They say the league table never lies. And here is the proof – Aberdeen lie 10th, and in the seven weeks since the season resumed they have played all nine of the sides above them. Wins: none.
And so their disintegration approaches an enormously important phase, almost irrespective of what happens at Motherwell on Saturday – and there is little cause to expect any of that will be good.
It will be followed by a pair of matches against the only teams who the standings suggest are even worse than the Dons are – Ross County and Livingston – and those fixtures will go a long way to deciding which division each of the three are playing in next season.
Aberdeen may or may not participate in those games with a new manager, but either way they will be using the same players.
Their performance level will need to be orders of magnitude above those they have phoned in throughout this Premiership campaign, or else they will be red meat to opponents biting and scratching for survival.
If they are unable to procure any positive results against Ross County or Livingston, they will be out of places to turn.
They will be staring at the light of the oncoming train with no easy escape route.
It will be the final acid test of a squad which has failed so many already. The remoteness of the bottom two keeping the Dons’ immediate floor above the relegation line has been the final straw at which they could clutch during this ridiculous winless run, but that has been predicated on other teams beating them.
Now, though, the Dons’ collar is within arm’s reach for the Staggies.
When the responsibility for keeping County and Livi at distance finally falls on to Aberdeen’s own shoulders, who believes they will be broad enough to hold it?
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