Captain Graeme Shinnie was left furious after his side fell to a shocking 3-0 loss to St Mirren at Pittodrie in what is an eighth defeat in 17 for the north-east side.
Following Saturday’s 3-0 loss at Pittodrie, Aberdeen captain Graham Shinnie called the Dons’ performance against St Mirren “totally unacceptable.”
Barry Robson’s team suffered a humiliating defeat to their Paisley opponents on December 17, 2023, due to their careless play.
Aberdeen now sits ninth in the standings, one spot above Ross County, who are now in second place. They play Ross County in Dingwall on Tuesday.
Later, a vengeful Robson said that the appalling exhibition had left him “livid,” and Shinnie concurred.
“Embarrassing, unacceptable, and the first half was shocking,” declared the Aberdeen captain. That kind of performance at home is completely unacceptable. The manager is spot on with his critique because it’s difficult to discuss in any way.
“As a team, we are aware that we are not good enough, and this was certainly one of the worst halfs I have seen since coming here.It wasn’t good enough, and I say this as the captain of the squad. It was awful.
“Teams that come here will want to see us give up easy possession of the ball and act sloppily. After getting off to a decent start, we kind of fell into it, then we conceded another poor goal.
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“It was just a really horrible day all around. We had a little momentum in their half, but let up a stupid goal. I won’t make any excuses since there are none that are acceptable.”
Aberdeen dominated 63% of the possession and scored 19 shots compared to St. Mirren’s 10, sparking concerns that the Dons have grown too predictable.
Shinnie stated: “It’s up to us as players to do more on the field, but maybe that’s the case. As a team, we must improve and stop giving up goals the way we have.
“We haven’t had many clean sheets this season, and it hasn’t just happened against St Mirren.
“At the close of the previous season, we established our foundation by being difficult to defeat. Back then, we weren’t giving up many goals, so this is upsetting now.
“Ultimately, it comes down to us not doing our jobs on the pitch, and we have to own up to that.”
The Aberdeen midfielder, who was substituted for Dante Polvara after 60 minutes, continued by saying that the Reds will not be focusing on their league table standing, which now has them 14 points behind Hearts in third place.
“At the moment, we have to look at the performances, so we don’t look at that,” he stated.
“Football games are played quickly, and we have another one scheduled for Tuesday to make amends.
It’s about analyzing this game, taking a close look at yourself in the mirror, and moving past it to make Dingwall proud.
Regarding the response from fans at the end of the game, Shinnie said that, with pressure on head coach Barry Robson growing, the Dons still had a lot to prove against Ross County.
“Of course, the fans will react the same way I would have,” he remarked. It’s unacceptable, and I would have also fled the ground before the end. I keep saying this.
“Everyone is aware of that, and all I can do is apologize to the supporters because Aberdeen shouldn’t lose 3-0 at home to anyone.
“We have the players in the locker room who can correct that versus Ross County. You cannot retreat into a shell; instead, you must rise to the occasion and be counted. To try to turn it around, we have to look forward to Tuesday.
They will be licking their lips after witnessing what happened today, so it will be a tremendous challenge. However, it all comes down to having the fortitude to confront it and make things right.
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