I do not expect Ross McCrorie to be the only new arrival at Aberdeen in the next couple of weeks.
McCrorie’s move to Pittodrie, initially on loan from Rangers, but with a view to making the deal permanent next summer, is a sign Dons chairman Dave Cormack is ready to loosen the purse strings at the club.
Despite McCrorie’s move to the Dons, I expect at least one other new arrival at the club imminently as there is still a huge gaping hole where a striker is needed.
Ryan Edmondson’s return to Leeds United has left Aberdeen manager Derek McInnes with the same striker problem he had prior to his arrival from Elland Road three weeks ago as Sam Cosgrove and Curtis Main are sidelined.
There have been suggestions Lewis Ferguson is going to be deployed as a striker, which would explain why someone like McCrorie is of particular interest to the Dons boss, as he can play midfield, central defence or right back.
It doesn’t take a rocket scientist to look at his versatility and see how important it is going to be in the short term, with the eight players who breached protocol two weeks ago with their visit to a city centre bar facing an anxious wait to learn what disciplinary action will be taken by the SFA.
The eight players – Matty Kennedy, Cosgrove, Mikey Devlin, Craig Bryson, Bruce Anderson, Jonny Hayes, Scott McKenna and Dylan McGeouch – will learn their fate on August 28 and I will be astounded if some sort of suspension is not handed out by the SFA.
SFA chief executive Ian Maxwell left me in no doubt at the weekend that one more breach, no matter how minor, is going to lead to Scottish football being put back into cold storage.
The Scottish Government will be expecting the Dons players and Celtic’s Boli Bolingoli to be made examples of and that is why I expect the SFA to come down on them all like a tonne of bricks.
The message sent out is going to be loud and clear in the hope it serves as a deterrent. There are major repercussions for not following the protocols.
The length of the ban is the key part, though, and if Anderson does join Cosgrove and Main in the stand it leaves Derek with next to no options up front. Niall McGinn could play there, but he will more likely be needed out wide in the absence of Hayes and Kennedy.
That’s why, as pleased as I am to see the Dons get another player on board, I can’t see McCrorie being the only new face.
It might not happen in time for Thursday’s trip to St Johnstone, but I would be astounded if a new forward is not here by the time Premiership action resumes after the September international break.
Five subs rule is excessive
I fear this five substitute rule in Scottish football could do more harm than good.
I was at Dingwall on Saturday to watch Dundee United beat Ross County 2-1 and I couldn’t help but feel the new sub rule hindered County.
The Staggies played reasonably well, but not well enough to deserve to win the game, but it was the number of changes which left a lasting impression on me.
County made five substitutions in the space of 20 minutes and players were juggled about all over the place to try to accommodate the changes. I fear it complicated matters and it certainly disrupted the flow of the game.
Far be it from me to tell Stuart Kettlewell how to do his job, but Ross Stewart played in three different positions in the second half and it was due to the changes made.
I had a quick check as the five subs got me thinking about the other matches in the league and the next highest club was County’s opponents, who made four changes at Victoria Park.
St Mirren made one change ,while it was the usual two or three from the other teams in the Premiership.
Changing half a team seems excessive for me and, while I understand the rule was brought in this season due the coronavirus pandemic and the long break for players, I think we should revisit this rule and switch back to three subs.