It has been a week like no other for Aberdeen FC, which began with the worst result in the club’s proud 120-year history, and will end this afternoon with a crucial 90 minutes at Easter Road.
In between times, there was an announcement which, it would seem, flew in the face of logic for the vast majority of the Dons support.
The decision to stand by boss Jim Goodwin for now, when it belatedly came, was one which shocked almost everyone.
Jim Goodwin to STAY as Aberdeen boss despite Scottish Cup disaster at Darvel https://t.co/82DF39PEvC pic.twitter.com/NT1zyU1A91
— EveningExpress Sport (@ee_sport) January 25, 2023
In last week’s column, following the capitulation at Tynecastle, I wrote the following: “The cold, hard facts are that, going by the recent sequence of results, it is becoming more difficult to put up a case for the status quo.”
Following the Scottish Cup embarrassment in Darvel, Goodwin’s position became yet more untenable. That being the case, the response from the club, when it came, was not what most fans were anticipating.
The statement released on Wednesday evening suggested an absolute failure to read the room in that respect, and the reference to the “strong performance” in the League Cup semi-final against Rangers was, in the wake of the two subsequent matches, unnecessary and irrelevant.
I understand why it was inserted; an attempt to inject some kind of positivity, but that would have cut no ice with supporters still hurt and angry following the side’s Ayrshire humiliation.
One thing we did learn was the club has a football monitoring board, the composition of which also prompted much online discussion.
The release went on to claim the board believed the senior players and squad are behind the manager.
Sadly, there was little or no evidence of that at either Tynecastle or Recreation Park.
The statement ended with a clear warning that an “immediate response” was expected ahead of the trip to Hibs on Saturday.
Echoes of the end of Mark McGhee’s rein
There are echoes here of late 2010 when the Dons were thrashed 9-0 by Celtic and Mark McGhee made his infamous post-match comments.
Mark should have been dismissed within hours of that one, but then chairman Stewart Milne prevaricated and allowed the situation to limp on for more than three weeks.
In Stewart’s case, he was simply trying to show some compassion. He did not want to sack the manager, he wanted to give him the chance to turn things round.
But that always looked doomed to failure, and all it led to was a corrosive uncertainty which hung over the club until the chairman finally acted.
Jim looks to be in a similar position. Talking to friends and reading online comments, it seems a large proportion of Aberdeen fans believe the axe will inevitably fall. It is simply a case of when, not if.
Have board spelled out clearly to Goodwin exactly what he needs to do to save his job?
Being in charge of a club the size of Aberdeen comes with inherent pressure and expectation. It is not an easy one to manage at the best of times, even less so with the threat of the sack looming large.
If the Dons lose today, is that it? What if they win this afternoon, but lose or draw at home to St Mirren next midweek?
The club have not spelled out publicly what exactly an immediate response amounts to and, although that inescapably leads to all of us on the outside speculating over it, that was probably the right thing to do.
I would, however, hope for Jim Goodwin’s sake, that he has been given clear and achievable targets – something by which his performance can be fairly assessed, and which leave him in no doubt about what is now expected of him and his team.
Those might be slightly longer term than many think, but in the absence of any specific information, it is understandable that, for the foreseeable future, plenty of supporters will believe Jim is just one result away from losing his job.
The only thing that can change that is a lengthy unbeaten run with a series of improved performances.
Can he and the players repay the apparent faith the board has shown in them?
It has to be open to question, but we are about to find out, beginning in the capital at three o’clock.
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