The end of the season can’t come quickly enough for Aberdeen.
The Dons finish what has been a desperately disappointing campaign against St Mirren at Pittodrie on Sunday.
After the final whistle has been blown manager Jim Goodwin will embark on a major rebuilding job this summer.
With the club languishing in 10th in the Premiership it seems like there’s now a sense of apathy around the Reds from the supporters.
It’s quite upsetting really, speaking to supporters they ask me ‘why has this happened?’
And the only answer I can give is that too many of the players haven’t been good enough and haven’t hit the standards required at Aberdeen.
For the fans it’s been a depressing season and the midweek 1-0 loss to St Johnstone was another below-par display to add to many others this term.
Saints and sinners
Wednesday night in Perth summed up what it’s been like for most of the season.
There was no quality, no passion and once again the Dons were too easy to play against.
Too often there’s a lack of urgency in Aberdeen’s play, even when the ball goes out for throw-ins or corners nobody ever seems to be in a hurry to take them.
I don’t like to say this, but there were six players involved against St Johnstone who in my opinion aren’t good enough to play for the club.
I don’t like singling out individuals but there are some who featured at McDiarmid Park who can’t offer the quality that’s required.
You can talk about all the possession the Reds have, but they don’t do enough with it and too much of it is too far away from the opposition goal.
Once Aberdeen fell behind against St Johnstone they never looked like scoring themselves.
And I never got the impression there was a huge amount of urgency to find a route back into the contest.
Time to rebuild
There’s a major rebuilding job on the horizon for Goodwin, however, it won’t be easy to do it all in the summer transfer window.
For that reason he can’t be judged when the transfer window shuts because given the scale of the changes required he might not be entirely happy with his options come the end of the window.
Since Goodwin arrived at Pittodrie there hasn’t been the upturn in form that was expected.
But the Dons boss can’t take all the flak for that because this isn’t his team and he’s made it clear since being appointed that a number of the players he inherited aren’t in his plans.
This summer will be crucial for Goodwin as he tries to get the quality he needs.
But again it won’t be easy because for some players, with no European football to offer, Aberdeen might not be as attractive as in previous years.
Considine deserves rousing farewell
Andy Considine deserves a rousing send-off at his final Aberdeen game.
The defender’s Dons career comes to an end with Sunday’s home game against St Mirren.
I’m sure Considine will feature at some point over the 90 minutes and I’m sure the Red Army will give him the reception he deserves.
Although I’m disappointed that the 35-year-old is leaving Pittodrie, and also at the manner in which it has happened, Considine is a legend of the club.
He’s fourth on the all-time appearance list behind only Willie Miller, Alex McLeish and Bobby Clark and every time he has represented the Dons down the years he has given his all for the cause.
In recent years, prior to his injury at the start of this season, Considine has arguably produced the best form of his whole career.
That has seen him win caps for Scotland and he’s perhaps been unfortunate not to win more than one trophy during his time with Aberdeen.
There have been a number of near misses in cup competitions over the years, despite that Considine has had a great Dons career.
It’s sad to see him leave Aberdeen, but it will be interesting to see where he ends up next season.
Will Ramirez return refreshed?
Christian Ramirez has returned to the United States to be with his family having been fatigued.
Hopefully we’ll see the striker back to his best for Aberdeen next season.
Overall Ramirez has had a good season netting 15 goals, no mean feat given the lack of service this term.
However, his form has tailed off recently and he hasn’t scored in 11 games.
Manager Jim Goodwin is hoping an extended summer break will see the 31-year-old return to the Granite City refreshed and ready for next season.
