Having being beaten by Hamilton and Falkirk for the first time in years, and beaten by ICT for the first time ever, the Dons narrowly avoided losing to St Mirren for the first time in a good few years (ok, not even a decade, but still a long time!) on Tuesday. Tommy Wright's first league goal saved a point, as well as the blushes of Mackie, Miller and Aluko who had all missed good chances earlier, not to mention Zander and Mair who were at fault for St Mirren's earlier goal.

However, Motherwell's equally-bad defending means we are now 8 points behind Hearts, although only 3 behind Dundee United, who before Tuesday seemed to be finding it as hard as us to win games.

I previously thought that if we finished February "in touch" with Hearts and Utd, we would be in with a great shout of 3rd. However, I didn't think the wins in 2009 would be at Kilmarnock and home to Celtic. Losing to Hamilton and Falkirk wasn't on the agenda, nor was drawing with St Mirren and Killie at home.

Just like the English title race, Hearts are catchable, but while they look like winning games, Aberdeen and Dundee Utd have managed 1 win between them in their last 6 games each. I say this every month I know, but this month will be crucial - Hamilton at home then Hibs away before the break for the Scotland game. Given Hibs' form of late, 6 points has to be the target.

Anyway, enough about the league - the Scottish Cup will be a pleasant distraction on Saturday, or so I hope. A quick look at Dunfermline's team tells us they have plenty SPL experience, and enough to cause us a few problems. Almost 6,000 Dandies will hopefully roar the team to victory, but with Miller and MacDonald (anyone else notice how we've stopped winning since he's been out of the team?) it won't be easy.

A win and a good draw in the semis and we have a great chance of making the final. In case anyone was in any doubt, a defeat is absolutely unthinkable. The horror show that was Queen of the South is still in the back of everyone's mind, with recent cup displays against Killie, Dundee Utd and even Queens Park also blighting Calderwood's record.

We are not firing on all cylinders in the league, and at this point don't look like catching Dundee Utd, let alone Hearts. The Cup could yet be our most realistic route into Europe. A defeat against Dunfermline is not even one for contemplation. The fans, the club, the team, and most of all Calderwood need it too much.

Having being beaten by Hamilton and Falkirk for the first time in years, and beaten by ICT for the first time ever, the Dons narrowly avoided losing to St Mirren for the first time in a good few years (ok, not even a decade, but still a long time!) on Tuesday. Tommy Wright's first league goal saved a point, as well as the blushes of Mackie, Miller and Aluko who had all missed good chances earlier, not to mention Zander and Mair who were at fault for St Mirren's earlier goal.

However, Motherwell's equally-bad defending means we are now 8 points behind Hearts, although only 3 behind Dundee United, who before Tuesday seemed to be finding it as hard as us to win games.

I previously thought that if we finished February "in touch" with Hearts and Utd, we would be in with a great shout of 3rd. However, I didn't think the wins in 2009 would be at Kilmarnock and home to Celtic. Losing to Hamilton and Falkirk wasn't on the agenda, nor was drawing with St Mirren and Killie at home.

Just like the English title race, Hearts are catchable, but while they look like winning games, Aberdeen and Dundee Utd have managed 1 win between them in their last 6 games each. I say this every month I know, but this month will be crucial - Hamilton at home then Hibs away before the break for the Scotland game. Given Hibs' form of late, 6 points has to be the target.

Anyway, enough about the league - the Scottish Cup will be a pleasant distraction on Saturday, or so I hope. A quick look at Dunfermline's team tells us they have plenty SPL experience, and enough to cause us a few problems. Almost 6,000 Dandies will hopefully roar the team to victory, but with Miller and MacDonald (anyone else notice how we've stopped winning since he's been out of the team?) it won't be easy.

A win and a good draw in the semis and we have a great chance of making the final. In case anyone was in any doubt, a defeat is absolutely unthinkable. The horror show that was Queen of the South is still in the back of everyone's mind, with recent cup displays against Killie, Dundee Utd and even Queens Park also blighting Calderwood's record.

We are not firing on all cylinders in the league, and at this point don't look like catching Dundee Utd, let alone Hearts. The Cup could yet be our most realistic route into Europe. A defeat against Dunfermline is not even one for contemplation. The fans, the club, the team, and most of all Calderwood need it too much.

Well, it wasn't the first "double" over the Old Firm since the 80s, but 4 points from a possible 6 is a good return for any team, and blew the prospect of a pointless January out of the water.

