The winter break is coming at the worst possible time for Aberdeen and manager Barry Robson.
Saturday’s 3-0 loss at home to St Mirren was a horrendous way for the Dons to end 2023 and the manager has been in the game long enough to know results like that are unacceptable at the club.
Barry does not need me to tell him there will be huge pressure on his shoulders if a rejuvenated Ross County, led by Derek Adams, turn his side over today in Dingwall.
A winter break is good when you are playing well and picking up points. It’s a chance to take stock and regroup for the second half of the season.
But right now it feels as if Aberdeen are in a situation where they want to be playing more games and certainly having more points on the board.
Those postponed matches, coupled with an inconsistent season, do not make for pleasant viewing when you look at the Premiership table and it is only when those games are played that we will get a true picture of where the Dons are.
Dons should be competing with Hearts and Hibs
I look at Scottish football and I put Aberdeen, Hearts and Hibernian on a level footing behind Celtic and Rangers in terms of their fanbase and resources.
When you are the manager of one of those clubs there is a level of pressure and expectation which comes with the job.
It doesn’t matter whether you are an experienced manager or a new face to the managerial scene, there is an expectation you will be up there competing.
I’m not talking about challenging Rangers or Celtic in the league either – I’m talking about vying for third place and regular European football.
I still believe Aberdeen have an opportunity to catch Hearts and put themselves in the mix but the simple fact of the matter is that right now they have an awful lot of work ahead of them.
Fans were entitled to boo
There was a full card at the weekend but I looked at the home game against St Mirren as a catch-up opportunity for the Dons.
With a couple of postponements this month, the St Mirren game was a crucial one for Aberdeen.
Failing to take three points was sore enough but to lose 3-0 at home in the manner they did was simply not good enough.
The manager said after the game it was the angriest he has been and that anger was matched by the supporters.
Many had left before the full-time whistle but those who remained let the players know how they felt about what they had just watched.
Barry and his players have to take that criticism squarely on the chin as they know the fans were entitled to boo. It was an unacceptable performance and result.
Losing 3-0 at home can almost be tolerated if you have been poor and faced a Celtic or Rangers side which is firing on all cylinders.
But the fans are never going to accept that scoreline against a club with the meagre resources St Mirren have in comparison to Aberdeen.
The Dons were well beaten on Saturday and really should have left Paisley with nothing earlier in the season.
They were well beaten there too if we’re being honest yet somehow managed to come away with a point which they simply did not deserve.
The manager has been well backed this season and I am of the belief he has a strong squad at Pittodrie but it is clear it is underperforming.
Barry needs to get wins on the board on a regular basis and finding the consistency required is his biggest challenge.
There have been some good moments this season but there have been equally bad ones too.
Why I don’t expect a winter overhaul of the Dons squad
The transfer window is now open but I’m not expecting a flurry of activity at Pittodrie this month.
There was a lot of work done in the summer and the manager was backed by the board in putting together a whole new squad.
I’m not privy to the financial situation at the club but I can’t see a month of further wholesale changes being made just six months after the last overhaul.
I look at Barry Robson’s squad and I see a decent group there. He has good cover for every position and the younger players coming through are getting a chance.
It would not be a surprise to see the loan players who haven’t featured return to their parent clubs while there are other first team squad members who have had little game time too.
But I’d imagine it will require players moving out before any new faces come in. A month of fine tuning rather than major surgery lies ahead.
What the focus does have to be on is moving up the league.
The Scottish Cup is equally important for the club.
The fans are not happy with the current situation but the best way to get them back on board is by showing that improvement they crave in the league and by having a good cup run.
The quality is there to do both.
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