Preparing for one of the biggest games of the season, a match against Ross County on Saturday, the Dons players are training at Cormack Park, so it would be a pointless risk to replace interim manager Peter Leven.
If I were Aberdeen’s new manager, I would urge Leven to take over on Saturday and maintain a close eye on things. Aberdeen may be able to select a new manager this week.
At this late point, there is little to gain from interfering with the preparations.
There won’t be many surprises in either camp at this point because the Dons and Staggies are playing each other for the fourth time.
But like Don Cowie at County, Leven has spearheaded the planning and contributed to the dossier of information that the players require.
I can’t help but wonder what tangible difference a new voice might make right now.
It is sufficient to guarantee that the players will be alert if the Dons board appoints a new manager before the weekend.
I promise you, just knowing there’s a new supervisor you need to win over while standing on the sidelines will motivate you enough.
Leven deserves recognition.
Aberdeen is taking their time in searching for a long-term replacement because it is evident that the players are responding to Leven as well.
I was displeased with the circumstances that arose during Neil Warnock’s brief tenure in leadership and I was critical of his appointment from the beginning. For the club, it was hardly more than a publicity gimmick.
Leven has been trusted to right the ship again because the Dons were not in danger before he took charge.
However, it appears that he is doing just that, therefore I don’t believe the team will be overly concerned that there hasn’t been a new manager appointed yet.
Naturally, the players will be inquisitive, and you can count on them to call other players as soon as an appointment is set up so they can share their experiences working with the manager.
However, there shouldn’t be any worries that Pittodrie will become a distraction.
With players such as skipper Graeme Shinnie present in the Dons dressing room, the game on Saturday will undoubtedly take centre stage.
The Pittodrie match will be shaped by defence.
At Pittodrie, the two goal scorers that the opposing defences will need to silence are Simon Murray and Bojan Miovski.
Miovski hasn’t played well at his club level by his standards, but he’s back on track for North Macedonia in international play, so I anticipate him to come back to Pittodrie with a bounce in his step.
He will not be far from the goals, therefore County needs to make every effort to deny the Dons striker any playing time.
In regards to Murray, the Aberdeen defence is in the same boat.
With so much on the line, this match at Pittodrie has the potential to be really interesting. He has been a handful the entire season.
Aberdeen will fall deeper into the mud if County wins three points and defeats the Dons for the first time this season.
However, the home team is aware that victory in this match will put them in a position to escape the relegation zone.
The head-to-head matches that follow the split will be extremely important, but Aberdeen can truly close the gap with 11th position before the split by playing games against Livingston and Dundee.
Not enough draws for Caley Thistle
Duncan Ferguson, the manager of Caley Thistle, has limited time left to lead the team to safety in the Championship.
Billy Dodds was fired by Inverness after just five games of the Championship season, with one of the stated reasons being that the team shouldn’t be in that situation considering the calibre of the team.
Caley Jags were two points off the bottom of the table at the time.
With Duncan Ferguson’s arrival, they have climbed one spot since then, but they are still three points outside of safety.
The hard-fought 1-1 draw on Saturday at Dundee United was a valuable road point against the league leaders, but Queen’s Park’s victory at Ayr United has widened the gap.
It’s likely that Caley Thistle will trail Partick Thistle by four points when they meet on Saturday because the Honest Men are playing on Friday night in addition to having a game in hand.
At Caledonian Stadium, things are tight right now, and the manager is depending more and more on his team to put together a few victories.
Inverness desperately needs to turn around their dismal home record in the remaining games.
For now, though, all eyes are on Firhill and his attempts to stop Partick, who appear to be a strong contender for the Premiership play-offs.
