It was nothing they hadn’t planned for, but two of our Scottish flag-bearers kicked off their European campaigns with mixed fortunes on Thursday night.

Aberdeen grabbed an away goal before being held to a 1-1 draw by Shkendija in Skopje, while St Johnstone went down 1-0 to Armenian minnows Alashkert in Yerevan.

July 2 for the start of the season seems bizarre, but it is just the way it is if you want to be in European football.

I do believe it is an issue that we need to look at in Scottish football. Does it make sense for 95 per cent of the teams to have to wait for a month while two of our European sides are judged in the heat of battle weeks earlier?

The criticism of St Johnstone has been quite scathing on social media following Thursday’s defeat. But it was always going to be tricky given the heat in Armenia and the fact they have only really had a kickabout with Aberdeen for preparation. It’s a bit harsh.

What would be so wrong with having everyone starting in early July? Stewart Gilmour at St Mirren has said he wants a break in January and he’s not the only one.

In Switzerland they start in mid-July and go all the way to May 25. They have a two-month winter break as well, so it can be done.

We want our teams to do better in Europe and they have to hit the ground running. There is also a general feeling January is not the best time to watch football. Money can be tight for punters and pitches aren’t at their best.

My own feeling is that there are ways to do this. One thing would be to make the League Cup be the first thing that takes place in a season, minus the European teams in the first round. But it means everyone starts at the same pace.

It’s productive. We all want the Scottish coefficient to improve and teams not to have to go through this qualifying process. It gets more difficult the further you fall.

Scotland are 23rd at the minute and at this stage it becomes more arduous with each passing year. Some people want a march to November season, and I’m not against that either.

With the Qatar world cup in 2022 due to be played in Winter, every country will need to find a solution to this. There will need to be ‘outside the box’ thinking.

I thought Aberdeen were pretty comfortable in the first half of their tie but maybe got a bit more nervous as things went on. I didn’t see anything to think there will be a shock in Pittodrie, but it was nothing more than a decent start.

For Saints, by all accounts they were not at their sharpest. They can turn that around, despite the sad news that Murray Davidson’s season is in jeopardy.

Both results are rallying cries to the support of both teams that this is not easy and their support will be needed next week.

I wouldn’t be too harsh on St Johnstone. Yes, it was disappointing but we have the power as Scottish football fans to say and do our bit.