RED FLAG FOR McINNES IN HIGHLAND HAMMERING
ABJECT DONS BESET BY COUNTY CALAMITY:
WITH Covid measures now firmly in place, opposition managers at the Global Energy Stadium are forced to trudge from the technical area, past the north stand, to the far corner of the Football Academy.
For Derek McInnes at full-time on Saturday, the ghostly silence must have been deafening on that lonely walk to the temporary changing room.
Normally for the visit of Aberdeen, the stand is packed out and bedecked in red. Had those supporters been present, McInnes would have faced a merciless cacophony of dissent.
With this astonishing defeat, the Dons blew a chance to put pressure on struggling Celtic and mount a genuine tilt for second place in the league. Their afternoon was soured after only 36 seconds of play when Oli Shaw struck a sublime home opener, before Charlie Lakin slammed in a second on 20 minutes.
When a wicked deflection beat County keeper Ross Laidlaw on the stroke of half-time, the Dons should have soared in belief and stormed back at their hosts in the second half.
Instead, they were increasingly tepid and lacking in conviction before Shaw, again, and then Jermaine Hylton picked them off.
It was the first time since May 2016 that the Dons had shipped four goals against any team outside of the Old Firm. Back then, it was a Liam Boyceinspired County who filleted them 4-0 at Pittodrie, but the Highlanders were a top-six side then, and flush with League Cup final success.
Saturday’s calamity came against the morning’s bottom-of-the-table team. For a club and support who expect so much more, this was not a performance or result that can be easily brushed under the carpet.
It ranks as one of the very worst of the McInnes era. The fact it came just a day after Jonny Hayes trumpeted hopes of Aberdeen splitting the Old Firm made it even more galling for fans watching the live stream at home.
Four goals were lost, but the source of their problems seems to lie in the lack of attacking menace. Chances were created, but somehow it never felt like County’s rearguard would be breached. Striker Sam Cosgrove was a shadow of his old self and has scored just three goals since his return from injury in late October. He made little impact here, yet McInnes persevered with him for the 90 minutes.
The failure to take chances fuelled a need to pile forward recklessly late on, costing two more goals and exacerbating flak and fall-out from the result. The Dons are clearly missing the spark and creativity of Marley Watkins, now unlikely to return from parent club Bristol City after his serious hamstring injury.
McInnes could move to replenish creative options before the January transfer window closes, but is thought to have little leeway to spend.
More probably, the Dons face being weakened further by Scott Wright’s departure to Rangers, another factor inflaming supporter unrest. The identity and quality of any makeweight swap in the deal will now be crucial to appeasing fans.
A ‘McInnes Out’ banner, unfurled at Pittodrie, did the social media rounds on Saturday evening although, in fairness, it was an isolated visual protest. But there is growing dissent, fuelled by the failure to take advantage of the open goal that is Celtic’s troubles, like Rangers’ in the past.
Perhaps the greatest enemy for McInnes after eight years in the job is a leaden sense of boredom among fans over the team’s style of play and a fatigue at this replaying of all-too-familiar missed opportunities.
The Dons back three, abandoned in the first half after Ash Taylor went off injured, seems to be failing. Further injuries on Saturday to Hayes and Rangers loanee Ross McCrorie will also stoke serious concern.
Joe Lewis, the Dons goalkeeper and captain summed up the depth of dismay in the camp, voicing his belief the team weren’t proactive enough.
‘We’re very disappointed,’ he said. ‘You have to assess the game and sometimes when emotions are high it’s best to reflect on Monday.
‘We have to ensure we’re nothing like that going forward. We were slow to react in either box and didn’t make the most of any of the opportunities we had.’
Aberdeen, of course, still have games in hand that could take them back above Hibs into third place, with the new sub-Europa League tournament offering rewarding potential for group stage football. Fans, though, crave a challenge to the Old Firm, rather than banal platitudes.
‘Near the end, we were pushing forward and they got a couple more goals, which compounds it really.’ added Lewis. ‘We have to expect more from ourselves.’