Jim Goodwin insists he will stick by his Aberdeen players despite slating their performance at Kilmarnock as the “worst of the season by a country mile”.
The Dons slumped to a fourth straight defeat at Rugby Park as Derek McInnes’ Killie dominated during a 2-1 victory in Ayrshire.
It has not been a pleasant return to action for Goodwin’s team since the World Cup break and Aberdeen fans have started to vent their frustrations at both the players and their manager.
Two late sucker punches against both sides of the Old Firm were bad enough, but recent defeats to St Mirren and Kilmarnock have really drained confidence in the Pittodrie dressing room.
Reflecting on the poor run of form, Goodwin explained: “We lost to Celtic with a goal in the last few minutes. When we watched the Rangers game after that back we realised how well we played for large spells and that we should have won it.
“Even at St Mirren on Saturday, we lost but we played for a long time with ten men and there were positives to take out of it.
“But there was not a single positive to take the other night against Kilmarnock. It was our worst performance of the season by a country mile. We didn’t offer anything, we didn’t do the basics well enough - though to talk about how bad we did does Derek McInnes and his players a dis-service, because they were better than us by a long way.
“They did the dirty stuff better. They were more aggressive and that’s why we got what we deserved, which was absolutely nothing.
“We’ve lost games in the past when seven or eight played ok but the other three or four were below par, but at Kilmarnock I struggled to give anyone pass marks.
“I thought the players who came in to replace the likes of Anthony Stewart, Leighton Clarkson and Jonny Hayes were good enough to step up, but unfortunately they didn’t show that.
“You need grit, determination and a desire when things aren’t going well. You need to stand up and be counted. We didn’t do that at Kilmarnock and it’s something we need to go through with a fine tooth comb, we need to ask some honest questions and get some honest answers.
“I think the players will all accept responsibility and I stand by them.
“Before the other night, only Rangers and Celtic had more goals for than us, but we’ve now also lost 32, which means we’re having to score two and three every week to have a chance.
“We have to give a much better account of ourselves in front of our own fans on Monday.”
Aberdeen now welcome Ross County to Pittodrie on January 2 and Goodwin admitted that only three points would be a positive outcome from the fixture.
He nodded: “I agree - listen, I’m not hiding away from anything, the oldest cliche in the book is that it’s results-driven business and losing four on the spin, however you dress it up about late goals and red cards and three penalties in one game, is unacceptable. No one needs to tell me that. No one’s going to pay attention to excuses or reasons.
“The expectation at the club is huge and so it should be because we’re one of the biggest teams in the league and that means this simply can’t carry on. We have a very competitive budget compared to other teams in the league and we need to perform to that level.
“It puts huge significance on the performance against Ross County, but even more so on the result.
“I’ve been in this position before as a player and a manager and one good result can turn things quickly. Every team goes through a poor spell and this appears to be ours, so you can either come out fighting or you can cower behind someone and go under.
“I love the job I’ve got, I’m extremely grateful to be in the position and I’ll fight tooth and nail to put things right.
“That starts in the next game. The fact that we’re sitting fourth in the table right now, albeit by the skin of our teeth, is a good thing - but we’ll not stay there much longer if we continue to put in the kind of performance we gave at Kilmarnock.
“To play for or to manage a big club you need a strong mindset. I don’t mind losing if it’s two good teams going toe-to-toe, but we can’t lose this way.
“I won’t say Pittodrie will be hostile on Monday, that’s not the right word, but there will definitely be a lot of anxiety in the air. But I’ve been there before and so have a majority of the players. They know what it means."
He added: “They’re all well aware of how much we’ve let the supporters down, not just the ones who travelled the other night but the ones back home in Aberdeen.
“We’ve got to come out and make amends on Monday. Until then, we have to accept whatever criticism comes our way because every last bit of it is deserved.”
