The simple answer is yes. We have made a good start but nothing more. Our squad is still thread bare and without McFadden we will lack a special bit of magic.
Before the Dundee United game, I was chatting to a mate about the match. He was going through all sorts of combinations for the United line up but my turn to talk lasted no more than thirty seconds. We had only eleven players that we would realistically start. We have only one player out injured at the minute – a situation which surely won't last - which means that we have a practical first team squad of around sixteen, a figure that includes our reserve goalie.
Will it be possible to survive with such a small squad? It depends. Injuries and suspensions will inevitably happen but it will be the timing of these that decides our fate. Partick Thistle are nine points behind us but they still have to play us three times. If we're missing even a couple of important players for two of these games the gap could be down to three points in no time at all. Alternatively if we manage to scrape out two wins against Thistle then we are almost as good as safe before we consider other games.
What does seem clear though is that there is a new backbone to the side. There is character which was missing last season that has enabled us to pick up four points from the last two games rather than the zero or one we would probably have gathered last year. It is impossible to convey the importance of this to our survival effort. Maybe this year won't be quite as up and down, maybe it won't be the same roller coaster.
But maybe we won't finish bottom of the table either.