Almost 48 hours passed from the full-time whistle confirming the worst defeat in Aberdeen’s 120-year history, to the club finally releasing a statement on the future of manager Jim Goodwin.
The verdict? Carry on, for now.
The Scottish Cup exit to fourth-round Darvel marked a run of one win in nine games since the World Cup, but the magnitude of losing to a part-time side five divisions below Aberdeen made the furore all the more fierce.
Chairman Dave Cormack broke the club’s deafening silence in a statement, saying Goodwin would remain in charge for Saturday’s game at Hibernian but an “immediate response” was needed.
So what next? And how did the club get here?
Backed, but confidence rocked
Cormack’s statement left the impression that Saturday’s match with fellow strugglers Hibs was a must-win for Goodwin.
“Jim has been left in no doubt that the board and the fans are seeking an immediate response from him and the players,” he said.
There were no assurances the Irishman would be in charge beyond the trip to Easter Road, even if they eked out a victory. So is the club buying time to find an interim manager, or even permanent replacement?
If Aberdeen put in an excellent display and beat Hibs, does Goodwin win back the board’s confidence, or will the manager always be one defeat away from a crisis?
And what of Goodwin himself? The 41-year-old said he was “embarrassed” and “humiliated” after the Darvel defeat, so how must he feel after a public telling off from his boss? How good a run of form does he have to produce to get everyone back on board?
Clearly, the statement left many more questions than answers, and the drama will roll on to Leith at the weekend, where two of Scotland’s biggest clubs, both in crisis, meet.
Is it all the manager’s fault?
Aberdeen’s poor away form and defensive woes have been on show all season, but until the World Cup break, their free-scoring home form gave reason for some optimism.
But after the break they look to have folded under the pressure of several blows, starting with a meek – if late – defeat by Celtic and stoppage time collapse against Rangers.
The 5-0 shellacking by Hearts came after another extra-time defeat by Rangers in the Viaplay Cup semi-final, with Darvel proving the nadir.
Former Aberdeen defender Richard Foster was horrified at what he witnessed in the 1-0 defeat in Ayrshire, and said the manager can’t take all the blame.
“Players have to own the responsibility,” he told BBC Scotland. “If you’re a professional player and you need your manager [to gee you up] before a game, that you know is a potential banana skin, you don’t deserve to be there.
“After five minutes I’m thinking, ‘Aberdeen have chucked it, they don’t look interested, they don’t look like they are willing to go into tackles or out-work Darvel’. That is nowhere near the level they need to be.
“I don’t think any of them really showed any desire to be there. That can’t all be levelled at the manager. The players need to look at themselves in the mirror.”
Steve Wilson of Dons Supporters Together says fans are at “the lowest ebb possible” after the cup defeat and lamented the absence of “fight, passion, leadership” in the team.
He feels that while Cormack cannot be accused of being parsimonious with the transfer budget, he questions some of the chairman’s appointments.
“He has certainly backed Goodwin,” Wilson told BBC Scotland. “But you’ve maybe got to look at the likes of Darren Mowbray [head of recruitment] and Steven Gunn.
“What are Steven Gunn’s credentials to be a director of football? None, as far as the fans are concerned. He’s just been around the club for a long time.”
For Wilson, you don’t have to look far to find the major cause of Aberdeen’s predicament.
Aberdeen have lost good defenders in recent seasons and have not replaced them with players of the same quality. They sold Calvin Ramsay to Liverpool last summer for £4.2m, Declan Gallagher left for St Mirren, Andrew Considine for St Johnstone and David Bates went to Mechelen.
A year ago Cormack said the club had “recouped the vast majority” of the spend on Venezuela international Ronald Hernandez as he moved on to Atlanta. Prior to that, Scott McKenna parted for Nottingham Forest and McInnes stalwart Ash Taylor left for Walsall.
Former captain and manager Miller has praised the chairman and manager for their purchase of attacking players such as forwards Bojan Miovski and Duk. However, he bemoans the flaky defending, especially away from home.
After Aberdeen’s recent 5-0 thrashing by Hearts, Miller said: “The fact they need defenders is something I’ve highlighted over the course of the season. They have got a lot of good players but it doesn’t make them a good team.
“At home they seem to be able to perform and play some attacking, exciting football, but on the road, they’re just dreadful. There needed to be a bit more recognition of the defensive side in that spending.”
Whether it’s players, manager, recruitment, the board, who are ultimately to blame, what’s clear is Aberdeen’s season has rapidly derailed.
