It’s less than two months into the season and already the pressure is starting to build for those teams which have struggled in the early weeks of the campaign.
The spotlight, in particular, is shining on St Mirren and Ross County.
It is rare to see two sides make such disappointing starts in tandem with each other, and the pair are already falling behind their likely rivals to avoid 11th and 12th positions.
County, of course, blinked first and Derek Adams left the club.
Across his two spells in charge in Dingwall his record was nothing short of remarkable. Having guided that club through the divisions and established them in the top flight, all he did was raise expectation levels, and ultimately fell victim to that. Jim McIntyre has taken over the reins and will need to find his feet quickly if the season is not to become a long struggle for County.
While the Staggies are left to hope their decisive action pays dividends, some two hundred miles away in Paisley, St Mirren enlisted Tommy Craig as manager this summer.
Saints’ start had been pretty concerning – County had at least scored a few goals – and their firepower has been blunted by the prolonged injury absence of their top scorer in each of the past three seasons, Steven Thompson. The big striker has weighed in with 16 in each of those, and with him possibly out until Christmas, that’s a haul the Paisley outfit will find it difficult to find from elsewhere in the team.
They seemed to be playing well enough in patches, but defeats have a way of draining confidence, and last Friday, after a dreadful first half at Firhill, another loss beckoned. Then, out of nowhere, it all changed. Saints levelled, scored a penalty winner deep into stoppage time, and the dark clouds lifted a little.
Victory over Partick Thistle on Friday night has given Saints a little wriggle room, but Tommy knows better than anyone how fickle this game can be.
It is worth remembering that Danny Lennon made a similar start in 2013-14 – in fact the Paisley side are now better off than they were at this stage last season – and the club kept their faith in him, at least until the end of the campaign.
What Danny had was the cushion of the club’s memorable League Cup triumph, and that earned him breathing space, but that victory is fast becoming a fading memory, and if Tommy Craig is to be allowed to continue to try to revive Saints, he is going to have to rely on the here and now.
Much will depend on how they fare during a tough run of fixtures in the coming weeks, and whether Jim McIntyre can arrest County’s slide.
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