Christian Ramirez needs to stay off social media and focus on being the player who stood out for Aberdeen in the first half of the season.
I’m a firm believer in body language and I’m sorry to say – but Ramirez’s does not make for pleasant viewing at the moment.
The American is clearly a frustrated figure at the moment. His family have returned to the United States, prompting him to engage with fans questioning whether he will follow suit on social media.
@mandydand read below👇🏽 this someone has common sense.. You can criticize me all you want I know things aren’t what we expected them to be but please at least respect my family. Thanks. That’s all 🤝🏾 https://t.co/7j4c8dylzn
— Christian Ramirez (@Chris_Ramirez17) April 27, 2022
His reaction to being substituted in Saturday’s 1-0 win against Dundee was another sign all is not well as far as Aberdeen’s number nine is concerned.
He does not look like the hungry goalscorer who caught the eye during Stephen Glass’ time in charge. In fact, he hasn’t scored since Jim Goodwin arrived.
I touched on this in an earlier column after travelling to Pittodrie to watch the Dons beat Hibs 3-1 to give Goodwin his first win as manager.
He was clearly unhappy at Lewis Ferguson taking a penalty and it showed as he stood with his hands on his knees as Ferguson stepped up to score.
I was not the penalty taker in my time at Aberdeen – that task fell to either Billy Dodds or Dean Windass – but what I can tell you is I made sure I was the first one into the box chasing up any potential rebound or half chance whenever we had a penalty.
That was my mindset – if there’s a loose ball here it’s mine and, because of how I played the game, I always pay close attention to the number nine in a team whenever penalties are given and they are not taking them.
Something not right with Dons striker
In Ramirez’s case, I don’t think I’m being overly critical when I say it looks as if something isn’t quite right at the moment.
Maybe it is his personal circumstances or the fact he is going through a dry spell, but needs to find that spark again.
The season is not finished and there are still points to be won.
I was thrilled to see the Dons pick up all three points when they needed them most on Saturday and I’m confident any lingering doubts about being hauled into the play-offs have been put to bed following St Johnstone’s loss to St Mirren.
With an eight-point lead and only three games remaining, I expect Aberdeen will be playing Premiership football next season and that means the manager can now get on with the task of rebuilding his squad.
Glass made huge changes last summer and it looks as if another major rebuild will be put in place again before next season gets underway.
Clearly it is needed, but the Dons cannot go through this every summer.
They need to regain the stability they had, as the last 12 months have been some of the most challenging in the club’s recent history.
🔴⚽️🇺🇸 Mood around Aberdeen darkens as Christian Ramirez’s Pittodrie future called into question
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— EveningExpress Sport (@ee_sport) April 28, 2022
Caley Thistle should make play-off final
Caley Thistle have hit form at the right time as they begin their Premiership play-off journey.
The road to the Premiership begins for Billy Dodds’ side tonight as they travel to Firhill to face Partick Thistle in the first leg of the quarter-final.
A draw or even a narrow defeat would be a decent result for Caley Jags considering how awful the pitch at Firhill is.
But I expect Inverness to come through not just the quarter-final, but also the semi-final – they are the form team of the three Championship sides taking part.
I expect Caley Thistle to be the Championship side taking on the 11th-placed team in the Premiership, which at this point looks like being St Johnstone unless Dundee can string some wins together in the last three matches.
Inverness were outstanding on Friday in their final Championship game as they trounced Hamilton Accies 4-0 at Caledonian Stadium.
Tom Walsh was excellent, while Shane Sutherland gave Accies a torrid time and, if they are firing on all cylinders in the play-offs, then Inverness are going to take some stopping.
Europe beckons for Ross County
Ross County fans should dare to dream about seeing their club play in Europe after the Staggies moved another step closer to the UEFA Conference League.
Saturday’s stalemate at Tynecastle was another valuable point picked up for Malky Mackay’s side and I hope we see a full house at the Global Energy Stadium on Saturday for the Motherwell game.
A win there should be enough for the Staggies as they would be four points clear of the Steelmen with two games remaining, so clearly the stakes are huge for this one.
It would be great for the County fans to get a taste of following their club in Europe. It’s an exciting time to be a fan of the club and for me they deserve this chance.
Now all they have to do is earn it.