If we're honest, both games could have gone either way, but it was pleasing to see the team show a bit of resolve and notch two good results. That being said, it is important to keep things in perspective - our closest rivals for third spot, Hearts and Dundee United, have both proved adept at taking points of the Old Firm this season. While many will think that the "big" games have now passed, there are two even bigger ones coming up in February.

However, a win at Falkirk on Saturday will set February up nicely, with the month surely being kicked off with a home win against East Fife in the Scottish Cup. It is always difficult to know which Falkirk side will turn up, but we rarely have easy games against them. Hopefully the confidence has returned and Seve and Zander can continue their solid form at the back, as I certainly fancy us to nick at least one goal. All Dons fans will also be looking forward to the return of Jamie Smith who, on form, is terrific to watch.

Finally, I noticed Jimmy Calderwood's recent comments about the comments at the start of the season being hard to take. I can see both sides of the coin here...JC must take a lot of credit for our European run last season, and everyone got some fantastic memories. However, there is no manager in the SPL who will not be criticised if their team lose at home to ICT and Hamilton in consecutive weeks, aside from some of the performances at Pittodrie which were lacklustre to say the least. And while Europe is still fresh in everyone's mind, so is Queen of the South. The team are playing better, and I would say the majority of fans are behind JC - so let's move on and look forward to the rest of the season with confidence.

After a pleasing few games, the winning run came to an end in disappointing fashion last Saturday at Hamilton. It was not a pleasant afternoon, and not just because Hamilton were not prepared for the large Dons support who filtered into a temporary stand shortly after kick-off. While the players were suffering with flu earlier in the week, we looked second best for large parts of the match, and after going behind it was going to be very difficult to come back.

The usual indignation which follows defeats to "smaller" clubs was tempered by the fact that the players have done well of late, particularly in the previous two games against ICT and Hearts, where on both occasions 3 points were thoroughly deserved.

However, it is going to be a difficult month in the SPL. Kilmarnock away next week is not a trip to relish, then Celtic and Rangers come to Pittodrie in successive weeks, neither of whom can afford to slip up. Both are there for the taking, of course, and Hearts and Dundee United have played both recently and not lost. Given our recent home league record against Celtic, a point would be an excellent result. At the end of the month, a tricky trip to Falkirk awaits to complete a month after which, if we are still a few points off third, we will be doing well enough.

Finally, win or bust this weekend...a Scottish Cup tie at Alloa. The words "banana skin" are written all over this one, and the press up here have shown some signs of concern. In practice, the players should be delighted to get the chance to knock it about on a plastic pitch instead of enjoying a trip to, say, Ochilview. A massive Dons support will travel again, and will expect a comfortable win...with Queens Park and Queen of the South still very fresh in the memory. Jimmy Calderwood survived those two humiliating defeats, but with the season finely balanced between being a success or failure, and the dismal League Cup showing, a Scottish Cup run is hugely important.

Whatever happens, we must be in the hat on Sunday.

Luckily, the bus was sitting on the forecourt at Pittodrie when the news came through about the cancellation at Rugby Park, unlike the Northern Lights supporters club who were virtually there, having left at 7.30am. All that needs to be said about the cancellation has been said, but it still confuses me how both Kilmarnock and Motherwell can both have heating problems. It is also difficult to understand why, when the pitch was clearly unplayable (as Sandy Clark deemed it to be) that an announcement couldn't have been made earlier.

Nonetheless, despite slipping down the table after Hibs' creditable and somewhat bizarre victory against Celtic, we are hanging in there in the top six - nothing to shout about, but something to build on at least. And with a home game against a poor Falkirk side coming up, we should be aiming for another three points.

However, for the next couple of weeks we will be missing the man that has made it happen for us recently, one Sone Aluko. While he isn't exactly winning matches on his own, he's been the outstanding player in the side lately, and is probably the most entertaining player at Pittodrie since Hicham Zerouali. The next two games (Falkirk and Inverness CT) will prove a test of what we can do without him.

And although questions about all areas of the team still persist, we are getting better gradually. Aluko's form aside, Miller has been excellent and merited his Scotland call-up, Mark Kerr was MOTM against Motherwell and for the first time this season is starting to look the part, Gary McDonald is improving and even Jeffrey De Visscher looked promising when he came on as sub.

