I’ve no doubt Aberdeen and Barry Robson will feel an opportunity has been missed following their League Cup final defeat to Rangers.
The Dons made a fist of it at Hampden and were competitive to the very end, but ultimately, when it comes to scoring a goal, the Dons rarely threatened.
There was no lack of effort or intent from Dons manager Barry Robson.
He went with two up-top in Bojan Miovski and Ester Sokler and his two wing-backs Jonny Hayes and Nicky Devlin played high up the pitch.
Miovski is Aberdeen’s main man, but the Dons just could not get the ball to him in a position where he could be the threat they needed, and he was well marshalled by the Rangers defence.
In contrast, if you were to look at the Rangers team and identify their biggest goal threat, then James Tavernier would be top of the list for me.
Tavernier’s return from right-back is astonishing. His critics have questioned his defensive work at times, but his contribution in terms of goals and assists as a defender has been outstanding.
Knowing all that, I’m at a loss at how he came to be totally unmarked at the back post from Borna Barisic’s cross for the only goal of the game.
One moment of switching off, one ball into the box and one loose moment of not picking up an opponent was all it took for the Dons’ cup final hopes to be extinguished.
Late push was too little too late for the Dons
I can understand Barry’s view that the fact Rangers were trying to hit the ball into the corner shows the pressure Aberdeen were putting on them in pursuit of an equaliser.
But I wanted to see that sort of pressure being applied in the first half, not the last 10 minutes.
It all felt too little, too late for me.
Losing a final is always a huge disappointment and it’s not something you get over quickly.
But Barry has shown he is capable of delivering what the fans demand of him at Aberdeen.
Celtic and Rangers’ financial muscle is such that no other club is going to win the title anytime soon without some significant investment.
As a result, there are only two trophies up for grabs every season – the League Cup and the Scottish Cup.
The third prize is a place in the group stage of European football.
Barry delivered group stage football in Europe and guided his team to a cup final. He is doing pretty well considering he has not yet had a full year in management yet.
Premiership must take priority at Pittodrie now
But with Europe done and dusted, and the League Cup campaign now concluded, it is firmly back to league business for the next few weeks and it is vital the Dons put a winning run together.
I’m not talking about two wins, a draw then a defeat – I’m looking for runs of five or six wins in a row.
The upcoming run of games before the winter break are all winnable matches on paper for Aberdeen.
But the Dons boss is going to need all of his players focused on picking up as many points as possible from the final five games before the break.
The first priority is to get back into the top six.
The second priority is closing the gap on third-placed Hearts – which currently stands at 10 points, although Aberdeen have two games in hand.
Does Derek Adams stand by his post-match comments?
Had it not been cup final weekend then the dominant story in Scottish football would undoubtedly have been Derek Adams’ astonishing post-match comments following Ross County’s 1-0 defeat by Dundee.
With Caley Thistle also at home on Saturday I made the trip to Caledonian Stadium so I missed all the drama in Dingwall.
When I finally heard Derek lambast the standard he has watched since coming back to Scotland, and then claim his former club Morecambe’s standard is 100 times better in League Two in England, I was stunned.
I thought my eyes were going to pop out of my head.
I know Derek well enough to say hello in passing and little more than that, but I wonder if some of his comments were emotion getting the better of him.
In a week where all three Scottish teams enjoyed victories in Europe, I struggle to believe clubs in League Two in England are capable of that.
Adams’ rant was like Fergie in his pomp
There were shades of Sir Alex Ferguson’s infamous post-match rant at Hampden in 1983, after the Dons had won the Scottish Cup, about it all.
Fergie savaged his side just days after they had beaten Real Madrid to win the European Cup Winners’ Cup final in Gothenburg, declaring Willie Miller and Alex McLeish had won the cup for Aberdeen that day.
The Staggies boss is a man well versed in Scottish football and would have known what he was coming back to after returning for a third spell in charge.
I’ve also seen some great games involving County since he returned to the club, so I’m struggling to find agreement with him on this.
Derek is never shy of telling anyone what he thinks and it is nothing to new to hear him express strong opinions.
At times, it sounded as if it was his own team and Dundee he was criticising.
At other points, it seemed to be a general complaint about Scottish football as a whole.
Having had time to reflect, I’d be interested to know if he still stands by everything he said now, though.
New manager bounce has worn off at Caley Thistle
It is back to the drawing board for Caley Thistle again after a really tough week.
Losses to Greenock Morton and Arbroath mean it is three defeats in the last four for Duncan Ferguson.
The new Caley Jags boss has not minced his words, insisting his side remain firmly in a fight for survival in the Championship.
Back-to-back defeats to their rivals at the bottom of the table would reinforce that view.
Jim McIntyre’s Arbroath were worth their win on Saturday, too. They played the more intricate football and had the better chances in the game.
That new manager bounce has worn off in the last two weeks and it is up to Inverness to respond now – starting with a huge game at Partick Thistle on Saturday.
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