The simplest part of this is the game against Raith Rovers on Wednesday night. The cups do provide an outlet for our ambition which is unlikely to be achieved in the league. However, while in recent years we have enjoyed a seeded position due our league finishes, even if we beat Raith we are liable to be given a tough tie in the next round. We want to concentrate on defeating Raith first but if the draw is unkind we will find it very hard to progress to the quarter finals. Should we get one of the teams at the lower end of the scale we'll have a great chance to start a run given our present form.
Probably of more importance is the closing of the transfer window on Friday. Our squad is clearly not up to standard as we will struggle if injuries hit. There is also, as we saw against
Graeme Smith sadly does not seem 100 per cent secure in his role and it seems a new arrival in this department is certain. Rab Douglas does seem the favourite to arrive and while he would have been a great signing a couple of years ago there is no guarantee he'll do the job now. He hasn't been playing so much recently and while he might do a job we could still have some goalkeeping issues.
The defence has been decent but the goals we have lost have mostly come from set pieces. Would an imposing centre back fix the problem? Possibly, but that would mean disrupting the back four we have and tall centre halves that fit in well don't grow on trees. The midfield could be strengthened, not only the left side, but across the park. Mensing may turn into a decent player but McGhee clearly doesn't trust him as a first team regular yet. Perhaps Stephen Hughes is the solution to our problem but it always pays to be wary about drawn out transfer sagas. Hughes seems to have had ample chance to come here before yet hasn't taken the move.
Will his heart really be in it if he comes or are we just the last chance to leave
In attack we have done reasonably well but with Porter taking time to adjust it seems clear we need a goalscorer. The loan move from Spurs seems to have fallen apart but, with us playing well, someone who finds the net regularly could push us over the edge from being decent to being good.
There is a lot of conjecture going around at the minute but McGhee has made soundbites before about bringing in new faces only to have us disappointed. If we are truly to make an impression on this season a successful week ahead will have a lot to do with that.