Whether that says more about us or Motherwell remains to be seen, but the Christmas period is likely to define our season. With Falkirk, ICT, Hearts at home and Hamilton, a return of 10 points is certainly achievable. If we can win these games, we will undoubtedly make up ground on Dundee Utd, who face both halves of the Old Firm in a very difficult month. However, our following two league games are against Rangers and Celtic, and although both are at home, six points would be a big ask.

Last season, we gave ourselves too much to do in the race for Europe, and Motherwell deservedly got third place. This season, we must take points from the type of games we face over Christmas to make sure the same thing doesn't happen again.

When Hibs beat us at Pittodrie earlier this season, few would bet that when we went down to Easter Road a few weeks later (anyone else find the fixture list bizarre this year?) we would be above them. However, three points against St Mirren and here we are.

Firstly, let's get the Dundee Utd game out of the way. While we deserved at least a point on play and chances, we gifted them a two-goal start and had Feeney not contrived to miss from 7 yards, it would have been three. It was almost a glorious fightback, but Mackie was unlucky to start his run too early. But for defensive errors, it might have been a very memorable day at Tannadice (where we are due a win) but the story of the season continues.

Next up were St Mirren, and I have yet to see a more inept outfit in the SPL this season. The conditions didn't help, but we were very poor. Nonetheless, we still managed to win thanks to a Considine strike which the keeper might have done better with and a cool Aluko finish.

Now for Hibs...the glorious unpredictability of the SPL means that it's hard to predict a winner, but we needn't go there with any fear. If the defence can keep Fletcher and Riordan quiet and avoid the costly errors which have plagued our season, Aluko, Mackie and Miller will cause them problems. They have lost their last couple of games, and if the crowd start getting on their backs, the pressure might begin to tell on them, as it has on us at Pittodrie recently.

A win at Easter Road, and we might start believing we can get something next weekend at Ibrox...

The Dons are now seven points from nine after winning a game they just shaded. The game was a snapshot of a typical Aberdeen win this season - long periods of being second best, nicking a goal and defending resolutely with the fans biting their nails until the final whistle.

The opening period of the game was a reminder of why a number of Aberdeen fans are sceptical about the current management. A team put together with little or no resources played us off the park with some excellent football, while we failed to string two passes together. Mehdi Taouil and David Fernandez were brilliant to watch, and we were chasing shadows. However, after the first 20 minutes, we began to find our feet and Miller missed an excellent chance shortly before half time.

For all Calderwood is criticised for tactics, credit must go to his second half switch. Miller ploughed a lone furrow through the middle, Mackie pulled right and Aluko left. This allowed Aluko in particular to stretch the Killie defence, and keep their full backs on the back foot. It was no surprise when Aluko scored, audaciously taking on a shot from a tight angle. His good form since his return north has definitely deserved a goal, as he's been by far our most entertaining player...addmittedly not something which has been too difficult.

After that, nerves set in and although the team defended diligently, it was nerve-racking to watch, particularly when Donovan Simmons smacked one off the underside of the bar. In fairness, though, Killie had few other chances despite their increased possession and territorial advantage. While it was great to win, 40 minutes of watching us sit deeper and deeper doesn't make for a pleasant afternoon, and it is no surprise that we haven't beaten a team by more than one goal this season.

Next weekend is the acid test of whether we're back to form...United away. This fixture has been traumatic in the last few years, save for a brilliant cup comeback a few years ago. Last season United beat us in the last minute, thrashed us in the other game at Tannadice when Langfield smacked it off Hunt and we missed a pen, and embarrassed us at Tynecastle. The usual big support will travel south, and an overdue win would demonstrate our credentials for third place.

What a difference two games can make. Calderwood was on the footballing equivalent of death row before the Falkirk game, a win and a draw later and he's on probation, despite some media mischief-making on Saturday. Despite the club's fervent backing of the manager, two defeats and a bottom placing going into November would have tried the patience of most supporters.

Firstly, it was a rather bizarre story that JC would be getting sacked the Monday after the Hearts game, having won at Falkirk and with the potential to win at Tynecastle. Normally sackings are preceded by abject hammerings, rather than two good results on the bounce. Nonetheless, the story had no foundation, to the frustration, it has to be said, of at least 50% of the Aberdeen support.

