The ball is firmly in Barry Robson’s court now he has been confirmed as Aberdeen manager for the rest of the season.
The interim title has gone and in its place is a short-term contract.
If Barry can go on and lead the Dons back into Europe then surely a new long-term deal will be on his desk before the end of May.
That is testament to the job being done by Barry, his backroom staff and the players at Pittodrie.
I’m not surprised he has been given the role for the rest of the season and the appointment of Liam Fox to the backroom staff shows Barry has the club’s trust and more importantly the pieces are in place in the event his time in the dugout is extended.
Robson has done a remarkable rebuilding job
We should recognise just how far the Dons had fallen when Barry took over.
One win in 10, humiliated in the Scottish Cup by Darvel and walloped 5-0 and 6-0 by the two Edinburgh clubs in the league.
The size of the task at that point was monumental. Confidence was shot to pieces and the club was dropping like a stone down the Premiership table.
Fast forward seven matches and Barry has led the team to five wins and put the club firmly in the race for Europe again.
Things are going so well the club could even secure a top six place this weekend if results go their way.
A win against Kilmarnock at Pittodrie coupled with either Livingston or Hibernian failing to win their respective matches this weekend means the Dons will be playing in the top six after the split.
That’s quite the turnaround in such a short space of time, but it is no less than the club – and the manager – deserve for the work they have put in.
Saturday’s 1-0 win at St Johnstone was a poor display, but, despite being nowhere near their best, the Dons dug deep to grind out a win at McDiarmid Park.
It’s not something we have seen on the road very often in the last couple of years, so credit where it’s due. That’s back-to-back away victories and four wins in a row.
That is the level of consistency you need to show if you want to play European football next season.
Aberdeen building momentum when it matters most
Momentum is a big thing in football and as far as the race for third place is concerned, it is all firmly in Aberdeen’s favour now.
Hearts and Hibs, who looked to be pulling away from the Dons, are flailing now and part of the reason for that is the pressure coming from Pittodrie.
Credit to St Mirren, too, for forcing their way into the race. It’s been a great effort from Stephen Robinson’s side.
The Edinburgh rivals were coasting, but now the Dons and the Buddies are asking questions of them both and testing their credentials.
If the two Edinburgh clubs don’t come up with some answers soon, they could find themselves out of the top four altogether.
The trials and tribulations of the two teams in Auld Reekie is not something for Aberdeen to worry about, of course.
There was little sympathy for the Dons two months ago when their season was in danger or unravelling – only sniggering from football fans.
But the way things are going, the Dons support could have the last laugh here – and Barry might have a new long-term job, too.
County’s need for points has become vital
It has become clear the post-split fixtures will determine Ross County’s fate, but the Staggies badly need to get a result in their three remaining matches before the split.
I wasn’t expecting Malky Mackay’s side to take anything from their home game against Celtic on Sunday purely based on the fact nobody has been able to halt the green machine in recent months.
They didn’t threaten the Hoops backline, although Malky will be pleased at how well his players did to restrict Ange Postecoglou’s side in the 2-0 loss.
As debuts go, it was quite the occasion for Dylan Smith to make his debut in, but I thought the teenager did well in central defence.
At the age of 16, he became the youngest County player to play in the Premiership, but he justified his inclusion with an assured display.
Plucky 2-0 defeats are still defeats and they can ill-afford another one this weekend at St Johnstone.
The game at McDiarmid Park is a winnable game for County, who then welcome Aberdeen to Dingwall before completing their regular season fixtures against an out-of-sorts Hearts at Tynecastle.
A couple of wins from those three fixtures would do County’s hopes of staying up the world of good – but to win matches, the team is going to need to find some scoring boots.
Since the World Cup break, County have played 15 games and failed to score in eight of them. That run needs to end now.
The fairytale comeback is still on for Caley Thistle
The next week is pivotal for Caley Thistle as they try to force their way back into the play-off race in the Championship.
Saturday’s 2-1 win at Morton was another big result for Billy Dodds and his players and I was thrilled to see David Carson emerge as the unlikely matchwinner.
I’m a fan of Carson, who seems to give his all no matter where he is played. He’s a manager’s dream, given he seems to go about his business no matter what role he is asked to perform.
But game-winning goalscorer is not one he has done too often for Inverness.
Caley Thistle’s hopes remain alive, but they still have it all to do as they try to make up a six-point gap on fourth-placed Partick Thistle.
Caley Jags have a game in hand, which is next week against Arbroath at Caledonian Stadium – but before then they have another home match against Raith Rovers on Saturday.
Six points out of six is absolutely vital for my old club, but whether six games is enough to complete this late rally remains to be seen.
Credit where it’s due, though, they’ve remained focused on their league campaign when it would have been easy to take their eye of the ball ahead of the Scottish Cup semi-final at the end of the month.
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