Aberdeen legend Joe Harper has issued a rallying call to the Red Army to stick by boss Jim Goodwin despite his difficult start since taking the Pittodrie hot seat in February.
The Dons endured their worst Scottish Premiership season since 2004 with a tenth place finish and will feature in the Premier Sports Cup group stages for the first time next season.
Goodwin has already let nine first team players leave the club during his three month tenure including former Celtic captain Scott Brown.
And club hero Harper believes the former St Mirren boss has to start with a clean slate next season once he gets his own players in, rather than being judged on his predecessors failures.
He wrote in his Press and Journal column: "Goodwin is working from a clean slate now for next season as it will be his team.
"He should be judged only on how the team he builds over the summer performs. Not on how the team he inherited let down supporters.
"The dismal season that we have thankfully said goodbye to had nothing to do with Goodwin. He took over a squad that was struggling in the bottom six and low on confidence.
"Normally a team delivers a positive response when a new gaffer comes in. However I don’t think this team had it in them to deliver that.
"I don’t believe they had that mindset. They just continued to play the way they had all season which was rotten."
Harper, who played for the Pittodrie club in two spells between 1969 and 1981, insists Goodwin needs to bring in at least eight quality players in order for the club to be competitive in future years
Goodwin has previously hinted that he wanted to add more speed and energy into the Aberdeen side and reduce the average age of the squad.
Harper added: "I’m looking forward to the summer transfer window with excitement for what it can bring.
"Hopefully there will be talented, attacking players that will deliver wins to get the Reds back up to where they belong.
"Aberdeen must be at the top end of the table fighting for European qualification.
"The club should also be looking for domestic trophy success. Hopefully Goodwin’s summer rebuild can deliver that.
"But he will need to bring at least eight quality players into Pittodrie to achieve that."
