Crisis, what crisis?

The loss of so many stupid dropped points in the previous weeks could well come back to haunt us but it must be acknowledged that we are not the only team to have gone through poor phases this season. St Mirren, Inverness, Falkirk, Hibs and even earlier on, Dundee United, had spells of not knowing where they could get a win. While we do not want to compare ourselves to some clubs in that list, it is clear the SPL is so tight it is possible to go on a losing run all too easily.

The return of Craigan and Clarkson has been a huge boost and in a way it both vindicates and damns Mark McGhee. He suggested we needed our full eleven fit and while that is definitely true if we are wanting to be challenging for third, it is surely his responsibility to ensure the squad can deal with a couple of injuries without descending into a relegation battle.

With that in mind, it makes this January crucial. We have replaced like for like with reserve 'keepers and being linked to a player like Cowie is a good sign. It would be a positive, ambitious move should we get him but doesn't smack of the delusional approaches to Kennedy and Webster this summer. If we can hold Porter, if we can bring in two or three new faces and if we can keep the squad fit - three huge ifs - then we could yet have a good season.

After all, despite the debacle of the last few weeks we are only three points off the top six and that is a gap we can conceivably make up. With the top four and possibly even top five making Europe, being on sixth place or better after 33 games is absolutely crucial. Aberdeen showed what can be done last season. The cup will surely last at least until the next round, even if we have to battle against Inverurie, so there is reason for optimism there as well.

The last weeks almost strangled any chance we had of enjoying a successful season. The next three will decide whether or not we can recover.