When, in the aftermath of the frustrating, deflating draw in Perth, Barry Robson was asked if he believed Aberdeen could still reach third place in the Scottish Premiership, it was an invidious position to be put in.
He could either explicitly say yes, or, by giving any other answer, effectively say no.
Choosing the former was always going to leave Robson open to ridicule, even if it was little different to what any other manager would do when faced with competing options of maintaining his squad’s own morale or giving an honest reply to a reporter’s question.
If he truly believed it then, he might be excused on the basis of the seemingly impossible resurrection he oversaw last season.
If he still believes it now, he has more to worry about than his job security.
This was not as dismembering as the Tynecastle tanking which lit the fuse under Jim Goodwin’s tenure last January, but it is worth noting that, alarming though the direction of trend was, he was only nine points off third when it eventually blew up across the city.
Barry Robson spoke to RedTV after today's game with Hearts. pic.twitter.com/r0Qi8ydbQK
— Aberdeen FC (@AberdeenFC) January 27, 2024
Exactly 52 weeks later, for that deficit to become 19 is surely practically insurmountable.
Even with games in hand, since history gives little cause to expect they will result in a major dent being made in that figure.
That may be a blessing in disguise, for if Aberdeen accept they have failed in that endeavour, they might refocus and salvage something else.
The gap between fourth and 11th is not large and while one is worth having, the other is definitely worth avoiding.
Most of the teams in that area are in play for any of those spots; now is the time for Aberdeen to accept that is the fight they are in, and decide how to staff themselves for it.
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