So fresh from Motherwell, now we’re off to Aberdeen and this non-stop cycle of must-win matches continues.
And it is exciting stuff, because for the first time this season we can look at the squad – even without injuries – and know we’ve got the resources to get through it.
The team is playing great football, the fans are buzzing and we look forward to every game.
Yesterday I had the pleasure of talking to both Ange and Callum McGregor, and I asked the captain if he and the manager have discussed rotating him, because although it’s great to have him back in the team so soon – much sooner than we thought – he has probably played more games over the last few years than just about any player in the UK.
They haven’t discussed it, Callum said, but I suspect that we will see the captain drop out for a few matches as the campaign wears on, and I really don’t expect him to play in the Scottish Cup against Raith Rovers next midweek.
His is the area of the team where we are strongest, but we’ve got good options now all over the pitch, even in some of the problematic areas which have haunted us in days gone by, such as left back – where Taylor and Scales fight it out and Juranovic can play – and right back where we have two outstanding options.
This is a squad, at last, with quality in every position and backup footballers who you trust to step in and do a job for you.
That’s why we’re looking forward now to every match, because we know this is a strong side filled with talent.
That these are must-win games is great too, because we’re not, of course, the only people in that position … we are, however, the side on top, the side making the running, the side that our rivals have to keep up the pace with, and that’s a different kind of challenge and a different kind of pressure, and they haven’t had to face that in a long time.
I know we can handle the pressure … I wonder if they can.
Whereas our fans are genuinely up for every match, I know their fans view every coming game with fear.
That’s the difference … and it might be a big difference.
Spot on James, let’s see how long they’re hanging on for, I can see A/deen and Hibs giving them trouble home and away.
Re. your piece yesterday on the post-split fixtures was a real eye-opener and anyone who believes those fixtures, where so many of them, nearly all in fact, heavily favour sevco, well; anyone believing that is all computer generated is A FOOL. Maybe even a computer generated fool.
Such as the huge numbers would be, they’d make even Professor Brian Cox choke on his morning brew in disbelief.