Aberdeen’s abject Scottish Cup defeat to Dundee United was a major opportunity squandered.
After watching Sunday’s game you’re left asking ‘how much work has to be done in the summer?’
The answer is a considerable amount on the evidence of that performance.
The approach of the Dons in the first half led to a miserable afternoon and 3-0 didn’t in any way flatter Dundee United and it could have been more.
That’s hugely disappointing and in a way it sums up the season because it was a missed opportunity.
Celtic were already out of the competition and then Rangers lost to St Johnstone so like the League Cup neither of the Glasgow giants are in the semi-finals.
It feels like a season totally wasted by Aberdeen because of really inept performances in both the league and the two cup competitions.
In the cups the Dons should be looking to win them and give the Red Army something to get excited about.
Neither Celtic or Rangers have featured in the last four of the League Cup or the Scottish Cup – that’s a major chance squandered.
These are the sorts of opportunities that you hope for, but for Aberdeen not to be able to take advantage of these situations is depressing.
Glass needs to recruit and decide on his style
Sunday raises an enormous amount of questions about those who took the field of play.
Who of that group of players are going to be part of Stephen Glass’ team for next season? If you were judging them on that display you’d have to say very few.
The new manager needs time to get his own players in and get his own thoughts across.
Glass has got to assess the squad he has got and when you look at the performance he got against Dundee United there’s not many that come out with positive report cards.
He’s got to assess that and get his own players in and sort out his style of play.
It’s up to Glass to decide how he wants to play, but I think he’s going to need better defenders because on Sunday the Dons were totally exposed defensively.
The gaps between the two centre-backs and the centre-backs and the full-backs were there to be exploited.
It’s OK wanting to play like Manchester City, but have Aberdeen got the players to do that? It certainly didn’t look like it.
Glass needs to decide how he wants to play and if they want to play out from the back like they’ve been trying to then he’s got to get the players in who can do that.
Getting those players in will be the big challenge.
He’ll need backing from the board, but it’s going to be a frantic few months putting together a squad that can bring success to the club.
Failing to cope with the United press
Looking back on Sunday, in any game you need to have variety. You can lay down a style that you would like to play.
But what you’ve got to take into account is what the opposition are going to do to disrupt that style of play.
If you watch Dundee United the style they employ is to press. Micky Mellon constantly urges them to press from the touchline.
That’s the way they play to press the opposition and there was nothing unsurprising about the way Dundee United played.
The only surprise was the number of goals they scored and the chances they created because they haven’t often looked like scoring three goals.
But their style of the play was the same as it has been all season.
Aberdeen struggled to cope with the Tangerines’ press and when that’s the case and you can’t get any fluid passing going you have to vary it.
You may have to play longer and play the ball over the top, what they also had to do is match United’s commitment when out of possession and the Reds didn’t do that either.
The attitude and tempo in games like Sunday’s has to be right from the very start and it wasn’t.
If that happens things are going to end badly and to try to recover from the first half display was too much of an ask.
The Dons were slightly better in the second half, but it was nowhere near enough to resurrect the situation and go further in the cup.
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