Stubbs: We let the fans down
Alan Stubbs insists his St Mirren flops let the travelling fans down after their Betfred Cup collapse, then warned his team to stop feeling sorry for themselves.
The Buddies gaffer was gutted at the poor Pittodrie performance as they went down 4-0 and ordered them to bounce back against Livingston next week.
Stubbs is convinced his players will learn from the drubbing after Gary Mackay-Steven’s double and goals from Graeme Shinnie and Stevie May eased the Reds into the quarter-finals.
Newly-promoted St Mirren won their opening game against Dundee but have now lost away to Rangers in the league and Aberdeen in the cup.
But with a crucial match at home to Livi looming next week, Stubbs said: “The fans made the long trip but the players didn’t give them anything to cheer about and a couple of them accepted it.
“But one of the things the supporters expect is commitment even when things aren’t going well. A couple of the players felt sorry for themselves and if I was a fan I’d be disappointed with that.
“They made that long trip and worked hard all week to come and support the team. We need to improve – and quickly.
“Sometimes it can take a little bit just to get a foothold in the league.
“We started well in getting a win from our first game but unfortunately we’re out of the cup now. They have to respond. That’s football.
“They’ve been to two of the three toughest grounds – Ibrox and Pittodrie – but now we’ve got a game against Livingston where they need to lift themselves.”
Stubbs had warned his team not to let Aberdeen get off to a flyer but they almost conceded with seconds on the clock before going behind when MackaySteven netted after 16 minutes.
GMS gave Hayden Coulson a torrid time and Stubbs said: “Hayden had a tough afternoon but he’ll learn from it.
“Sometimes you have to experience afternoons like that to become a better player.
“I’ve been there and it’s not all roses in the garden. He came up against a good player and the one thing you can’t do with Gary MackaySteven is let him build confidence.”