Aberdeen defender Stefan Gartenmann says angry Dons fans are right – the players are not fit to wear the shirt.
The chant at the players has become a regular full-time feature following recent league matches and was given another runout in the 1-0 defeat at Dundee on Wednesday.
The midweek loss at Dens means it is 11 league games without a win for the Dons who are 10th in the Scottish Premiership.
The humiliation at hearing the fans vent their anger has stung the squad but Gartenmann insists it is up to the players to prove they should represent the club.
He said: “I can just say right now we are not. Right now, they are completely right.
“We really appreciate that they keep showing their support and they keep coming in these numbers for our away games.
“Right now, they are right and we need to turn that around.”
Dons players must face the battle ahead
All the pre-season hope of challenging in Europe and competing near the top of the table has been replaced by an increasingly fraught fight for survival in the Scottish Premiership.
Aberdeen were League Cup runners-up and are one game away from the Scottish Cup final.
But the Dons defender, who is on loan from Midtjylland, knows it is not cup matches or the Europa Conference League matches which will shape the narrative of Aberdeen’s season.
He said: “We can’t keep talking about how good this team is and how good the players are in the dressing room if we are not performing when we are playing these league games.
“We can’t just show up at Hampden, Ibrox or wherever we are; we need to show up at Dens Park and Motherwell on Saturday.
“These are the games we need to play until the end of the season.
“It is not going to be pretty and we are not going to be flying over any teams.
“Right now, we have to accept the battle we are in and take it game-by-game, as if they are cup finals.”
Managerial merry-go-round has been chaotic
Interim manager Peter Leven returned to the Dons dugout for Wednesday’s defeat after previous interim boss Neil Warnock left the club at the weekend.
Gartenmann believes the uncertainty behind the scenes, describing the situation as chaotic.
He said: “Of course, it has an impact but we can’t use that as an excuse. We are still Aberdeen.
“We need to beat Dundee in games like on Wednesday.
“Yes, it has been chaotic at times but we are still a good football team.
“There are still good players in there but I am a bit tired of saying how good we are because we are not showing it and it doesn’t really matter.”
The uncertainty surrounding the vacant managerial position at the club may not be helping but Gartenmann knows it is the players who have to step up.
The Dane is braced for the upcoming dogfight at the bottom of the table but he believes it is a predicament a club of Aberdeen’s size should not be facing.
He said: “At the end of the day, it is about the players. It doesn’t matter who is the manager.
“We have to look at each and in the mirror. We need to start performing.
“It is easy to say but we are not performing at the moment.
“It is easy to say we are going to go out and play like there is no pressure but, of course, the pressure is gaining on us every week.
“The pressure is becoming bigger and bigger. We have to accept that and be able to deal with that because the teams we are playing are used to being in this situation.
“Aberdeen are not supposed to be in this situation but we are in it now.”
‘The table doesn’t lie’
Gartenmann insists the increasingly desperate attempt to pull away from second bottom Ross County, who closed the gap to three points with an injury-time equaliser against Hibernian on Wednesday, is the only focus.
However, the Dane knows talk is cheap and actions must speak louder than words.
He said: “At this point, we have to look one way and that is down at the moment.
“Until we start winning games then that is our only focus.
“We have to accept the seriousness of everything now.
“Facts are facts and the table doesn’t lie.
“We talked about postponed games in the past but it is all even now and we are not many points clear of the relegation zone.
“We have to accept the situation we are in and hopefully a win on Saturday can lift us again.
“Once we get that win in the league we still get the feeling we will use that constructively and move forward from there.
“I know we got the cup win on Saturday but that is a bit different.
“We have probably sat and talked about that for the last two months and it is getting a bit tiring for us, the fans and everybody around the club.
“Luckily, a few boys in the dressing room have experienced this and I have too. We can’t just talk about it and we must do it.
“It is time to put action behind those words and to start picking up points.”
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