With off the field goings-on in Govan, Motherwell and Paisley seemingly dominating the back pages as the weekend started, wasn’t it refreshing to concentrate on all that’s good about Scottish football on the pitch at Tannadice on Saturday?
Attendances usually struggle at most clubs at this time of the year as Christmas shopping, cash issues or other demands compete with people’s attention, but the fact that Dundee United and Aberdeen managed a near sell-out crowd said it all about the attractiveness and the relevance of the New Firm fixture in this day and age.
So it’s maybe even more of a pity then that United didn’t turn up first half, leaving themselves with a mountain to climb after a lacklustre opening 45 minutes.
It was a great chance to lay down a marker, but credit has to go to Aberdeen for the way they started and effectively killed the game as a contest.
The Tangerines don’t have any time to feel sorry for themselves though.
The ability is most certainly there and Saturday can be put down as a bad day at the office.
But if they are to mount a serious challenge at the top of the table, they must surely now have to take something when Celtic come to town on Sunday.