Tis the season of goodwill to all men and Mark Durnan insists that includes Dundee United teammate Ryan McGowan.
The pair indulged in a very public verbal clash a fortnight ago as the struggling Tangerines lost at home to Partick Thistle.
However, they quickly patched things up and were both in boss Mixu Paatelainen’s side that came so close to winning at Inverness last weekend before conceding a last-gasp equaliser.
Durnan believes there will be peace on earth – or the Tannadice turf at least – when they host Motherwell this afternoon.
He said: “Obviously, Ryan and I had a wee argument but that happens in football, even in training.
“Emotions can run high and something like that can get everyone fired up.
“Things can make you a wee bit angry, determined to do better and prove people wrong.
“It can be a good thing.
“The boys are emotional and we all just want to do the best we can for ourselves and the club.
“It can happen that you are trying too hard at times.
“That is when the manager and (assistant boss) Gordon Young are there to calm us down and tell us to relax and enjoy playing.
“They are there to tell you that things will come good if you don’t try to overdo it.
“Anyway, we kissed and made up just two minutes after it.”
The Tangerines are guaranteed to end 2015 at the bottom of the Premiership, sitting as they do seven points behind second-bottom Kilmarnock and 11 away from the Steelmen.
So it is perhaps understandable that Durnan hasn’t been studying the table.
Asked if he has taking a concerned peak at the league, Durnan insisted: “No, I am not interested in that.
“There is no point looking at it because it doesn’t look great.
“In saying that, we are not far off it because a couple of wins in this league and you are back in the mix, dragging other teams into it.
“The reality is that we are bottom of the league but we just have to keep working hard.
“The good thing is that we can do something about it.
“We can help ourselves.
“Every day when we come in the boys are all chirpy and cheery.
“We are just trying to take that into games and stay confident.
“We have been saying all season that we are due a break but I think we are getting there.
“We were so close to taking three points on Saturday against Inverness and we were so disappointed that we didn’t. Instead, we threw it away.
“I still think the point up there was important, though, because it’s another step forward.
“Hopefully, the break does come and maybe one week it will just happen for us.”
“We are improving as individuals and collectively.”
Durnan and his colleagues have been watching reruns of the draw at ICT – particularly the late goal they lost – in order to learn from thir mistakes.
The former Queen of the South man added: ”We have been working on that most days and also doing video analysis.
“So we get to see when and how things happen in a match.
“If you do well then great and if you don’t do well then you take it on the chin and learn from it.
“Sometimes watching the videos isn’t nice but you have to learn as a player.
“Everybody makes mistakes but when you go in and the manager shows you what you did wrong then you know how to cope if it happens in another game.
“I think most of us have had our turns this season but the important thing is showing that you have learned from it.”
Well were one of the clubs interested in signing Durnan in the summer before he chose to join the Tangerines.
He has been impressed by today’s opponents, particularly their 2-1 victory over Celtic last weekend.
“I watched that match and Motherwell played very well and made good use of their wingers.
“We are confident in ourselves, though, that we can give Motherwell a game when they come here.”
As for the what-might-have-been given the Steelmen’s interest in him, Durnan added: “I just think it was more attractive to come to United.
“They have obviously been a top-six side in recent years and were very successful on the pitch, getting to cup finals and such.
“United are a very big club in Scotland and that was what attracted me.”