Unfortunately in football, as in life, you don’t get a second chance to make a first impression.
Scores on his debut? He’ll probably get 30 this season. Misses an open goal? A complete waste of money.
Football fans are notoriously quick to pass judgement on new signings.
There has been no shortage of players striving to make the right impression at Pittodrie over the first quarter of the season.
A busy summer of recruitment saw 13 new players arrive at the club and so far it has been a bit of a mixed bag.
Nicky Devlin was the first signing – and possibly the least heralded due to being a known quantity at Livingston and the move being accidentally revealed too soon by a picture that was leaked online.
But the 29-year-old defender has been one of the main transfer successes. Solid and dependable in defence, eager to support the attack when needed and flexible enough to play in a couple of different positions. His goal against Hacken in Sweden also helped win over the Red Army early on.
Slobodan Rubezic had a shaky start when he looked almost too eager to impress but has started to find his feet alongside Stefan Gartenmann and Richard Jensen, who both look shrewd acquisitions.
Leighton Clarkson was the marquee signing of the summer after the Dons pushed the boat out to land the midfielder from Liverpool following an impressive loan stint last season.
In recent weeks, Clarkson has been competing with Connor Barron for a starting spot in the team but the Dons will be confident he can be a key player this season.
Graeme Shinnie was another very familiar face who returned on a permanent deal following a loan spell – and a low risk signing as Barry Robson would have known exactly what the Dons captain brings to the club, both on and off the pitch.
New Zealand international James McGarry looked promising before he picked up a hamstring injury which will sideline him for the next month, while Ester Sokler looks an able deputy for Bojan Miovski and a goal threat waiting in the wings for his chance.
Jamie McGrath was a late addition following Ylber Ramadani’s unexpected departure to Lecce but he’s already proving his worth with a couple of goals, including one against Rangers in the 3-1 victory at Ibrox.
Of the others – Rhys Williams, Ross Doohan, Or Dadia and Pape Habib Gueye – we have probably seen too little of them on the pitch to make a fair judgement call.
Shield games offer chance to impress
Wednesday’s Aberdeenshire Shield match against Fraserburgh was a chance for some of those fringe players to get much needed game time and show Robson they are ready to contribute.
And what about the ones who got away?
Tonio Teklic could have been the big signing of the summer. The Croatian attacking midfielder was very close to coming to Pittodrie until Turkish side Trabzonspor pounced to sign the 24-year-old in a £1million deal.
He is yet to start a league game at his new club with four substitute appearances from eight matches so far.
Dutch defender Jay Idzes also looked destined for the Dons before opting for Venezia in Italy. He has played every minute and his team sit third in Serie B.
But for those who are at Pittodrie and still trying to show what they can do, last season’s player of the year Duk may be a good example of what can be achieved.
The Cape Verde international took a little while to settle into life in Scottish football following his move from Benfica and started only two of Aberdeen’s first nine league games.
But once he got up and running, there was no stopping him in the second half of the campaign.
