The painfully familiar feeling of European disappointment beset Scottish football once again on Thursday. Domestic matters resume on Saturday with four games and two more on Sunday. The nights are drawing in, so which teams can lift the sense of gloom?
A Saturday night sojourn to Dens Park ended in minor disappointment for Rangers last weekend, with their 2-1 lead short-lived. The 2-2 draw maintained a unbeaten run for Derek McInnes' side but brought an end to a sequence of seven straight wins. The real cost, though, was ground lost on Celtic, who opened up a four-point lead at the top by trouncing Hearts 7-1 on Sunday.
A long seven days later, Rangers are back at home to face promoted St Johnstone for the first time in 21 months with several players suffering from a sickness bug. The last time the Perth side visited, they were three down by the break and got one back in the second period, continuing a run of Ibrox losses to seven in a row. However, like Dundee, Saints have started the season well, sitting fifth.
Simo Valakari has managed three times against Rangers as St Johnstone boss and is still looking for his first point. Achieving such a feat on Saturday would not only bolster that positive start to the season, it would like cause further ripples in the still very early Scottish Premiership title race. Last weekend showed how the narrative about a manager or team can change with just one victory.
Stephen Robinson was criticised not only for Aberdeen's style of play but for just one victory in seven outings over 90 minutes - with the other being a penalty shootout defeat of Kilmarnock in the League Cup. Saturday's 3-1 win against St Mirren not only lifted the Northern Irishman's side above the visitors into seventh but also turned the stats around to a more positive three wins and only one defeat in their past six outings, albeit Robinson has yet to fully convince the Pittodrie faithful. Falkirk, meanwhile, were sitting second bottom with one win in eight outings until Saturday.
Lo and behold, a fine 2-1 win at Hibernian and John McGlynn's side can boast they have lost just once in five games as they move up to ninth. It also goes to show how an in-form striker can make that vital difference in what are often finely balanced match-ups outside the current top three. Podcast: Euro review & Scottish Premiership preview Falkirk's upturn in fortunes has coincided with Jacob Murrell, their 22-year-old summer arrival from DC United, scoring four times in his past five games - three in the latest two.
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