Malky Mackay believes there has been precious little between the bulk of Premiership teams so far this season.
The Staggies sit fifth in the table after four games, and return to action at home to Livingston on Saturday following the international break.
County are back at Victoria Park, after defeating Kilmarnock 1-0 in their last outing at Rugby Park a fortnight ago.
Despite varying budgets across the league, Mackay feels it is still too early to predict how the league will look come the end of the campaign.
Mackay said: “I’ve always gone into matches wanting to win.
“You get the Old Firm games, where you have a puncher’s chance.
“For the rest of the league, whether it’s the third team or the 12th team, I have realised that there is no easy game.
“In reality, everybody is beating everybody at the moment.
“You look at the topsy-turvy nature of the results, and we are not many games in.
“But some clubs have invested and that’s not showing yet, while other clubs are coming up with some great results.
“I have no doubts that every game we go into is going to be really tough, and that starts on Saturday.”
Martindale has Livi punching above their weight
County defeated Livi 2-0 when the sides last met in Dingwall towards the end of last season, in what was a crucial result on their path to top-flight survival.
Mackay insists he is full of admiration for the job David Martindale has done at Almondvale, having been in charge since December 2020.
The Staggies boss added: “Davie’s the longest-serving manager in the league, just a wee bit in front of me.
“He is someone that punches above his weight in this division. They are organised, they are fit and they run hard.
“In a very respectful way, Davie has massively overachieved with that team on a regular basis, which shows in how tough they are to play against.
“It’s always a tough game between us, and I expect no quarter to be given again on Saturday.
“They have lost a couple, but they’ve got a reasonable structure that’s still there from last year.
“He runs a very tight ship, and they are like us in a certain way in that they have punched for a period of years in a league that a lot of people would be surprised that they’re in.
“I’m expecting a tough day up here.”
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