I had hoped this column would be one where I could give my reaction to the appointment of the new Aberdeen manager, but after a frustrating week for all Dons fans, it would appear the wait will soon be over.
Names have popped up, rumours floated, but the word is that the deal will finally be done over the weekend.
Given the international break, it would have been the ideal time to announce the new man, but there were obviously last minute issues to be tied-up which will hopefully be resolved quickly.
With a massive game against Ross County a week today, time is of the essence if they hope the next incumbent will have any bearing on what looks likely to be a decisive encounter.
If things do not go to plan, it may of course be that Peter Leven will have to continue in the interim role, and given what he got out of the team last week at Motherwell, and in the 1-1 draw with Celtic during his earlier brief spell in charge, that might be no bad thing.
It would certainly be preferable to another poor appointment.
Dave Cormack has had much to ponder. We all know the history of his time in charge, we all know, like he does, that his credibility will suffer yet further if he gets it wrong again, so it made sense to take as much time as needed.
But only if he eventually lands the right man.
There have been so many stories about who that might be, and a lot of ill-informed speculation online. Right now, like most people, I have no idea which direction he will go, but I hope he has chosen a Scottish coach, or at least someone who knows and understands our game.
With Bernhard Peters and his consultancy group BPTC offering guidance, there have been strong suggestions the chairman would appoint a foreign manager, but I pray he does not go down that line.
That is an assessment based purely on the historical evidence of our game in Scotland.
There have been Continental imports who have enjoyed success in Scottish football, but those have been at Celtic and Rangers, where they had the biggest resources and best players, and at Hearts, under Valdas Ivanauskas and Paulo Sergio, at a time when the Tynecastle club were also making expensive signings.
Outwith those, I struggle to think of a foreign manager who has made a positive lasting impact here in Scotland, and the Dons’ one previous foray into that market, the ill-fated appointment of Ebbe Skovdahl, still gives me the shivers.
That is not to say it is impossible for that route to be a successful one, but past evidence certainly suggests it to be at best unlikely.
As of now, Stephen Robinson and Tony Docherty would be my top choices alongside Neil Lennon, but I have no knowledge of who Dave will turn to.
It would appear the waiting game will soon be over; I just hope he has finally got it right.
VAR improvements are essential
When the news was announced this week that Crawford Allan is to depart from his role as head of referees, it was accompanied by a statement from the Scottish FA that a review is to be carried out both into the job itself and how VAR is being implemented.
It is the latter that will be of most interest.
Crawford has had plenty stick over VAR, and as the man at the top has to be seen as partly culpable, but he should not be alone in bearing the brunt. He has been let down by those whose job it is to make calls after studying the footage, and he can hardly be blamed for the errors which have arisen on that front.
I would imagine he has been just as baffled by some of the decisions as the rest of us.
The SFA chief executive, Ian Maxwell, also said: “VAR processes need to improve”, an admission which has to be welcomed. It is to be hoped the governing body will ensure that will be the case next season.
