Breaking up a bromance is always hard to do, but St Johnstone boss Tommy Wright reckons the Perth club is now reaping the rewards.
Nigel Hasselbaink and Gregory Tade were virtually inseparable during their time together at McDiarmid Park but the partnership had to be dissolved in the summer as Tade signed for Romanian club CFR Cluj.
There was the risk that Hasselbaink, who is five years younger than his former housemate, might lose his way following Tade’s departure, but Wright has been more than delighted with what he has seen from the Dutchman so far this season.
“In a way Gregory leaving has been the making of Nigel,” he told Courier Sport.
“I mean that in a nice way they were joined at the hip and, although they got on with the other lads, they still did everything together.
“Now Nigel doesn’t have that and he’s had to stand on his own two feet more. He’s had to come out of his shell, and the other boys have got to know him a lot better.
“To be fair Gregory was good for Nigel, he helped him settle here because you can’t forget he’s still a young boy. But now he’s grown within the dressing-room, the players are seeing much more of his personality now.
“I think Nigel is enjoying his football. I spoke to him in the summer about what he needs to do when we don’t have the ball.
“He’s taken it on board and is working hard.”
Hasselbaink has four goals to his name so far this term but three of those have come in the last four games as part of what appears to be a flourishing partnership with Stevie May up front.
And Wright revealed that playing Hasselbaink up top with May had crossed his mind before Steven MacLean was forced on to the sidelines with a knee injury.
“We had talked about Nigel and Stevie up front,” he said.
“I like Nigel up front, he offers a lot in the final third because he takes people on and opens up defences. I watched him play up front for St Mirren and liked him there.
“It has happened because of Steven MacLean’s injury but we had discussed it as a staff. He’s a real handful, defenders get worried about him because he’s strong, quick and technically is very good.
“Nigel can finish as well in those central areas so the pair of them bounce off each other.”
Hasselbaink got Saturday’s opener against Hearts before May grabbed the second, and that brought the latest bizarre celebration to be unveiled by the Saints players.
Recent weeks had seen May’s ‘prancing swan’ celebration copied by MacLean after their goal-scoring exploits, and May unveiled a new one at Tynecastle at the weekend.
It all has Wright a bit baffled, but he is just hoping to see plenty more celebrations over the coming weeks and months.
“I don’t have a clue what their celebrations have been about,” he added.
“I’ve no idea what’s going on in their heads, to be honest. I’d worry about what’s going on inside those brains sometimes.
“I didn’t mind the goggles one on Saturday but I didn’t like the swan one. Stevie MacLean had to do it and you could see he wasn’t convinced by it.
“God forbid Frazer Wright or Dave Mackay scores a goal and what they’d have to do. And Steven Anderson when he comes back.
“We know he’ll never score a goal anyway, but if he did I don’t think he’ll get involved. He’s more of a grab the ball, tuck it under your arm and run back to the centre circle kind of guy.
“But the younger ones are having a bit of fun with it, and it has given people a laugh.”