Aberdeen boss Jimmy Thelin must find a solution to a damaging problem which has plagued four previous managers at Pittodrie.
Thelin and head of recruitment Nuno de Almeida will work to complete signings during the summer transfer window to further strengthen the squad.
However, a priority during the summer and pre-season should be working on ending the club’s dismal away form in the Premiership.
This is not a problem confined to Thelin’s debut season at Pittodrie.
It is an Achilles’ heel which stretches years and across multiple managers who have all failed to find an answer to Aberdeen’s baffling league travel sickness.
This season, the Reds have won five, drawn four and lost nine away Premiership fixtures, having scored 16 goals and conceded 33.
Damaging stats across five years
Aberdeen began the campaign with three straight Premiership wins on the road, but then the familiar problem of away league form returned.
The shambolic 4-0 away loss at Ibrox was yet another painful setback.
Thelin’s Dons have won only two of their previous 15 away league games, which is a return that has damaged the bid to finish third.
But the Swede inherited these away day blues.
There was a near-identical return on the road last season under Barry Robson and interim bosses Neil Warnock and Peter Leven.
Last season, the Dons won five away Premiership games, with five draws and nine defeats.
The campaign before that, 2022-23 under Jim Goodwin, Aberdeen again won five league games away from home.
They drew one and lost 15, scoring 15 and conceding 46.
Problem faced by different managers
In 2021-22, then-manager Stephen Glass suffered the same problem, with just two away Premiership wins, six draws and 11 defeats.
Even Derek McInnes was dogged by away day troubles in his final campaign at Pittodrie.
In the 2020-21 campaign under McInnes, Aberdeen won six away games, drew six and lost seven.
Across the previous five campaigns, the Dons have won only 23 of 94 Premiership away games, drawing 22 and losing 49.
That is a win ratio of only 24 percent and a return of 91 points from a possible 282.
During that five-year period, Aberdeen have scored 82 Premiership away goals and conceded 155.
That is a goal difference of minus-73.
The major unanswered question
There has been five permanent managers, multiple transfer windows and signings, formation changes and different tactics… but still the away day conundrum continues.
Whether it is tactics, travelling, mentality, players or other factors.
That is the big unanswered question.
And one that Thelin must find a solution to for his second season at Pittodrie.
What is clear is that it is a weakness which is continuing to hinder Aberdeen.
The Reds looked to have struck a major blow in the race to finish third when beating Hibs 1-0 at Pittodrie in the first post-split fixture.
That moved Thelin’s side level on points with third-placed Hibs.
However, that good work has been scuppered by two successive dismal away losses.
Aberdeen failed to register a single shot on target when losing 1-0 at St Mirren.
That was followed by the collapse in the second half at Ibrox when leaking four goals to Rangers.
The concern is that loss could have been even heavier – such was the space afforded to Rangers.
Aberdeen call time on the Premiership campaign with an away trip to Dundee United on Saturday.
Their slim hopes of finishing third will hinge on Thelin finding a solution to a long-term problem at Tannadice.
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