There has been a lot of excitement after Neil Warnock’s arrival at Aberdeen was officially confirmed but I still have reservations over this appointment.
I’m surprised Aberdeen have gone down this route, I’m still struggling to understand the thinking behind it.
There are plenty of coaches who know Scottish football inside out and would be able to do what Aberdeen need them to do – which looks increasingly like staying away from the relegation zone first and foremost.
They aren’t going to get third place and even fourth place looks unlikely.
I’m surprised the Dons have decided to go for Warnock, who has never worked in Scottish football before, as a short-term fix.
I know the club are trying to buy themselves time until they find the person they want to appoint in the summer.
But if Warnock manages to put a few results together then the Dons fans will want him to stay for next season.
I know how passionate he is because I almost signed for him when he was the Notts County manager but I opted for Blackburn Rovers instead.
I expect he will be down at Hampden more often than he is at Pittodrie because of the way refereeing is up here with VAR also thrown into the mix.
He might find himself in a bit of trouble if decisions go against him.
It certainly isn’t going to be dull – but I don’t get it.
There was even an argument for leaving Peter Leven in charge after he managed to get a good 1-1 draw against Celtic at the weekend.
The squad is there. Some changes are required but Aberdeen have good enough players to be much higher up the league. We all saw that against Celtic.
The problem has been a complete lack of consistency this season.
They can play very well in one game and then badly in the next two or they are playing well in one half and poorly in the other.
The fans must be turning up at Pittodrie wondering which Aberdeen side is going to show up.
You never know what they are going to produce.
After tonight’s game against Rangers, four of Aberdeen’s next five games are at Pittodrie.
It is a chance for the new manager to build some momentum, although the Dons have tended to play better away from home this season.
I will be surprised if we see a completely different Aberdeen over the next few weeks. I expect we will see the same players making the same mistakes and a repeat of those inconsistent performances.
Deadline day has passed so he is going to have to work with the same group of players for the rest of the season.
Playing Rangers away from home is far from an ideal first game for Warnock.
I’m sure he would have preferred to be facing one of the weaker teams in the league at home.
Celtic could have been out of sight in the first half on Saturday but Aberdeen played really well in the second half to earn a point.
Hopefully Aberdeen can build on that and go on a run. Playing well for four games and badly in one would be a bit more acceptable but it has been so up and down with them this season.
Aberdeen are eight points behind fourth-place Kilmarnock with two games in hand.
The priority for Warnock and the players is to close that gap as quickly as possible.
It probably wouldn’t surprise me if Aberdeen were to get a draw or produce a good performance at Ibrox tonight and then struggle against Bonnyrigg Rose in the Scottish Cup this weekend.
That inconsistency has been the biggest issue this season and that is what Warnock and his coaching staff must address.
Worrying times for Staggies and ICT
It was disappointing weekend for Ross County and Caley Thistle who were beaten 1-0 at home by St Johnstone and Queen’s Park respectively.
Both teams were very busy in the January transfer window and it’s going to take time for these players to settle in.
County are clearly rebuilding and it is a dangerous time to do that when they are sitting second bottom in the table.
They have gone eight games without a victory so they need to start scoring goals and winning matches.
The game against Motherwell tonight would be the perfect place to start.
The last thing they want is for Livingston to start picking up results and then the pressure will really be on.
FULL TIME: ICTFC 0-1 Queen's Park pic.twitter.com/o4rDpiNwAZ
— Inverness Caledonian Thistle FC (@ICTFC) February 3, 2024
Caley Thistle lost some very experienced players during the transfer window with David Wotherspoon, David Carson and Sean Welsh all departing.
The biig worry for Duncan Ferguson has been their home form. They seem to play much better on the road.
Time is running out if they are going to make the play-offs and they are only a point above second bottom Queen’s Park.
They can take their mind off league business when they face Hibernian in the Scottish Cup this weekend but after that they need to start climbing the table or it will be a nervy end to the season.
