Willie Miller column: Aberdeen's strikers need to do more - but best bet might be January shake-up

Sam Cosgrove has scored only three times this season.

Aberdeen are struggling to score goals and, although the transfer window is open and they could bring somebody in, more needs to come from those already at Pittodrie.

None of the Dons strikers have been able to find the net consistently yet this campaign.

Every club wants to have a player at the top of the pitch who can be relied upon to score goals consistently – like Sam Cosgrove has done for the past two seasons.

Cosgrove missed the first couple of months of the season, but since then has scored three goals.

Curtis Main, who has also had some injury niggles has also found the net three times, while Ryan Edmondson and Marley Watkins both netted twice each before their loan spells ended this month.

Bruce Anderson has returned to Pittodrie following a loan stint at Ayr where he only scored twice.

Bruce Anderson is back at Aberdeen after a loan spell at Ayr.

From the five strikers the Reds have had available, it is a poor return and it is an area that will be concerning Derek McInnes.

The Dons manager has tried a number of number of things, whether it’s two playing in partnership, a sole striker and different numbers of players playing off the striker in support, to try to get the best out of them.

Aberdeen have good creativity within their squad and it’s about trying to find a way to bring the best out of the strikers.

But, at the same time, if the opportunity is there for Aberdeen to bring someone in during this window who might add that spark up front and bring that goalscoring touch, then they have to try to make it happen.

However, there is not a lot of those players available and the players already at the club need to contribute more.

Scott Wright seems destined to join Rangers and could leave Aberdeen this month or at the end of the season.

My opinion is that if the attacker has decided he wants to move on, then it would be better that a deal is done sooner rather than later.

A player swap deal has been mooted. Rangers could pay a fee or, with the Reds buying Ross McCrorie in the summer, a deal for Wright could be worked into that.

I would rather the clubs could agree a deal which suits both of them in this window.

Aberdeen should maybe ditch back three

Aberdeen’s Tommie Hoban is left dejected during the Ross County loss.

Derek McInnes may be tempted to move away from using a three-man defence.

For the majority of the season, Aberdeen’s back three has worked pretty well, but the question is does it restrict some of the creative players and what they contribute going forward?

In the Premiership, the Dons have conceded 24 goals in 22 games, which is OK return, but it’s not an outstanding performance.

When things are going like they have been in the league recently with a number of draws and not enough goals being scored, as well as four goals being conceded on Saturday, then McInnes may be tempted to change his formation.

It’s hard to tell if that will happen because in the majority of games from a defensive viewpoint the back three has worked well.

But recently Aberdeen haven’t been scoring enough goals and maybe the creative players could be more effective playing in front of a four-man defence.