HEAVENLY DANCERS WILL HAVE TO WAIT

As stirringly sung by Iona Fyfe before kickoff, the northern lights of Aberdeen are where I long to be.

Over the past few days, four high-profile new recruits have come to the same conclusion, though sadly their yearning did not develop quickly enough for any to be on their way to their new home in time to help avert two August cup exits.

That the week’s wild transfer activity had the Red Army descending on Pittodrie brimming with optimism, rather than cursing the fact that the cavalry did not arrive until the European and League Cup battles were already lost, is a triumph of hope over despair.

But if the Dons are to continue to harness that goodwill, those new players will need to act fast.

Strange as it may seem to say it after a match which had the potential to send Aberdeen top of the league, there is a decent argument that they have not bested any of three of their targets for this hectic opening period of the season, and if the two cup exits are to be indulged in the longer term they cannot be seen to have been sacrifices on the altar of mere average Premiership performance.

The league fixture list has not been unkind to a busy Aberdeen, and they will be alert to the fact that, with bigger battles ahead, they have already conceded a points advantage not only to the defending champions but, perhaps more relevantly, to both Hearts and a strong Hibs.

There were certainly signs here that the components are generally aligned, but not quite clicked firmly into place as yet.

Like Michael Gove in a nightclub, there were plenty of interesting moves but limited likelihood of scoring. Where they may differ is that it has yet to be determined whether Aberdeen’s policy has virtue.