RED MAN WALKING
Jim can’t survive worst result in our history says Pittodrie legend Frank
FRANK McDOUGALL believes under-pressure Jim Goodwin will pay the price after his “disgrace” of an Aberdeen team flopped to the most embarrassing result in the club’s history.
Players and management were left red-faced as they crashed out of the Scottish Cup to West of Scotland League Darvel on Monday night.
It left large sections of the Red Army calling for managerial change with chairman Dave Cormack and his board taking stock over the past 24 hours before they decide how they move forward.
Goodwin was appointed last February but despite large financial backing and a major rebuild the Dons are still miles off where they need to be. They have one just one game since the World Cup break, tumbling down to fifth and now out of both cup competitions.
McDougall, recently inducted into Aberdeen’s hall of fame, said: “A former junior team beating Aberdeen is a disgrace. It has to be the worst defeat in the club’s history.
“I do like Jim Goodwin but I can’t see how he survives this. I think he will go. I’m glad Alex Ferguson wasn’t the manager. If he had been I hate to think what would have happened.”
McDougall reckons Goodwin shot himself in the foot in Darvel as he didn’t start with his strongest team.
He added: “There’s an old saying in football, ‘Play your strongest team!’ Why leave the likes of Graeme Shinnie out? Play them and if they get tired then take them off. There’s no point playing a weakened team,
“I know they’re all in the first-team squad but when you need a result you need to put your strongest XI out. There doesn’t seem to be a lot of bottle there and I don’t think this squad is strong enough to be fair.
“The manager will get the brunt of it because they always do but nine times out of 10 it should lie with the guys with the boots on who have done the damage. Everybody’s at fault. Aberdeen are in a lot of trouble.”
McDougall was part of a Dons side who won the title and cups but the current team is a shadow of that.
Goodwin missed out on the top six last season and after revamping his squad at great expense he made a positive start to this campaign.
But since the break his team has been in freefall. McDougall said: “There has been nothing in terms of progress. He has brought in a lot of players and spent a fair bit of money but they’re going backwards. It’s unacceptable.
“I’ve seen some of the comments from Willie Miller and Joe Harper about Aberdeen of late. They watch them all the time and they have been critical. You would have to say this Aberdeen team is a disgrace.”
McDougall, currently battling cancer, expects to see managerial change. The 64-year-old, who will return for a Pittodrie bow next month against Livingston, said: “Who comes in and replaces him and what do they do?
“The next manager will come in and he’ll want to bring his own players. There’s no time for that given the way the team are in freefall.
“The new manager will just have to get on with it and see the season out then do what he has to do.”
Former Pittodrie defender Alex McLeish reckons Goodwin will take time to recover from the Darvel humiliation but is certain club owner Dave Cormack will pull out all the stops to get Aberdeen back on track.
McLeish, talking to talk SPORT, said: “Oh God, it’s a shame. Listen, I’ve been there as a manager and know what it feels like. He’ll be feeling as low as a manager can ever feel.
“I feel for the club and Dave Cormack is a good mate.
“I know he’s seriously trying to get them to a better level, but I’m afraid that cup defeat has dragged them back a mile.
“That creativity and flare is not quite there at the club, and is it down to confidence or is it down to individual players not feeling in their best moments?”