Former Aberdeen manager Alex Smith believes Dons chairman should learn the lessons of the past and stick by manager Derek McInnes and his bid to get the club’s stuttering campaign back on track.
One win in eight matches has resulting in Aberdeen dropping to fourth in the Scottish Premiership and led to pressure mounting on the Dons boss but club chairman Dave Cormack issued a statement on Monday reaffirming the manager retains the backing of the board.
The former Dons boss has watched his old club struggle in mediocrity for years prior to McInnes’ arrival in 2013 and hopes Cormack will resist calls to make a change.
He said: “Football has become an environment where if enough people make enough noise some decision makers at the top become fearful and can be forced into making a change.
“There is a risk of crashing into the abyss here. Some chairmen think they’ll get a bounce from a new manager for four or five games by which point the confidence and momentum will be back and all will be fine again.
“We’ve seen that several times in the last 30 years at Aberdeen in particular and I hope the new chairman can see that.”
Smith, who became the first manager to be sacked in the club’s history in 1992, insists McInnes has earned the chance to turn the club’s fortunes around.
He said: “Derek has had to replace key guys such as Ryan Jack, Graeme Shinnie, Kenny McLean, Jonny Hayes, Scott McKenna and most recently Sam Cosgrove. He has had to box clever over the years with loans of guys like James Maddison, Ryan Christie and Max Lowe.
“There have been bumps in the road but he has managed to maintain that consistency. That is why he deserves the chance to navigate this latest bump in the road.”
Smith knows there is a burning desire among the support to see the Dons challenging Rangers and Celtic at the top of the table but he believes it is a monumental challenge in maintaining it year after year.
He said: “I look at Aberdeen and I see a club between a rock and a hard place. They want to challenge the big boys from Glasgow in the cup competitions but they don’t have the finances to attract top players to the club.
“They are a top four club and they can’t get out. They won’t drop lower than fourth but it is unlikely they can move higher than third. That’s the reality of the situation and all the ambition in the world won’t change that. Investment does.
“They cannot resist big money offers for players and they do not have the resources to build on what they already have. It’s a perpetual rebuilding job.”