Ross County assistant manager John Robertson insists there is ‘no magic wand’ as Staggies go in pursuit of Championship title
John Robertson is confident that Ross County have more than enough ability in their squad to challenge for the Championship title – even if the road will not be plain-sailing.
The Staggies assistant manager has seen the Dingwall outfit get off to a mixed start in the 2025/26 season.
Two wins, a defeat and a penalty shoot-out loss in the League Cup group stage was not enough for County to progress, while the opening day of the league campaign last weekend saw the Highlanders throw away a two-goal lead against Airdrieonians.
County return to Dingwall on Friday evening, taking on early pace-setters St Johnstone, who were also relegated from the Premiership at the end of last season.
Robertson, who has plenty of experience in the second tier, knows all too well that County were never going to win every single week.
He acknowledges that results so far will have been frustrating for supporters, but he remains confident that things will come good and the Staggies will be competing at the top end of the Championship this season.
“Last Saturday, we only had four players who were here last year, so we had seven new signings if we include Jay Henderson coming back from a season-long loan at Ayr,” Robertson reasoned.
“There will be hiccups and bumps in the road. There may not quite be the fluency that we saw immediately from the likes of Partick Thistle, who had three new signings in their line-up.
“There’s no magic wand. Sometimes you hit the ground running, sometimes it takes a wee bit longer, but it is all about finishing top of the pile after 36 games.
“That’s our target and it means picking up points and wins all over the country. We need to get back in the Premiership, no ifs and buts – no matter what it takes, we have to get there and there is no point dressing it up any other way.
“We’re frustrated from Saturday. We know we should have won, but we’ll be ready for Friday.”
While County were disappointed not to take all three points from Airdrie, next opponents St Johnstone were thrashing Partick Thistle 5-1 to kick off the season in style.
Perhaps even more concerning is that Partick defeated Ross County in the League Cup group stage 3-1 in Dingwall, but Robertson believes only slight tweaks are needed from last time out to get a positive result against the Perth Saints on Friday.
"We had a good video analysis session and looked over the 10-12 minutes when we conceded the two goals (against Airdrieonians),” he added.
"We showed the players the distances between the midfield, the defence and the forwards when we were under pressure and when we wrestled back momentum.
"We need to keep the shape of the team well and work the distances between the three units well, and defend as a team.
"We got a bit stretched and a bit bare, and Airdrie were able to play in the pockets to cause problems, but Ross Laidlaw only had a couple of saves to make in the match.
"The majority of the players did what they needed to do. We just didn't see the game out, which is the frustrating aspect.”