There has been no new-manager bounce since Neil Warnock arrived at Pittodrie.
Two points from a possible 15 since he was named interim manager has left the Dons ninth in the Scottish Premiership.
They head to Paisley to face St Mirren tomorrow only four points above Ross County who occupy the dreaded relegation play-off spot.
But if your glass is more of the half-full variety then the Dons are a mere five points behind sixth-place Dundee with six games to go before the split.
Either way, a victory against St Mirren would go a long way to lifting the mood and easing the tension as the Dons enter the final stages of a turbulent campaign.
Warnock made four changes for the visit of St Johnstone with Angus MacDonald, Jonny Hayes, Jack Milne and Leighton Clarkson returning to the line-up as the Dons reverted to a three-man defence.
But after a morale-sapping 2-0 loss against the Perth Saints – how will the Dons line up this weekend?
We asked our resident Dons experts Sean Wallace, Paul Third and Ryan Cryle to predict Neil Warnock’s starting XI against St Mirren. Will any of them get all 11 correct?
A first start for new signing Hoilett?
Sean Wallace: Neil Warnock has to go for a back four in an attempt to tighten up a leaky defence.
He has to make a change at centre-back with no clean sheets in nine Premiership games.
Despite being hooked at half-time Richard Jensen retains his place primarily because there is no other natural left-sided centre back. Jack Milne comes in to add physicality and height.
Jack MacKenzie will start at left-back if fit, otherwise I expect Jonny Hayes will be given the nod.
Warnock signed Junior Hoilett and surely must start him.
He will take Killian Phillips in to bring more energy and bite to midfield alongside Graeme Shinnie with Ester Sokler partnering Bojan Miovski in attack.
Aberdeen (4-4-2): Roos; Devlin, Milne, Jensen, MacKenzie; McGrath, Phillips, Shinnie, Hoilett; Miovski, Sokler.
Three or four at the back?
Paul Third: Like Sean, I expect a back four to start the game and a two-man buffer to offer more protection in a 4-2-3-1 formation.
Richard Jensen was substituted at the break against St Johnstone in what was a tactical move from Neil Warnock and I wonder if that is a sign the manager is ready to try something else.
At this point it feels as if there is an element of throwing everything you have at the wall at seeing what sticks, but who can blame the Dons boss at this point?
Experience will count as much as form at this point and with Jack MacKenzie suffering a hip injury in midweek I expect Jonny Hayes to keep his place as James McGarry is just back in the fold after injury.
With so much focus on defensive fragility the lack of cutting edge should not be ignored and I have a funny feeling Warnock may be tempted to give Junior Hoilett, having had three cameos to build-up his fitness, his first start.
St Mirren away is a tough fixture and experience is needed for this one.
Aberdeen (4-2-3-1): Roos; Devlin, Gartenmann, MacDonald, Hayes; Barron, Shinnie; Hoilett, McGrath, Duk; Miovski.
Barron and Clarkson to make way?
Ryan Cryle: St Mirren played a 4-3-3 against Ross County in midweek, so I expect Neil Warnock will match up against them.
He will go back to a four. Full-backs are obvious, I think, and in an ideal world he may have wanted to change Stefan Gartenmann and Richard Jensen, but there’s no obvious left centre-back replacement so only the former drops out.
Warnock mentioned he was disappointed with the performance of some of his players against St Johnstone. I was trying to work out who that was – but it wouldn’t have been Graeme Shinnie, so he keeps his place.
Surely Jamie McGrath stays somewhere in the team, so I am predicting that Connor Barron and Leighton Clarkson will drop to the bench.
Killian Phillips and Junior Hoilett have to start eventually, while Duk may return to bolster the attack.
Aberdeen (4-3-3): Roos; Devlin, MacDonald, Jensen, Mackenzie; Shinnie, Phillips, McGrath; Duk, Miovski, Hoilett.
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