Aberdeen fans were daring to dream of a title tilt in November, with Jimmy Thelin’s unbeaten side winning 10 of their first 11 league games and joint top of the Scottish Championship.
However, the stuff of dreams soon turned into a nightmare run, with the Dons unbeaten in their last 10 games, leaving them fourth in the table and 22 points behind Celtic.
Every fan and Thelin himself at some stage expected a bump or two along the way, but no one would have imagined such a dramatic drop in results; so what went wrong at pittodrie?
Sunday, January 12 at 2:30 p.m
Start: 15:00
Either injuries, defensive issues or a lack of goals would be a problem for most teams, but the Dons seem to be experiencing all three, leaving Thelin to deal with the ‘problems’.
Telin: We need to improve
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Aberdeen manager Jimmy Thelin discusses the club’s winless run, January transfers and the clash with Hearts on Sky Sports on Sunday.
Even when the Dons were demolishing everything that came their way, they still couldn’t keep a clean sheet, just three during that unbeaten run and none followed.
Once the top scorer at the time, Pap Gueye, was sidelined due to injury, and the regular flow of goals from Jamie McGrath, Kevin Nisbett, Topi Keskinen and others stopped. .
Aberdeen, who sold prolific striker Bojan Miovski for £6.8m in the summer, have had more possession in the last 10 games than in the first 10 but have created fewer clear-cut chances, scored fewer goals and have not won a game.
Added to that, he has some big injuries to deal with, with Gavin Molloy, Vicente Besuien, Esther Sockler and Dimitar Mitov joining Gueye on the sidelines.
However, Telin, who has been on the job for six months, refuses to panic despite their poor form.
“It’s football, sometimes we have some problems that we have to solve, in the team, in our game and in our performance,” he said. Sky Sports News on Sunday before the Hearts, Live on Sky Sports.
“We have to improve. Even when we were winning games, we saw some things that we need to improve in the long term to be a stable, consistent team to fight for European qualification.
“Then we get injuries, but still I think we have a good squad and that will give other players a chance as well.
Pape Gueye scored five league goals in as many games before getting injured
“I didn’t expect not to lose 11 games, and I didn’t expect not to win 10 games, so we’ve got to find the balance there, try to get better, keep believing in what we’re doing and not losing sight of the long term.” :
“You have to try to hide your weaknesses and show more of your strengths. We have some parts that we need to improve as a team and as a collective.”
Acquisitions in January to strengthen the team.
Thelin have been quick to add to their squad in the January transfer window, with the arrivals of winger Jeppe Okels and Kristers Tobers, and more could follow.
“You always have the ambition to improve the team,” he added. “It can be through training. Time will help the players get better.
Latvia captain Kristers Tobers sealed a move to Aberdeen this month
“Also, sometimes you need recruiting to find the right profile, so I think it’s a never-ending story. You always have to try to get better every week in training, but also build a long-term team with recruiting.
“Okkelner, of course, I know from the past. He’s a good winger, he has a lot of running ability and can get behind the backline. Tobers has good leadership and is good with the ball as well, but he can also help other players grow.”
What is the view from the stands?
Speaking Sky SportsAberdeen fan Gary Scott of the ABZ Football Podcast said:
“What you see now is a team that lacks confidence and belief and it shows in performances and results.
“What we saw at the start of the season were results that masked the obvious flaws in the team and the squad.
“We were still conceding a ridiculous amount of goals at the start of the season, but that was overlooked because we were winning. It’s natural to get down on the fans, but now the scoring has dried up too.
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Aberdeen lost their last Scottish Premiership match 2-0 at Motherwell
“It’s because of the penalties in the games. In these 10 games we’ve been on top but we haven’t been able to convert and then there’s a spell where the opposition are in control and they make us pay.
“We don’t take risks and keep conceding silly goals. No matter what anyone says, this league is competitive and you don’t get points if you don’t take risks.
“I think Thelin knew all along what a big challenge he was facing when he came into the club. If nothing else, the last 10 games have crystallized that for him. He’ll know who the characters are to cope with now.” will know who will be on the way that we have all heard about.
“Looking at the big picture, I would have been in the top six at the start of the season. As it is now, every fan would agree with third place and the Scottish Cup.
“It gets scary when it opens up for you. There are Rangers who seem to want to give away second place. We’d all take this start if it was offered to us in the summer, though we can get back to winning ways and continue to improve the squad in January.”
