Aberdeen will be nervously looking over their shoulder at the teams below them slowly closing the gap in the Scottish Premiership.
Saturday’s 2-1 defeat at Livingston was another sore one for the Dons and, with Ross County and St Mirren also winning, it has become really congested in the bottom half of the table.
Aberdeen have slipped out of the top six and now find themselves level with Livi and Saints, with the 10th-placed Staggies just three points behind.
Clearly this is a worrying time for the Dons and I am not surprised they are feeling nervous about their predicament.
Aberdeen boss Stephen Glass did not miss his team in his post-match comments, accusing his players of not being as good as they think they are.
It’s a barb which will cut to the bone in the Pittodrie dressing room and I’m not sure if that’s the wording I would use.
I doubt there are any players at the club thinking the club is in good shape at the moment and the second goal they conceded on Saturday emphasises that perfectly.
It was terrible defending all round with Ross McCrorie caught out of position, while Calvin Ramsay, who can see the run being made by Livingston’s Alan Forrest, opts to appeal for offside rather than come across to cover for his team-mate.
The goal they conceded was as predictable as it was avoidable and, while Aberdeen’s response was decent, there is no point starting to play when you are 2-0 down.
You need to show that urgency from the first whistle.
The failure to get a striker in to help Christian Ramirez has also been clear to see with the American starved of any meaningful service.
He got the goal to give the Dons a lifeline, but it was the only opportunity he had in the game.
Stephen is still looking for free agents, but that will be a tough task at this time of the season.
Saturday’s loss leaves the Dons facing yet another pivotal week in their season.
League leaders Celtic are coming to Pittodrie tomorrow and they will arrive with a spring in their step after beating Rangers and Motherwell comfortably in the last week.
Following the league game, the Dons travel to Fir Park in the Scottish Cup to face a Well team which was lucky to get away with only a 4-0 home loss to the Hoops on Sunday.
It has become one of the biggest games of Aberdeen’s season, but given my old club has only won twice on the road domestically all season, I’d be lying if I said I was feeling confident about it.
Ross County have become top six contenders
The contrast between Aberdeen and Ross County could not be starker, with the Staggies continuing to close the gap on the teams above them in the league.
At this point, I wouldn’t be surprised to see Malky Mackay’s side make a late push for a top six place, such is the form they are in.
I look at Motherwell, Dundee United, Hibernian and Aberdeen and see four teams displaying no consistency at all.
If was in charge at Livingston, St Mirren or County, I’d be believing a place in the top six is a realistic target.
I’m pleased for Malky. He has stuck to his principles all season and found a balance to his team.
He also has the added benefit of being able to call on two outstanding wide players in Joseph Hungbo and Regan Charles-Cook.
They were both on the scoresheet in Saturday’s 2-1 win at Dundee, but it is their defensive work which has really impressed me this season.
The 3-3 draw with Rangers showed how important a quality that is for the team as Charles-Cook did a better job defensively on Gers captain James Tavernier than he did in trying to contain the County winger.
Scoring goals and creating chances is important, but so too is the other side of the game and the willingness of these two in particular to track back and put a shift in defensively has meant they’ve become key performers for the Staggies.
Caley Jags in need of inspiration and momentum
Caley Thistle need to rediscover the knack of scoring goals as their promotion bid threatens to stall completely.
Saturday’s home loss to Morton was a sore one to take for Billy Dodds and his players and it is vital they get back to winning ways after a poor run.
It feels as if Caley Jags have lost momentum in recent weeks and they face a tough task in trying to get their season going again.
They are still in third place in the Championship, but they have work to do as they trail Arbroath by six points, having played a game more than Dick Campbell’s men.
I said before the window opened I was hoping to see a couple of experienced players brought in during January, but instead it is four young players who have arrived, and three of them are on loan.
Three of them – Austin Samuels, Logan Chalmers and Sam Pearson – started on Saturday, but Samuels was the only one who really stood out. The other two had quiet afternoons.
It’s tough trying to slot so many new faces into a team at this stage of the season, but with a rested Partick visiting Caledonian Stadium tomorrow, it is imperative Inverness find some of the fluidity which has been lacking in their game in recent matches.
