going to be a difficult campaign for the Dens Park outfit as they adapted to life with the big boys again, while County, with Malky Mackay finding his feet back in club management, are pretty much where you would expect them to be.
Of the other clubs, St Mirren have underachieved given the players they have, Livingston have done a bit better than anticipated, and Motherwell have done considerably better, a fact reflected in two manager of the month awards for Graham Alexander.
Tam Courts has to date had an excellent first season as Dundee United manager, but Hearts have been the big success story, and have comfortably looked the third best team in the land. Robbie Neilson seems continually to have to prove himself to the fans – I have no idea why – but has done a superb job, and at times Hearts have been a joy to watch.
They were, however, never going to separate or overtake the Glasgow two, and recent results suggest both Rangers and Celtic will continue to stretch away from the pack. The goalless draw in Paisley was a hammer blow for Ange Postecoglou’s men, and they are going to require a strong transfer window if they are to make the tussle for the Premiership crown a hotly-contested one.
