After a few weeks from hell, it has been a quieter period for Aberdeen in the past seven days.
The gloom was lifted by an impressive and comfortable victory over Motherwell, which halted the rot and put three much-needed points on the board.
That result allowed everyone to settle down just a little, and with no game this weekend, it has bought some time to take a deep breath, and reflect.
Caretaker manager Barry Robson has certainly found something in the players that was missing under Jim Goodwin.
There was more desire and fight apparent in the defeat against St Mirren, the loss down largely to the early sending-off of Ross McCrorie, and the display last Saturday was more along the lines of what should be expected from the current squad.
That has inevitably led to calls from some that Robson be given longer to prove his credentials for the job and it is a plan the chairman must be giving serious thought to.
Barry is universally respected, knows the club inside out, has worked at all levels and, since stepping into the hotseat, has spoken well in his interviews.
He has done so with a calm, reasoned air, does not seem in any way overawed by the task, and had the good sense to bring in an experienced coach, Steve Agnew, to work alongside him.
He is also a known quantity and someone the Dons fans seem generally to feel an affinity with.
On the face of it, putting Barry in charge until the summer seems to me to be an attractive and worthwhile proposition.
The season is not now going to change dramatically – out of both cup competitions, almost certainly now free of any relegation concerns and with third place realistically out of reach, the objective is clear: make the top six and qualify for Europe.
Whoever is in in the manager’s office, that should not be beyond this Aberdeen team and I would have thought Barry has as good a chance as anyone of achieving that.
I would definitely have him much higher on my list than some of the fanciful and much less appealing names doing the rounds.
Of those apparent “candidates”, the one that did stand out for me was Chris Wilder.
His was the first name mentioned to me following the Goodwin sacking, and I was led to believe feelers were put out to gauge his interest.
Chris seems to be a genuine football man, someone who loves the game and would bring a no-nonsense approach, and that is something the Dons would certainly have benefited from, but it would appear he is no longer a contender for the role.
Dave Cormack will be considering others.
It would make sense to weigh up the merits of as many potential replacements as possible as this is a huge decision, one he cannot afford to get wrong for a third time.
On balance, I would be tempted to go with Robson, at least until the end of the current campaign, but – thankfully – it is not my call to make.
Burrows could be a shrewd appointment as CEO
One appointment which was made public this week was that of Alan Burrows as the Dons’ new chief executive.
Having dealt with Alan over many years, I can say with some confidence this is excellent business by Dave Cormack.
I watched Alan throughout his development at Motherwell and he matured into a well-respected and highly impressive football administrator.
He will be a bridge between the chairman and the outside world, will be based locally and will be visible – he clearly fills a gap that needed addressing.
I have rarely seen such unanimously positive reaction to an announcement of this sort, but it is entirely understandable.
Alan has many qualities, which will be of huge importance to the club. He cares and that will come across. He is big on fan engagement and listening to supporters.
Dave has rightly been criticised for some of the decisions he has made, but he has got this one correct.
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