However, performances and results have been a little more positive lately. The first half at Falkirk was utterly dreadful (for which the team selection was certainly to blame), but when Aluko came on in the second half we looked a different side. Falkirk had their chances, of course, but we got the little bit of luck we've been missing for most of the season when Lovell inexplicably scooped the ball over the bar. The team sitting back for the last half hour was not pretty, but with JC under so much pressure, the need for 3 points over-rode the need to entertain.

Against Hearts we looked a bit better as well, with Seve back in the middle. It was a great game, and full marks to the linesman at the end. It is all very well saying a referee shouldn't change his decision, but when it is clearly incorrect, of course it should be reversed. Michael Stewart's explanation on Setanta, that he "anticipated contact" fooled absolutely no-one...he took a dive of the sort at Mikoliunas would have been pilloried for. Justice was done, and a deserved point went back up the road.

Next thing is to sort out our home form. One point out of a possible fifteen means that Kilmarnock will be confident of getting something on Saturday, but we badly need a home victory. With Seve, Aluko, Miller and Mackie firing on all cylinders, it's more than possible. Three points and we're right back in the mix before heading for a difficult game at Tannadice. In Cald we trust!

On Saturday I found myself at Hampden for Scotland's qualifier with Norway, which produced the most unbelievable miss, amongst other disappointment.

While this should really be a Dons blog, I've been extremely disappointed with some of the coverage given to Scotland after the game, particularly in view of the Kris Boyd saga.

Firstly, almost all the comments I've seen have been entirely pro-Boyd, anti-Burley. A number of people have called for Burley to get sacked. After three competitive games, of which we have lost one. Yes, Scotland never started in the first half (similar to Macedonia), McFadden was isolated etc etc, but I can't fathom why a support who gave so much time to Berti Vogts' mediocrity seem intent on disposing of Burley (who was the best manager in the country a few seasons ago) after a few games. Had Iwelumo put the ball in the net, he might have been hailed as a genius.

Next, Kris Boyd. The media have built him into some sort of talisman...but I can't honestly remember when he last scored for Scotland. His scoring record is undoubtedly excellent for both club and country, but I don't think Burley should be criticised for picking the form players. After all, Iwelumo has an excellent record this season, whereas Boyd has been used sporadically by Rangers - and Daniel Cousin was preferred against Celtic, despite wanting to leave the club.

Either way, it's unfortunate that Boyd has walked out. Despite an utterly horrific performance at Pittodrie earlier in the season, he's no doubt an excellent player, and he knows where the goal is. However, he has made his choice, and when Burley goes, which will hopefully be later rather than sooner, he should not automatically think he can walk back into the squad.

Incidentally, I wonder if the reaction would have been a player had criticised Walter Smith and walked out. Somewhat different I would imagine.

Anyway, back to club duty this weekend, and the Dandies have a tricky trip to Falkirk. We have a good record against the Bairns, but we had a good one against Hamilton and ICT until this season as well. A defeat will leave us rooted to the bottom, which will increase the pressure on Jimmy Calderwood (who must have been delighted with a week's respite). We should have a full squad, so there is no excuse for not turning in a performance.

Bottom of the league, having lost five on the bounce…could it be any worse?

Well, it could be. The performance on Saturday was slightly encouraging, in that we definitely didn’t deserve to lose. Mackie and Miller looked a bit better together, Seve looked assured in the middle of the park, Mark Kerr did well for the goal and Aluko was good in the first half. There were a good few fans applauding the players off, which says a lot in the circumstances.

Then the downsides…we gave away far too many chances, and Hibs could have killed the game before Miller scored the equaliser. And the second half, when we should have gone for the kill, ended up a bit of a damp squib with our most creative player, Aluko, being starved of the ball. We are also gifting goals with our defending.

So what now? Well Calderwood will not be going for the foreseeable future, and I think giving him more time is the correct decision…for now. The games this season have been so marginal that we could have won or lost any of them, and a combination of bad luck and (more often) mistakes have cost us. Thinking back to last season, we weren’t playing much better than we did on Saturday, but we managed to grind out the results. A win or a break might yet kick-start the season.

That being said, even the most ardent Calderwood fan would agree that any manager who loses five games in a row, in any league, will be under pressure. We have Falkirk away and Hearts away in our next two games. Two defeats would see us rock bottom with seven straight defeats, with (almost) one round of fixtures played. There are a lot of arguments for and against the management of Jimmy Calderwood, but the league table will ultimately be the most compelling.