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Duncan Shearer: Championship title race heating up following Kilmarnock’s appointment of Derek McInnes

Kilmarnock boss Derek McInnes.
Kilmarnock boss Derek McInnes.

Kilmarnock have made a statement of intent in the pursuit of the Championship title with the appointment of Derek McInnes.

It is an impressive move by Killie in luring Derek to the second-tier, in what is his first job since leaving Aberdeen last March.

You can bet your bottom dollar Derek has taken that job having spoken to other chairmen in the nine months which have passed since he left Pittodrie.

I’m assuming in this case he has told Killie: “Yes, I will come, but I’m needing four or five players.”

He has been joined at Rugby Park by two trusted faces in Tony Docherty and Paul Sheerin.

The new era got off to a winning start with a 2-0 triumph at Queen of the South on Saturday. It puts Killie in a strong position, as they are now sitting two points off the top with a game in hand.

I think the pendulum has now swung in their favour in the title race, but they still have to do their business. There are still a lot of teams around them fighting for the title.

It’s an exciting league. I’m really enjoying the way it’s swinging to and fro.

Arbroath are putting their oars in as well, which has been fantastic for the division.

I would still like to see something from Caley Thistle in the January window. It’s going to be difficult, because you can see other teams adding to their squad already.

Caley Thistle boss Billy Dodds
Caley Thistle boss Billy Dodds

Billy Dodds is going to need every player he has got. I think they could do with another couple of faces, even if it’s loan players coming in to try and keep them in there.

Another of the teams in contention are Raith Rovers, who Caley Jags shared a 1-1 draw with at the weekend.

I was at the game. It was good, I really enjoyed it. And there is no doubt Raith had most of it in the first half.

Ethan Ross was a real standout for me. If he’s the kind of player Aberdeen are letting go, they must have some talent at Pittodrie. I thought he was the man of the match by a mile, and he scored a fantastic goal.

Billy made a tactical switch in the second half, and Inverness seemed to go man-for-man which turned out better for them.

It was still quite late before they got their equaliser. Reece McAlear came up with an equally good strike.

For Billy though, he will be looking for Inverness to win their home games. He will be disappointed they never got going in the first half, but they certainly finished the stronger.

They looked as if they would get the winner, but they never quite got there.

Polvara an exciting capture for Dons

Aberdeen have made their first move of the January window by drafting in American midfielder Dante Polvara.

Dante Polvara.

I said when Stephen Glass came in I was looking forward to seeing some new faces from his connections out in the States.

Very often you just see the same journeymen move between clubs, but Stephen will know a lot of players in America. It’s just whether they want to come to Scotland once they find out how cold it is.

They have already picked up a good one in Christian Ramirez, and it will be interesting to see how this boy gets on having come through the American college system.

He’s a big lad, which will be helpful in both boxes. He’s only 21, so I’m looking forward to seeing what kind of thing he will bring to Aberdeen.

As a club, Aberdeen have always made their players feel very welcome. They will make sure he gets settled in and has a place to stay.

He will get the platform all laid out for him – it’s just up to him to bring what he can.

The Dons have had time to clear up some of the injuries they have had. They will be looking forward to a big game to start with against Rangers next Tuesday.

They have been good at times and poor at times, although you could say the same for most of the teams so far.

Aberdeen manager Stephen Glass.

I expect Stephen to maybe add another couple before the end of January. It might be the case that he has been told he can get players in if he gets people out.

A lot of managers are told that if they can free up some wages. Whether players go depends on two things, it depends on the club and it depends on them.

If a player is sitting on a two-year contract but the manager doesn’t want them, they will have to come up with something that will entice them to go.

Ross County plotting new arrivals

Roy MacGregor has indicated he is willing to give Malky Mackay the funds he needs to strengthen Ross County’s squad this month.

Ross County chairman Roy MacGregor.

The Staggies chairman is keen to stretch Malky’s budget, to ensure he has a big enough squad to cope with any possible Covid-19 disruption.  

In the past I have watched it quite closely. If they have needed players in the January window, Roy has always gone out and made the funds available for the manager to get them.

They have lost a couple of quality players. Harry Clarke has left, along with young Alex Robertson, while Coll Donaldson has also gone to Dunfermline. I felt Coll started the season very well, but he hasn’t featured for a while.

Roy touched on Malky’s connections, which is great, but you still need to persuade players to come up for six months or however long it is.

Malky Mackay

It will be interesting – I will be watching that with bated breath. Malky will certainly need two or three more though.

Before the break they finished quite strongly. They are looking OK and, if they can add the right people, they will look to pick more points up and move away from the bottom of the league.