The real Aberdeen must stand up in the second half of the season – because so far they have been like Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde.
The first half of the campaign has been an unpredictable adventure where you are entering the unknown in what to expect from the Dons.
Aberdeen are a team who can go toe-to-toe with very good sides in Europe, yet some of their Premiership form has been hugely disappointing.
It has been so unpredictable and inconsistent in the first half of the campaign.
I can’t remember a season like it where you are not sure how Aberdeen are going to perform from one match to the next.
There have been some very high-quality performances and some depressingly low-quality performances.
That is not normal.
Usually you get a streak of good performances and a wee run of bad when things are not going well.
However, Aberdeen’s levels can change within a week when they are top level then very poor.
That was what happened when they crashed to a dismal 3-0 loss to St Mirren then beat Ross County by the same scoreline four days later.
The Premiership is all about consistency, so Aberdeen need to discover that when they return from the ongoing winter break.
When the team was assembled during the summer transfer window, my thoughts were that manager Barry Robson had built a strong squad.
The board backed the manager well during the summer window and the team is composed of some very good players.
There are creative players and a prolific striker in Bojan Miovski who can find the back of the net.
Summer signing Jamie McGrath is playing at a high level.
In midfield, there is Connor Barron and Leighton Clarkson, who are both very good, and there is also the gutsy courage of captain Graeme Shinnie.
There is no reason why this Aberdeen squad shouldn’t be up there competing to finish third this season.
That still has to be the ambition and I still think it is achievable.
However, Aberdeen need more performances like their games in Europe and the recent defeat of Ross County.
If the second half of the Premiership campaign can be consistently strong, then I still think third spot is on for Aberdeen.
You just have to look at how Aberdeen performed in Europe for evidence that the squad is strong.
They played to a very high standard against teams like Eintracht Frankfurt and PAOK, who have top-quality continental pedigrees.
They beat Eintracht Frankfurt 2-0 at Pittodrie and pushed the Bundesliga club hard in Germany when narrowly losing 2-1.
Against Group G winners PAOK, the Dons were 2-0 up only to lose 3-2 at Pittodrie and then they drew 2-2 in Greece.
Eintracht Frankfurt won the Europa League in 2022 and PAOK have a formidable record at home in Europe.
Yet the Dons more than held their own against them both home and away.
There have also been some strong performances in the league, such as the 3-1 defeat of Rangers at Ibrox.
However, there have been some really poor, disappointing performances in the Premiership.
That needed to be addressed and there needed to be an assessment that a lot of the league performances weren’t good enough. And also that a club like Aberdeen should not be in the bottom six. That they had to be better and I think that is where manager Robson reached towards the winter break – in particular with the loss to St Mirren at home which wasn’t good enough for a club like Aberdeen.
It was quite refreshing to hear Robson talk along those lines after the St Mirren loss.
The win at Ross County was the perfect way to call time on the first half of the season.
Aberdeen went into the Premiership winter break on a positive note.
Hopefully the Dons can consistently play to the form and quality they are capable of in the second half of the season.
No surprise Rhys Williams recalled
It was no surprise when Liverpool recalled centre-back Rhys Williams from his season long loan at Aberdeen.
Williams arrived at Pittodrie in the summer with a strong pedigree, having started in the Champions League group stages and Premier League for Liverpool.
However, he failed to play a single minute in the Premiership for the Dons.
The defender’s only game time was when starting the 2-1 Viaplay Cup defeat of Stirling Albion in August.
That is not good enough for any loan player, let alone someone from Liverpool.
There is no point in a player coming in on loan from a club like Liverpool and not getting games.
The whole idea of a club lending a player to another club is to get game time.
If that is not happening, then both clubs have to get together and make the decision.
The right decision was for the defender to return to Liverpool.
Now Williams is back at Anfield, he will perhaps be loaned out to another club who can maybe guarantee playing time.
The lack of game-time for Williams is also a nod to the quality of the central defenders at Aberdeen.
Stefan Gartenmann, Slobodan Rubezic and Richard Jensen have held those roles so far this season.
There is also Angus MacDonald, who has done well whenever he has come into the team.
I’m sure MacDonald will be looking at his future now as he is not getting a regular game.
MacDonald was a key first-team starter in the second half of last season and helped the Dons finish third in the Premiership.
Conversation